Sarah Longwell and Alex Seitz-Wald: The Maine Thing
7/23/202653 min
In 2026, everyone who follows politics has an opinion about Maine politics. Here’s the thing: a lot of people in Maine think they’re wrong. So, Sarah talked to a former national political reporter who moved his family to Maine to help stand up a local paper. Former NBC News reporter Alex Seitz-Wald, now deputy editor of the Midcoast Villager, joins to discuss his transition to local journalism, the unique culture of Maine politics, and how Graham Platner’s exit from the U.S. Senate race landed with Maine voters. They also size up the new Democratic candidate, Troy Jackson, and discuss why Susan Collins has had such staying power, and how–or whether–her luck might finallt run out in 2026.
Show notes:
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsDanielle Robay0:00
This is Danielle Robay from Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club. A new car is kinda like a new book. It takes you places you never thought you could go. What will you drive into the next chapter of your life? It's fun to dream about your next car, but when you're done dreaming, you need to head to cars.com. Cars.com has the tools and expert advice to help you find your dream car. Their advanced search filters allow you to explore two million new and used cars so that you can find the perfect car. Start your search with cars.com. Where to next?
Speaker 20:32
When your cat is acting weird-er, [cat meowing] or your dog is being loud-er, [dog howling] your turtle moves slow-er. [knocking] Hello? Ted? Your cat seems thirsty-er.
Speaker 30:46
Whoa. Slow down, buddy.
Speaker 20:48
Or your puppy is acting clumsy-er. [footsteps] [dog barking] Day or night, if you don't know what's wrong, know where to go. [phone dialing] VEJ ER for pets. This is Kate. VEJ, the better, kinder ER for pets.
Sarah Longwell· Host1:02
[upbeat music] Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Bulwark Podcast. I'm Sarah Longwell, sitting in for Tim Miller once again. Guy never works. We've got a great Thursday show for you. Uh, and just as a reminder, there's no show tomorrow. So to bring you into this podcast