2026 Wildly unlikely hypo: Could Angus King run against Susan Collins for her seat as a way of getting rid of her?

[ColinC]

If he loses, he's still a senator, but if he wins she gets replaced by a Democrat and King's replacement is chosen by a Democratic governor. She can still run for that seat but for the first time in decades it won't be as an incumbent. 🤔

I'm thinking similarly about Tammy Baldwin against Ron Johnson in WI in 2028...

[SheilaAnn]

1. This sounds like a great plan, I have a few "concerns" but only a few..LOL.

[ColinC]

2. 😆 💯

[bucolic_frolic]

3. I doubt leap-frogging Senate seats would be acceptable to the public

and there would be litigation. It would be like a 3rd Presidential term which is to say a way of bending, ignoring, or obliterating the rules.

I think it's a terrible idea, almost treats Senators like some sort of royalty that remains in power when their time is done.

[ColinC]

5. Based on the last decade, we are at a point where optics dont seem to matter anymore.

IMHO the senate should be abolished entirely or absorbed into the House of Reps, if for no other reason but how inequitable it is in representation.

I think unfortunately the Senate is already practically treated as royalty, which is a big reason Collins keeps winning re election despite her unpopularity. If we can't change that dynamic, perhaps we can just take advantage of the loopholes to our benefit? Kinda how Republicans have been doing with judges, scotus, state legislatures, every federal agency board, etc...

[SKKY]

4. I'm hoping Democrat leadership has considered these scenarios...

....and for whatever reason, decided not to pursue them. But, I'm all for getting rid of Collins and Johnson, so anything that would push that along I'm all for.

[GreenWave]

6. Original thinking such as this can help get us through the bleak years ahead!

[Trust_Reality]

8. I like creativity also.

[displacedvermoter]

7. You sure Baldwin would beat Johnson?

I am not. Johnson is as inept and inarticulate a member of the Senate as anyone I can ever remember in my lifetime, if you are not counting the crowd of idiots now holding seats there. And, yet he continues to win despite his fake elector shenanigans, his traitorous ties to Russia, and the countless lies he gets caught in.

I fear the voters of Wisconsin, or at least a significant number of them, will always vote for him out of muscle memory

On the other hand, it was never a sure thing Baldwin would be reelected this past year, I believe.

By the way, some states have laws requiring office holders to resign from other offices when running. Would that apply here?

Interesting idea, I guess. Just too bad we can't find two younger, equally electable folks from the party at large to defeat two really lousy Senators, namely the stupid Johnson and the cowardly useless Collins. Democratic governors in both states, so I guess we could get some new blood that way.

[ColinC]

11. She might have the best shot out of anybody. Shes beaten equally horrible scoundrels

But the great thing about this idea is if she lost, it would -at least in the immediate aftermath, have no mathematical consequence and she keeps her seat for another two years anyways.

[displacedvermoter]

12. If she were defeated by Johnson

I am willing to bet that she would be defeated two years later. She's guaranteed to be primaried by folks who see her as beatable, certain fund raisers and donors would question whether she was a good risk, the media would call her a loser from day one, as would the GOP who would go after her with another multimillionaire MAGA candidate.

So there is that!

[ColinC]

15. Shes been in the senate forever. Her not running in 2030 is already a decent possibility.

Also all of the things you suggest are already not horribly improbable...

[displacedvermoter]

16. Agreed

[onenote]

9. I can't imagine King going along with such a plan

He's 80 years old. He prides himself for being an Independent, even while he caucuses with the Democrats. I can't imagine him participating in a overtly partisan strategy to knock off Collins and install an unelected Democrat in his old seat.

[ColinC]

10. As I said... its a wildly unlikely hypothetical

Last edited Sat Jan 4, 2025, 02:13 PM - Edit history (1)

But perhaps a loophole worth exploiting in another race in the future...

[Celerity]

13. Pass. nt

[JI7]

14. Are there no Democrats that could win ?

[ColinC]

19. Governor Janet Mills has reportedly shown interest

She would likely be the optimal candidate.

[totodeinhere]

17. According to ChatGPT a sitting US Senator cannot run for another Senate seat

while already serving in the Senate. To run for the Collins seat he would have to resign from the Senate first.

[ColinC]

18. Apparently Kent Conrad did it in 1992 in ND

[totodeinhere]

20. I know that it is possible to get false information from chat JPT

N/t

[ColinC]

21. no worries! :)

[dsc]

22. There are a large number of king collins voters

And they would likely vote for her in that case, since that would let them have both

[Polybius]

23. There are worst Republicans to go after

Some really bad ones are up for re-election in 2026.