SuperTalk Media MidDays with Gerard Gibert 2026-07-10

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Get ready to go beyond the headlines and join a meaningful conversation with people from around the state. You're listening to MidDays with Gerard Gibert here on SuperTalk Mississippi.

**Gerard Gibert** (1:01)
Good morning, everyone, and welcome to MidDays, SuperTalk Mississippi. I'm your host, Gerard Gibert, along with Rhino in the Element Wealth Studio, guiding you through the middle of your day with facts, fodder, and fine music on this Friday, y'all. Man, we have made it through what has been a very busy week. I got spoiled last week because we only had four work days. It kind of throws the old clock off. Man, last Thursday was like the Friday-est Thursday of all time, with July 4th falling on Saturday over the weekend. We're all buckled up, ready to go, closing out the week. We've got Mayor Hope McGee-Jones joining MidDays at 10.35. She, of course, the mayor of Collins, and also the newly installed president of the Mississippi Municipal League. They just had their summer conference last week, and we'll get an update on that. Of course, it's Friday. That means Kelly Bennett, multimedia journalist, SuperTalk Mississippi News, will call in at 11.2 and give us a wrap-up of all the news that we are following in the news department from across the great state of Mississippi.
So, we got a lot of stuff going on, no doubt, both at the state and the federal level. Lots of stuff to get to. This Graham Plattner, Senate candidate, former Senate candidate in Maine, his announcement that he's out, he's suspending his campaign, really, has got the entire political world a bit shaken up. Now, there are a number of Democrats who want to replace him. Several Maine Democrats have announced their candidacy for the Senate. Some others have expressed interest even before he said he was out. They're scurrying around to find a new nominee in this crucial race that possibly could be pivotal in who has control of the United States Senate after the elections in November. Of course, a small margin currently, 53 to 47 in favor of the Republicans. I believe 35 Senate seats are being contested. I think that's right. That's a bunch. That's a lot when you consider they ain't but a hundred in the upper chamber.
So according to Maine law, Democrats have over two weeks to identify a replacement that would be by July 27
A couple of days ago, the party announced that a replacement would be chosen in a nominating convention. Didn't really give any details beyond that. Just said that they're going to have a convention, select a nominee. So I don't know if that's something that law would dictate, or if that's just the party. Because remember, in the primaries, parties essentially control those within the constraints and parameters of states' laws. But in this case, in this kind of what happened when Joe Biden stepped down and the Democrats said, okay, here's Kamala. That's what's happening here.
What about democracy?
And of, by, and for the people. So they're basically dumbing their nose at the people here. What do you see?

**Rhino** (5:21)
I'm just trying to, because I remember we talked earlier about Maine changed their primaries from closed primaries to semi-open primaries.

**Gerard Gibert** (5:28)
Yeah.

**Rhino** (5:29)
But I thought there was something else out there that could have thrown a monkey wrench into the whole system, but I don't remember what it was. I don't think they went to rank choice voting, but if they went to rank choice voting, you would think, well, if he's out, you go to the next one, right?

**Gerard Gibert** (5:46)
Well, of course, you could have rank choice voting in primaries, and you could have rank choice voting regardless of kind of the structure, right? You could have semi-open, totally open, or closed, and still use rank choice in either scenario. I don't think they use rank choice.

**Rhino** (6:07)
What I'm saying is in regards to Platner being replaced, if you've already had a ranked choice vote, then wouldn't you just go to the next one down the list?

**Gerard Gibert** (6:15)
And I don't think they do. I don't think Maine is a state that has installed rank choice voting at this point.

**Rhino** (6:23)
Yeah, along with Alaska.

**Gerard Gibert** (6:25)
Okay, well I knew Alaska did. Okay, so Maine has rank choice voting. Well, what's the deal then? Why do you have to have a nominating convention? You're right. The way that works is it's supposed to be number two.