On Monday’s Money, Power, Politics on MS NOW, after Maine Democrats selected Troy Jackson to be the new Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, host Stephanie Ruhle and former Bush advisor Mark McKinnon discussed the candidate and decided to talk about Jackson’s “rizz.” The discussion then turned into a bash of Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), who McKinnon called “rizzless.”
After a glowing profile of Jackson from former MS NOW Reports host Chris Jansing in her new role as the channel’s “chief political reporter,” McKinnon talked about the state of the race after the Platner replacement ordeal. He stated Republicans with “a huge war chest” were “going to try and blow him up.”
McKinnon, a 71-year-old man, then decided to delve into a discussion of rizz, a TikTok/Gen-Z slang term for charisma which was named Oxford’s Word of the Year in 2023:
But this is the first time that I saw him, and what I liked about him is what Republicans are criticizing for. They say “he doesn't have any rizz.” Well, I kind of think that appeals to Mainers, you know.
On Monday’s Money, Power, Politics, Mark McKinnon praised new Maine Democratic candidate Troy Jackson and his "rizz" as the channel moved on from Graham Platner
Amidst the discussion, Ruhle asked, “Does Susan Collins” have rizz, to which McKinnon replied, “She’s rizzless.” pic.twitter.com/JDRksYGCwT— Nick (@nspin310) July 27, 2026
After panel laughter, McKinnon continued and said Jackson “just seemed real plainspoken” before he concluded, “So, at the end of the day, if he can just be acceptable, I think he wins.”
Ruhle interjected and had to bash Collins on her “rizz”:
I'm waiting for them to come at me. But we keep saying this guy doesn't have enough rizz. Does Susan Collins?
After more panel laughter, McKinnon declared, “She’s rizzless.”
Evan McMorris-Santoro, a reporter for NOTUS, also had praise for Jackson and played off Ruhle’s comments: “He sounds like a Maine guy. You know what I mean? He sounds like he knows what he's talking about.”
Following his praise of the “plainspoken” Jackson, which sounded familiar to a certain disgraced former Maine Senate candidate, McMorris-Santoro wondered if Democrats could “memory hole what came before this.”
He concluded, “That's what they want to have happen. And the Republicans are trying to make sure that doesn't happen, right?”
For a channel that covered for Graham Platner before it became too untenable with all his sexual controversies, talking about the new candidate’s charisma seemed ironic, especially since he was recently been accused of “hitting a female colleague during an argument,” according to the Daily Wire.
The transcript is below. Click "expand":
MS NOW’s Money, Power, Politics
July 27, 2026
10:07:07 AM Eastern
(...)
MARK MCKINNON: Republicans have a huge war chest, and they're going to try and blow him up.
STEPHANIE RUHLE: Huge.
MCKINNON: And they're going to say he's a worse version of Platner. But this is the first time that I saw him, and what I liked about him is what Republicans are criticizing for.
They say “he doesn't have any rizz.” Well, I kind of think that appeals to Mainers, you know [laughs].
RUHLE: Kind of makes you lean in.
MCKINNON: Yeah. You know, I mean. He just seemed real plainspoken. And, as Chris pointed out, he's from northern Maine, which is a big deal. And I think the biggest problem for Collins is she's an incumbent right now and, across the board, when you ask people if they're better off or worse off for Trump policies, 58 percent say worse, 13 percent say better. So, at the end of the day, if he can just be acceptable, I think he wins.
RUHLE: Okay. I just - I'm waiting for them to come at me. But we keep saying this guy doesn't have enough Rizz. Does Susan Collins?
[Laughter]
MCKINNON: She’s rizzless.
RUHLE: I mean, like - I keep hearing, like “he doesn’t have” –
MCKINNON: Great point. Great point.
RUHLE: Like, for real.
EVAN MCMORRIS- SANTORO: He sounds like a Maine guy. You know what I mean? He sounds like he knows what he's talking about.
Look, Democrats have passed the first big test here, which is we saw that overwhelming vote for Troy Jackson to get the nomination. That's sort of okay. Like they have now come around and gathered around a guy, united around a guy. They still have the problem of how can they memory hole what came before this, right? They want to say, “Okay, don't, you know, [inaudible] about Graham or any of that stuff that happened before? We're moving on. That's what they want to have happen. And the Republicans are trying to make sure that doesn't happen, right?
(...)
