Okay, bad headline for two reasons: 1) Three-term incumbent US Senator Olympia Snowe didn’t “fall”; she announced she’s not running for re-election this fall, a race she likely would have won easily (both the primary and the general election); and, 2) it’s a terrible pun.
What does this mean? At least the following:
- The Maine Senate race shifts from the “strong Republican hold” column to the “open race-leaning Democratic” column this fall.
- Given how closely divided the Senate looks to be next year, there’s a chance this race could determine which party holds the majority.
- The “Gang of Three” (Snowe, Collins, Specter) Republicans who voted for the Recovery Act three years ago this month will be reduced to one by the end of this year. (That’s also a pretty good measure of the strength of the “Rockefeller Republican” wing (actually, more of a feather) of the party.
(h/t: TPM)
