Monday on the RealClearPolitics podcast, Carl Cannon, Tom Bevan, and Andrew Walworth break down Democrats supporting Graham Platner through another scandal in the Maine Senate race, and how much they’ll forgive for a chance to win back the Senate. They also discuss the national implications of increasingly violent protests outside an immigration detention center in New Jersey.
RCP WH correspondent Carolina Lumetta joins the show to discuss the president’s “Freedom 250” concert series apparently falling apart after performers said they felt they were misled about the event’s goals. She also breaks down his battle to put his name on the Kennedy Center, which could set precedents for his power to unilaterally rename things (like the ‘War Department’ or ‘Gulf of America’) without passing a bill in Congress.
Plus, the group previews Tuesday’s California primary elections and a second Dan Sullivan joining the race for the Alaska Senate seat.
Listen live weekdays at 11:00 a.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly Channel 111, or on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or other platforms.
Walworth, Cannon, and Bevan react to Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s latest scandal and discuss how much Democrats will forgive to win back the Senate majority.
Wall Street Journal: Graham Platner’s Wife Flagged Sexually Explicit Texts to His Senate Campaign”
Watch: Graham Platner: “WSJ And NYT Ran Stories Without Any Evidence Besides ‘Gossip’ From A Former Staffer”
“That looked like a hostage video, this poor woman,” Carl Cannon said about Platner’s wife standing by him.
“If Graham Platner was down seven points in the polls as opposed to being up seven points in the polls, they would drop this guy like a hot potato. Instead, they’re going to the mats to defend him,” Tom Bevan said.
***
14:04 — Anti-ICE Protests in New Jersey
The panel turns to the immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, that has become a flashpoint for increasingly chaotic protests this week, and how it plays into the broader politics of anti-ICE activism, public safety, and immigration enforcement.
Watch: Under Cover With Antifa “Support Staff”: New Jersey Anti-ICE Protests Are “Well Organized And Well-Funded”
“Hakeem Jeffries said the conditions that they saw in the facility ‘shocked the conscience.’ But then I couldn’t find out exactly any detail about what shocked his conscience. What are the conditions in there specifically that he’s objecting to?” Bevan said.
***
18:11 — Trump’s Concert Series Implodes
RCP White House correspondent Carolina Lumetta joins the show to discuss the troubled Freedom 250 concert series on the National Mall, after several announced performers said they would not take part. Has America’s 250th birthday celebration become another front in the political culture war?
“Last week, Freedom 250 announced there was going to be a huge opening concert on the National mall, and they had about a dozen performers listed,” she reported. “Then over the weekend, we’ve seen almost every single performer drop out and say that they were misled about what was actually going on, and the only ones left are Vanilla Ice and Flo Rida.”
Truth Social: Trump Says Artists Are “Getting the ‘Yips'” Over July 4 Performances
“This beat is full of sentences I never thought I’d say as a WH correspondent. Earlier, I reported: ‘Yeah, the UFC ring is almost finished.’ But, performers are saying they didn’t realize it was going to be a partisan event,” she added. “It’s not really clear what was going to be partisan with it, but a lot of people are confusing the administration’s ‘Freedom 250’ with ‘America 250’ — a private group.”
***
25:58 — End of “Trump-Kennedy” Center?
Lumetta also breaks down the “collapse” of the “Trump-Kennedy Center” and the president’s effort to remodel the building on his own, without going through Congress.
“We had this court ruling over the weekend that the administration was not allowed to put Trump’s name on the Kennedy Center because it is a congressionally approved and appropriated institution,” she reported. “The administration’s argument has been, well, it wasn’t a legal name change. It’s sort of like a nickname, so that should be allowed — and the judge said no.”
Truth Social: Trump Says Kennedy Center “Is Both Structurally And Financially About To Collapse”
“He’s claimed that the Kennedy Center is in dire need of renovations,” she said. “It’s not really clear what the renovations are that are necessary. If Congress is now in charge of it, it’s also not clear what they would do that might provoke the president.”
“But this will set an interesting precedent, because the administration used the same ‘nickname’ line to rename the Defense Department as the War Department,” she added.
***
32:09 — Schumer vs. “Anti-Weaponization Fund”
Lumetta also breaks down whether the White House is going to step back or double down as members of Congress reject the idea for a billion-dollar “anti-weaponization fund.” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has vowed to block payments to people who believe they were politically discriminated against by the federal government, including people who were involved with January 6.
“Republicans in Congress have indicated that they’re not touching even the reconciliation bill until they get new guidance from the White House on this,” she said.
***
36:47 — California Primary Preview
The group previews Tuesday’s California “jungle primaries” and what the results could reveal about the direction of the Democratic Party in the nation’s largest blue state.
RCP Average: 2026 California Governor – Open Primary – June 2 (Becerra: 24.6, Hilton: 23.3, Steyer: 21, Bianco: 10.9, Porter 6.7)
RCP Average: 2026 Los Angeles Mayor – Open Primary, June 2 (Bass: 26, Raman: 25, Pratt: 22)
“I’m fascinated to find out if there is this ‘hidden Pratt vote’ that’s out there — maybe they’re telling pollsters they’re undecided, maybe they’re not answering their phones,” Tom Bevan said. “It absolutely could happen, and we could see him outperform his polls.”
“He is blowing up the internet with all this AI-created stuff, winning eyeballs on the internet. So we’ll find out if that actually translates into votes or if it’s just people watching their screens,” he said.
***
42:26 — A Tale of Two Dan Sullivans
The episode ends with the panel highlighting a unique situation in the Alaska Senate race, where Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan is running against … a candidate named Dan J. Sullivan.
The panel discusses whether this candidacy could confuse voters, siphon support from the incumbent, and potentially help Democrat Mary Peltola in a competitive race.
RCP Average: 2026 Alaska Senate – Sullivan vs. Peltola (vs. Sullivan)
“It looks like a spectacular dirty trick,” Cannon said. “But maybe the wrong Dan Sullivan could win the election!”
“Well, even if it is a dirty trick, there is a level of ingenuity here that you have to kind of respect,” Bevan replied. “Juliana Stratton is a Democrat running here in Illinois … Illinois has 12 million people. Republicans could just go and find someone and say, ‘We’ll pay you $100,000 to get on the ballot and try and confuse people.’ What’s to prevent that?”
“You’re gonna have to run people with really unique names — it’s over for John Smiths,” he added.
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