Maine Democrats picked Troy Jackson as their new Senate nominee after a scandal-driven exit.
Maine Democratic delegates on July 25 selected former state Senate President Troy Jackson as the party’s new U.S. Senate nominee, giving him 566 votes to Saundra Pelletier’s five at a nominating convention in Bangor. Jackson replaces Graham Platner, who won the June primary but withdrew earlier this month after a sexual assault allegation. Jackson, a former logger from Allagash, will face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November. The race is a key Senate contest, with Democrats seeking to unseat Collins after nearly three decades in office.
The angles
Troubled reset
Mostly RightTroy Jackson’s elevation does not fix Maine Democrats’ Senate problem. The rushed replacement leaves the party facing new scrutiny, weak vetting questions, and vulnerabilities around its new nominee.
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A vehicle struck a crowd at a Berlin LGBTQ event, leaving one dead and others injured.
A van drove into people gathered for Berlin’s Christopher Street Day LGBTQ+ celebrations around 10 p.m. Saturday in the Großer Tiergarten, killing one person and injuring at least 16 others. Police said some victims had life-threatening injuries, and emergency crews treated casualties at the scene near the Pride march route. Authorities called off the parade and a planned concert, ordering attendees to leave the event area immediately. Berlin police said they were searching for the driver or other suspects.
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A federal appeals court ruled Trump cannot enforce his mail-in voting order.
The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston on Saturday refused to let the Trump administration enforce key parts of President Donald Trump’s executive order on mail-in voting in 23 states. In a 2-1 ruling, the panel denied the Justice Department’s request to pause an injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, who found the March order unlawful. The decision keeps federal agencies, including the Postal Service, from carrying out the challenged rules before November midterm elections that will decide control of Congress.
The angles
Election Integrity Obstructed
Mostly RightTrump’s mail-ballot measures are legitimate election-integrity efforts meant to reduce cheating and clean up chaotic voting practices. Judges and conflicting court rulings are blocking those protections, creating a fight likely to continue in higher courts.
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