TWO'S COMPANY: Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) is expected to launch her Senate campaign Tuesday, setting up an intraparty battle as progressives have already flocked to a previously little-known oyster farmer for the Democratic nomination to go up against Sen. Susan Collins (R).
Mills's decision comes after months of speculation that she would enter the race and encouragement from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Her candidacy will be welcome news to top Democrats who hoped to score another high-profile recruit as the party tries to win back as many seats as it can in Congress's upper chamber next year.
As a two-term governor popular with her party, Mills will be the front-runner for the Democratic nomination. But her path to the nomination doesn't seem quite as unobstructed as it was at one time.
Graham Platner, an oyster farmer, is making his first run for public office and has spent the past two months rallying progressive support behind his campaign, potentially setting up a bitter intraparty primary.
He's notched high-profile endorsements from progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). Sanders even called on Mills to stay out of the race, warning that her entry would require an expensive, "unnecessary and divisive" primary.
A coalition of youth-focused groups endorsed Platner on Tuesday morning, The Hill's Caroline Vakil reports. That includes David Hogg's Leaders We Deserve, Voters of Tomorrow, College Democrats of America, Gen-Z for change and Youth Save Democracy.
"After our historic loss in the 2024 election, conversations within the Democratic Party have rightly centered on age, the loss of young men, the working class, and the growing disillusionment of young voters," Hogg said in a statement. "As our party charts a path forward, Graham Platner represents not the entire solution, but a vital step in the right direction."
The primary seems poised to be a proxy battle between various wings of the Democratic Party: establishment vs. outsider, moderate vs. progressive and old guard vs. younger generations.
Platner is in his early 40s, while Mills would be 79 upon taking office, instantly making her one of the oldest members of the Senate.
With the party looking for generational change, particularly after the concerns about former President Biden's fitness to serve a second term, the idea of backing another almost octogenarian might not be ideal for some Democrats.
But Democrats will also want to consider who will give them the best chance to unseat Collins, the only Republican senator up for reelection next year in a state that voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris last November.
Democrats were bullish about defeating Collins in 2020 as she ran for reelection in a presidential election year that Biden ultimately won. They were enthusiastic about then-state House Speaker Sara Gideon, who led Collins in most polling ahead of the election.
But Collins outperformed expectations and easily defeated Gideon, disappointing Democrats.
This makes electability a key characteristic for any potential Democratic nominee, even more than it already would be.
FIRST IN THE HILL: A Democratic group announced today it's making a six-figure investment in New Jersey Assembly races ahead of the state's elections next month.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democrats to state legislatures, made its investment after an initial five-figure investment in August. Democrats enjoy a dominant 52-28 margin in the state assembly right now, but several legislative district races will be closely watched in November.
The investment also comes as Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) and Republican Jack Ciattarelli battle in the state's gubernatorial race, with the GOP hoping to pull off an upset.
OUTLETS REJECT PENTAGON PRESS POLICY: Several major media outlets have refused to sign on to the terms of the Pentagon's new restrictive press policy, with the department threatening to take press passes by Wednesday without signatures.
Those who released statements refusing to sign include The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Associated Press, CNN, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, Reuters, The Guardian, Newsmax and The Washington Times, the Post reported.
The right-wing news outlet One America News is the only one so far that's said it will sign the policy, according to the Post.
The policy from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth initially banned journalists from most hallways of the Pentagon without an official escort. It also prohibited them from reporting information not approved for release by the Defense Department, even if that information isn't classified.
The updated policy doesn't technically bar journalists from reporting that information, but they could be deemed a "security or safety risk" if they ask personnel for it, according to a draft of the rules.
The Pentagon Press Association came out against the policy last week, saying Hegseth and others have been "systematically limiting access to information about the U.S. military."
If outlets don't agree to the policy by 5 p.m. today, their reporters are supposed to hand in their credentials and leave Pentagon facilities.
Hegseth responded to various news outlets announcing their rejection of the policy with a goodbye handwave emoji.
PRESSURE BUILDS ON MILITARY PAY: Today marks the last day before members of the military are set to potentially miss their first paychecks with the government shut down.
Service members would normally be set to receive their pay on Wednesday, the 15th of the month. While members of both parties have expressed concerns about the scheduled miss payments and have called for congressional action, it doesn't seem likely to happen before tomorrow, barring a last-minute change.
Trump directed Hegseth to use all "available funds" to pay military members during the shutdown, but whether that can provide the temporary relief is unclear. Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) argued Trump's move to redirect funding is "probably not" legal.
A bill has been introduced in the House to pay the military during the shutdown, but Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has repeatedly said he wouldn't bring the House back into session until Senate Democrats vote to pass Republicans' continuing resolution and reopen the government. That's been a nonstarter for Democrats.
▪ The Hill: Can Trump pay troops without Congress? Some Democrats don't think so.
▪ The Hill: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) says Trump hasn't given Johnson 'permission' to meet.
PROSECUTOR REMOVED: A top prosecutor in the U.S. attorney's office that brought charges against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) has been removed from her role, CNN reported Monday.
Maggie Cleary, a career prosecutor who briefly led the office in the Eastern District of Virginia, is the latest to leave the office in the aftermath of Trump ally Lindsey Halligan being appointed interim U.S. attorney.
The Trump administration and Halligan have faced considerable scrutiny over their decisions to bring cases against Comey and James, two high-profile critics of the president. They came after career prosecutors, including the former Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert, indicated that they didn't feel they had sufficient evidence to bring the cases.
Siebert resigned from office under pressure from the administration, with Cleary temporarily taking over leadership of the office before Trump appointed Halligan.
One source familiar with the dynamic in the office told CNN that Halligan wanted to move around prosecutors whom she believes might oppose her on politically charged cases.
▪ NBC News: Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton could be charged soon.
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