https://washingtonsun.com/maine Maine en-US Thu, 03 Sep 2026 13:10:58 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/labor-day-rally-planned-graham-platner-speech Associated Press Platner had been scheduled to speak Monday at the rally in Ellsworth. Thu, 03 Sep 2026 13:10:58 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/labor-day-rally-planned-graham-platner-speech By Patrick Whittle

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Former Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner is no longer set to speak at a Labor Day rally when he makes his first major public appearance since ending his campaign against Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.

Platner, who won the nomination in June but dropped out in July after Politico reported that a former girlfriend said he sexually assaulted her, had been scheduled to speak Monday at the rally in Ellsworth, near his hometown of Sullivan. He has denied the allegations.

Platner was expected to speak about labor history and the importance of unions in the U.S. Event organizers were urged not to let him speak by the former girlfriend and another woman who has accused him of domestic abuse.

Organizers said Wednesday that the planned speech was drawing negative media attention, and he will instead lead a veterans' march after the rally.

“Graham is not speaking,” said Carol Leonard of Hancock County Activists, a progressive group organizing the rally. “The media frenzy got just too insane, and we became concerned about safety.”

Platner is an oyster farmer and combat veteran who filled theaters around Maine during a barnstorming campaign that resulted in a decisive win over Gov. Janet Mills, who suspended her campaign before the primary.

He has no experience in elected office but fashioned a campaign focused on working-class issues such as the high costs of housing and healthcare.

Platner’s campaign was frequently interrupted by scandals, such as the emergence in late May of media reports that he previously exchanged sexually explicit text messages with several women while he was married.

High-profile backers including independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders stood by him in the wake of those allegations, but his support crumbled after the sexual assault allegations surfaced.

Platner also had a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol, though he said he did not realize its association with Nazism until he was several weeks into the campaign. He later had the tattoo covered up with a different design.

Platner also apologized for old online comments that included insulting language about women, police and rural residents.

After he dropped out of the race, Democrats held a nominating convention in July in which they chose former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson to run against Collins.

Jackson, who got the Senate nomination after losing a gubernatorial primary, campaigned with Platner in the spring but has distanced himself from him following the sexual assault allegations.

The Ellsworth event is scheduled for midday and will include speakers, live music and the veterans' march.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/maine/bobby-charles-governor-tom-homan-ice-agent-polling Jenna Monnin Bobby Charles is running against Democrat Hannah Pingree in Maine. Wed, 26 Aug 2026 16:51:40 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/maine/bobby-charles-governor-tom-homan-ice-agent-polling Maine gubernatorial candidate Bobby Charles said he plans to ask White House border czar Tom Homan to send U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to Maine polling stations this election season.

If Charles succeeds, the move could validate long-held fears by many in the Democratic Party that President Donald Trump could use immigration agents to intimidate voters or assist in potential efforts to tamper with election results.

“I’m going to ask Tom — three or four weeks before the election, maybe three — I’m going to make an appeal for ICE and marshals to be at our voting booths,” Charles said last week in an audio recording obtained and reported first by the Bangor Daily News Wednesday. “Do you think the illegals who are being paid money are going to like that?”

The Republican nominee’s comments come as the state is still grappling with the death of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Columbian national who was shot and killed by ICE on July 13 in Biddeford, Maine. Durán Guerrero was not the intended target of the operation, but his killing sparked heated protests against federal immigration enforcement in the state.

Charles called Homan a “friend” and added that the pair “used to be on Fox [News] all the time together” at a gathering with Maine Young Republicans on Aug. 20. It appears to be the first time a midterm candidate said they plan to ask the federal government to deploy immigration agents to polling locations.

The comment is in line with President Donald Trump’s push to crack down on noncitizen voting — though there is little evidence to support the idea that noncitizens are voting in large numbers or that massive enforcement efforts would have stopped the few who have been caught.

Deploying ICE agents to polling locations may also be illegal under federal statutes that prohibit federal officials from interfering with elections and intimidating voters. Federal law enforcement officials or “armed men” are also prohibited where an “election is held.”

ICE referred NOTUS to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s comments during his confirmation hearing, where he said “the only reason why my officers would be there is if there was a specific threat for them to be there, not for intimidation.”

The U.S. Marshals Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Republican nominee’s campaign did not dispute the remark when reached by NOTUS — though Charles’ campaign manager, Dale Crafts, Jr., added that the “point is that Bobby will do everything legally possible to prevent illegal voting in Maine.” 

Democrats quickly voiced their opposition to Charles’ plan, with Devon Murphy-Anderson, Maine’s Democratic Party executive director, calling the push for ICE at Maine’s polling locations “not only deeply alarming — it is likely illegal.”

Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat who is tasked with overseeing the elections process, affirmed that federal law enforcement officials are “prohibited from being at the polls on Election Day.”

“Bobby Charles can call whoever he wants, but he can’t change the Constitution or the law,” Bellows told the Bangor Daily News.

Some in Trump’s inner circle have floated sending ICE agents to the polls, but the administration has said they will not pursue the enforcement efforts.

Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon said earlier this year that deploying ICE agents to U.S. airports would be a “perfect training for the fall of 2026,” but the Department of Homeland Security told election officials “there will be no ICE presence at polling locations for this election” in a virtual meeting in February.

Charles is set to face Pingree in November. The Republican faces an uphill climb in the race, which is rated “solid D” by Cook Political Report. Vice President JD Vance backed Charles earlier this week at a rally in Maine, but Trump has yet to formally back the Republican candidate.

“My opponent is on the internet pretending he is no longer a proxy for Donald Trump, and meanwhile he is begging Trump’s ICE to come interfere with our free and fair elections,” Pingree told NOTUS. “I think that conduct speaks for itself and I trust the Maine people to see it for what it is.”

Democrats are heading into the election with the advantage, and Charles has made efforts to distance himself from the president. At a campaign event last week, the Republican told voters he does not know Trump.

“But, I will work with him,” Charles said. “I will also stand up against him if he opposes something Maine needs.”]]> https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/planned-parenthood-susan-collins-ad-buy Torrie Herrington The group’s PAC will spend $600,000 on spots criticizing Collins for supporting Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court. Mon, 17 Aug 2026 22:03:55 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/planned-parenthood-susan-collins-ad-buy Planned Parenthood’s political action committee says it will spend $600,000 on ads against Sen. Susan Collins — the organization's biggest ad investment this cycle.

Planned Parenthood Votes plans to use the ad campaign to criticize the Maine Republican, who is up for reelection, for voting to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who later supported the high court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

One of the ads, which has already been available on YouTube, features a Maine woman who said she regrets her vote for Collins.

“I can’t take my vote back, but I will not make the same mistake twice,” the woman in the ad says. “I’m done hoping Susan Collins will do the right thing.”

While Collins has said she disagrees with the court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which found the Constitution does not protect a right to abortions, she has also said she stands by her support for Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

“I do not regret that vote,” she told reporters in June. Collins said she disagrees with the court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which found the Constitution does not protect a right to abortions.

Collins faces Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, who was nominated by Maine Democrats after the former nominee, Graham Platner, dropped out of the race over to sexual assault allegations, which he has denied.

The ad buy in Maine is part of Planned Parenthood Votes’ $47 million campaign this cycle.

In 2018, before Collins voted to confirm Kavanaugh, Planned Parenthood Action Fund also made a six-figure ad buy, launching spots urging Collins not to support him.

Planned Parenthood’s Maine Action Fund issued a memo in May 2025 backing Collins, saying, in part, “Mainers can count on Senator Susan Collins’ long record of supporting family planning programs.” The memo was available on the Planned Parenthood website until July this year.

Planned Parenthood Action endorsed Platner in June, a few weeks after The New York Times reported on his “unsettling” behavior. The PAC rescinded its endorsement of Platner on July 6.

A spokesperson for Collins said in a statement to NOTUS that Planned Parenthood “cares more about electing Democrats than any issue,” and noted the group’s support for Collins previously and the Platner endorsement.

“Now they are endorsing a candidate who as recently as 2013 received a 100% pro life rating,” Blake Kernen, a spokesperson for Collins, said. “As Planned Parenthood itself said, Susan Collins has always supported access to care for Mainers and all Americans, and she will continue to do so.”

This story has been updated with a statement from a Collins spokesperson.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/money/citizens-united-maine-super-pacs Taylor Giorno But in federal court today, free speech advocates defended the right of political donors to make unlimited contributions to certain political groups. Wed, 29 Jul 2026 21:02:45 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/money/citizens-united-maine-super-pacs In a federal appeals court in Boston on Wednesday, free speech advocates sparred with the state of Maine and an allied nonprofit organization that want to cap unlimited contributions to super PACs and other big-money political groups.

The state of Maine and Equal Citizens, a nonprofit group founded by Harvard law professor and erstwhile presidential candidate Larry Lessig, are fighting to restore a Maine law capping individual contributions to certain big-spending political groups, such as super PACs, at $5,000.

They’re hoping to take their case all the way to the Supreme Court.

But they faced stiff resistance Wednesday from opponents who argue that spending by outside political groups — groups that raise and spend money to influence elections but are not allowed to coordinate directly with candidates — is a protected form of political speech.

Two super PACs, Dinner Table Action and For Our Future, sued Maine state election officials — successfully — to stop the law, which Maine voters overwhelmingly approved in 2024, from going into effect.

“The American people have a First Amendment right to assemble and to associate, to engage in political speech, and particularly election-related speech, free of infringement from many laws,” Charles "Chip" Miller, a senior attorney at the Institute for Free Speech, which is representing the super PACs, said Wednesday. “That is what we're here talking about today. That's what independent expenditures are. It's the association of individuals to get together to speak.”

But Americans across the political spectrum overwhelmingly believe there is too much money in U.S. politics, according to recent polling by Politico, Pew Research Center and others.

The 2026 midterm election is expected to be the most expensive non-presidential cycle on record, with well-funded super PACs — including the president’s MAGA Inc. and those controlled by cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence and sports-betting industries — poised to play a major role in shaping the election landscape.

Maine is one of several states that’s attempted to limit the amount of money flowing into their elections, which has exploded since 2010, when the Supreme Court greenlit unlimited spending by outside groups in its Citizens United v. FEC decision.

“This case presents a single question: When the people of Maine decided, by the largest vote in the state's 206-year history, that unlimited super PAC contributions were corrupting their elections, did the First Amendment leave them powerless? It did not,” Neal Katyal, a partner at Milbank LLP, who successfully argued against President Donald Trump’s tariffs at the Supreme Court earlier this year, said during oral arguments Wednesday.

Lessig previously told the Maine Morning Star he had expected a legal challenge, and Equal Citizens joined the case to defend the contribution limits.

Lessig’s stated goal is to get the case to the Supreme Court, which he argues hasn’t grappled directly with the constitutionality of unlimited political contributions.

A few months after the Citizens United decision, a federal appeals court in D.C. applied the Supreme Court ruling to another case called SpeechNow.org v. FEC. The court ruled then that contribution limits, not just spending limits, were lawful, as did other appeals courts — and this is the precedent Maine and Equal Citizens are targeting.

“The strategy is to get this case to the Supreme Court with the First Circuit coming into contradiction with the precedents of other Circuits including the Second, Fifth, Seventh, Ninth, Tenth — and, most importantly, the DC Circuit,” Maia Cook, Equal Citizens’ executive director, wrote in a statement to NOTUS.

In a written statement to NOTUS ahead of oral argument, Miller said the Maine ballot measure “strikes at the heart of the First Amendment by severely limiting political speech.”

“There is no legitimate government interest in limiting contributions to groups that make only independent expenditures,” Miller wrote.

The odds that the case makes it to the Supreme Court would rise if the federal appeals court sides with Maine and Equal Citizens, which would create a tantalizing “circuit split” for the court.

Last July, a U.S. magistrate judge stopped Maine from enforcing the law, which she called “unconstitutional on its face.”

The federal appeals court is expected to rule in November or December, although there’s no official timeline for releasing the decision.

Even if the case gets to the Supreme Court, however, Maine faces an uphill battle.

Conservative justices have sympathized with arguments that super PACs erode the power of political parties, in part fueling their decision last month to strike down coordination limits between political party committees and candidates.

But that doesn’t mean justices are willing to limit super PACs’ ability to spend as much money as they want to advocate for or against political candidates.

“[D]onors can and do send their funds to Super PACs and other outside groups that have a First Amendment right to receive and spend unlimited money to support their independent political speech,” conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in the opinion last month.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/campaigns/chuck-schumer-troy-jackson-working-together Torrie Herrington The Maine Senate candidate has said in past interviews that he would not support Schumer as leader next year. Wed, 29 Jul 2026 20:53:32 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/campaigns/chuck-schumer-troy-jackson-working-together Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he met with Democratic Maine Senate hopeful Troy Jackson Wednesday morning.

“We had a great meeting this morning,” Schumer told reporters. “We're working together to win the seat, beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate.”

It’s the first time the New York Democrat has publicly commented on the race since calling for Graham Platner to drop out of the race after sexual assault allegations.

None of Jackson’s potential Senate colleagues have endorsed him since the Maine Democratic Party selected him as the new nominee last Saturday, according to his endorsements page. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) had endorsed Jackson during his earlier gubernatorial run this year. That support has not carried over to Jackson’s Senate campaign: Sanders campaigned heavily for Platner before the allegations broke.

Jackson, like several Senate candidates this cycle, has said he would not support Schumer as leader next year.

“The Democratic Party needs to have a different approach — getting people back in the party, getting working-class, everyday people back in the party — and I don’t believe it’s going to happen with Senator Schumer,” Jackson said in an interview with The New York Times earlier this month.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee backed Jackson’s nomination after it was made official.

“Troy Jackson is a fifth-generation logger with a demonstrated ability to win,” Schumer and Chair Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) said in a statement that day. “A champion for affordable health care and working people, Jackson has harnessed the grassroots energy in Maine and is well-positioned to defeat Susan Collins, who is more vulnerable than she has ever been.”

Jackson has also earned the endorsement of former Vice President Kamala Harris, who won Maine by nearly 7 percentage points during her presidential run in 2024.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/platner-campaign-donor-refund Oriana González “Anything that we can do to try to take resources out of the hands of predators is worth it,” Cheyenne Hunt told NOTUS. Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:19:00 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/platner-campaign-donor-refund Cheyenne Hunt watched Rep. Eric Swalwell use campaign funds for legal fees after sexual assault allegations chased him out of Congress. She decided to do something to not watch Graham Platner do the same.

Hunt, a prominent activist and lawyer, launched her organization Reckoning Action in response to the accusations against Swalwell with the goal of ending misogyny in the workplace. After Swalwell, she knew she “had to get a little bit scrappier about how we do this,” Hunt told NOTUS in an interview.

Ultimately, her organization decided to text Platner’s donors directly and teach them how they can get refunds from his campaign.

“Anything that we can do to try to take resources out of the hands of predators is worth it,” Hunt said.

Swalwell dropped out of the California governor’s race and resigned from Congress in early April after multiple women, including one of his former staffers, accused him of sexual assault. He has denied the accusations. Recent Federal Election Commission filings show that Swalwell spent $50,000 in campaign money on defense attorney Sara Azari, who specializes in “#metoo defense,” according to her website. Days after Swalwell resigned, Azari’s firm hired a private investigator who looked into the sexual assault allegations, NOTUS first reported.

Platner, who ended his Senate campaign after being accused of sexual assault, presented a different challenge for Reckoning Action. The group sought legal advice and then informed the women who accused Platner of sexual assault “that there was a good chance that they were being watched and looked into,” Hunt said.

“That is deeply unsettling for survivors after having to go through this incredibly invasive process of bringing that forward,” Hunt said. Platner had $1.7 million cash on hand at the end of last month, according to the most recent FEC data available, and Hunt was concerned that he could use that money “against these survivors.”

Platner’s campaign did not respond to NOTUS’ request for comment.

Reckoning Action sent automated texts signed by Hunt to donors with the following message: “If you donated to Graham Platner and feel betrayed, you’re not alone. You signed up to help elect a champion for freedom and equality and take back the Senate — not to fund a predator.” The text linked to a Reckoning Action website with instructions on how to get the refunds.

Hunt told NOTUS that in the hours after they sent that text to “thousands” of donors on July 16, more than 300 people visited the landing page.

Many political donors use the platform ActBlue to contribute to Democratic campaigns. The site allows refunds within 90 days of the payment. Reckoning Action advised donors to contact ActBlue if the donation is older than 90 days or to contact Platner’s campaign directly to request a refund.

The FEC does not allow campaign funds to be used for personal use, but it does allow that money to be used to cover legal expenses related to campaign activity, “where such expenses would not have occurred had the individual not been a candidate or officeholder,” according to its official website.

There’s nothing that directly prohibits a candidate or an elected official from using campaign funds to fight sexual misconduct allegations.

While Hunt and her organization reached out to Platner’s financial supporters, they were also in touch with lawmakers about changing the law. On Tuesday, Reps. Ro Khanna (D-California) and Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida) introduced the No Campaign Funded Cover-Ups Act, a bill that would prohibit candidates and elected officials on the federal level from using campaign money to cover costs related to sexual misconduct claims.

It’s unclear whether the bill will become law, even with bipartisan support.

“Survivors must be heard and respected. Our bipartisan legislation addresses a basic principle: money donated to support a political campaign should not become a personal legal-defense fund for alleged sexual misconduct,” Khanna said in a statement.

Luna concurred in a statement: “If a candidate is accused of sexual assault, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, campaign donations and legal expense funds should never become a personal bailout. If you commit sexual misconduct, you should foot the bill, not the donors who put their trust in you.”

Platner has denied he sexually assaulted anyone. In an 11-minute video posted on X, he said the allegations were “false” and were “used by the political establishment” to kick him off the ballot in the Maine Senate race.

The reactions from donors to Reckoning Action’s text were mixed.

“Those that were negative definitely echoed the sentiments in his video,” Hunt said. “This concept of not really taking accountability, and that this was something that was happening to him versus a product of his own misconduct and his own lack of honesty. So that was hard.”

“That’s just so disconnected from reality,” Hunt added.

But Platner’s many scandals have already made a dent in his campaign finances. His campaign committee refunded more than $43,000 to donors from late May to June 30, according to its most recent financial report. Those refunds happened at a time when he was dealing with reports of sexual text messages with women outside of his marriage.

“I’m feeling pretty optimistic that we will have put another sizable dent in that campaign account,” Hunt said.

The discussion around sexual misconduct in Congress has spurred lawmakers to create legislation to address sexual misconduct, beyond the Khanna-Luna bill. Rep. Jeff Crank (R-Colorado) recently introduced a resolution to prohibit House lawmakers from having romantic relationships with any House employee.

The Republican and Democratic women’s caucuses are preparing to release recommendations after the August recess around overhauling how the House handles sexual misconduct allegations. Both Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have blessed the effort.

“We’re protecting women. We’re protecting the staff,” Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, told reporters last week. “We’re protecting the really brilliant people who choose to come and work for us.”]]> https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/morris-katz-graham-platner-genevieve-mcdonald Alex Roarty Katz “needs to take some time for reflection and consider if he is serving the Democratic Party well,” Genevieve McDonald said. Mon, 27 Jul 2026 19:58:56 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/morris-katz-graham-platner-genevieve-mcdonald Democratic strategist Morris Katz’s public mea culpa last week for his role in promoting and protecting Graham Platner didn’t sit well with at least one person familiar with the inner workings of the former candidate’s political operation.

“I don't believe him,” Genevieve McDonald, who served as the Platner campaign’s political director until resigning last October, said of Katz. “I mean, consultants shouldn't have main character energy. We have lost the plot when consultants are doing PR tours for themselves, for their own redemption, and that is what this felt like.”

Katz — one of the people most responsible for helping elevate Platner to national stardom — appeared on “The Ezra Klein Show” last week, saying he now believes some of the initial revelations about Platner, including his online history, should have been enough to end his Senate candidacy last year. Platner would go on to win the Democratic Senate primary in June, only to be forced out of the race weeks later after he was accused of sexual assault.

It was a notable admission from Katz, a rising star in his own right after helping mastermind New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s winning race in 2025.

But it rang hollow to McDonald, who said Democratic voters were robbed of a real primary because top members of Platner’s campaign dismissed the seriousness of the candidate’s actions and failed to properly vet rumors of other potential misdeeds.

“I appreciate the recognition that those things should have been enough,” McDonald told NOTUS in an interview on Monday. “However, they weren't enough in the moment, and so it doesn't repair the damage.”

Katz’s admission that he misjudged the situation is an effort to protect his career rather than a genuine admission of wrongdoing, she said, and another chance for him to build out a political status that she thinks has a tendency to overshadow his actual political clients.

“We've gotten to a point where it seems as though I've read as much about Morris Katz as I have about the candidates that he works for,” she said.

Katz and McDonald have publicly tussled before over the former political director’s decision to talk to The Wall Street Journal about allegations that Platner had sexted multiple women while he was married. During last week’s interview, Klein asked Katz whether he owed McDonald an apology, which he declined to give.

Katz’s response angered McDonald, who says he and his company, the Fight Agency, have tried to disparage her and her professional reputation since she resigned last year.

“I don’t need an apology from Morris Katz,” McDonald said. “I think Morris Katz needs to take some time for reflection and consider if he is serving the Democratic Party well.”

McDonald’s remarks mark a continuation of one of the most damaging controversies in recent party history, one that forced Democrats to pick a new nominee only this past weekend against Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Platner’s eventual decision to leave the race also led to a round of finger-pointing at some of the officials who worked for him and for months defended him vigorously from criticism.

“I do think the process was irresponsible,” McDonald said. “You know, it appears Fight Agency and Daniel Moraff were so eager to launch him and push out any potential competitors in the primary that they did not do their due diligence.”

Katz declined to comment for this story. Katz said in the interview with Klein that Fight Agency “is not a vetting agency,” but that it’d be “fair” to critique him and the firm for “putting more pressure on people to ensure that the vetting process taking place is responsible and robust.”

McDonald said she just hopes that everyone can move on.

“The past several months have been deeply challenging to me, both, you know, personally and professionally,” she said. “I'm very much ready for the nation to move on from the Platner campaign.”]]> https://washingtonsun.com/trump-white-house/trump-ice-agents-vetting-maine-shooting Jenna Monnin The ICE agent who allegedly shot and killed a man in Maine should have had “an almost impossible time” passing vetting, Tom Homan said. Sun, 26 Jul 2026 17:54:28 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/trump-white-house/trump-ice-agents-vetting-maine-shooting White House border czar Tom Homan said the vetting and training processes for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents are “under review” after revelations that the agent who allegedly shot and killed an immigrant in Maine had been accused of domestic violence.

Homan said law enforcement agencies routinely review their training operations and ICE would evaluate “some additional training” as well as find out what may have gone wrong in vetting the ICE agent in Maine.

“Did we have that information? Did we not have that information?” Homan said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union. “If that was factual, he would have an almost impossible time to pass vetting.”

ICE has not officially identified the agent who shot and killed Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 25-year-old Colombian man, in Biddeford, Maine, on July 13 — though The Associated Press and Boston Globe have reported that he is 37-year-old David Brouillette, who had previously served in the Army.

Brouillette’s family members and ex-wives have accused him of violent behavior and said he has a long history of psychiatric issues, several news outlets reported. If the accusations against Brouillette are true, Homan told CNN, he never should have cleared the vetting process.

“If this person had that type of history, it would have been a vetting issue, and it should have been brought to the attention of those who make those decisions,” Homan said.

The shooting in Maine happened less than a week after another fatal shooting in Houston where an ICE agent killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national.

Homan told CNN he did not “know specifically” the status of the officers involved in the shootings in Maine and Texas, but per ICE policy “they're usually put on administrative leave pending the investigation.”

Durán Guerrero and Salgado Araujo were both shot during vehicle stops. After the shootings, ICE temporarily paused most vehicle stops to review the enforcement tactic, but within a day, President Donald Trump directed the agency to resume traffic enforcement actions.

Homan said “changes have been made” to vehicle-stop procedures after acting ICE Director David Venturella gave officers new guidance on body-worn cameras. The Department of Homeland Security recently signed contracts for over $30 million to purchase the cameras. Venturella has also added training for officers, according to Homan.

“David Venturella sent an instruction out that he wants at least one body camera on those vehicle stops, so we have everything on video,” Homan told CNN.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/campaigns/troy-jackson-democratic-nominee-senate-maine Torrie Herrington Jackson will have just under 100 days to mount a new campaign against Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:30:36 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/campaigns/troy-jackson-democratic-nominee-senate-maine Former Maine state Sen. Troy Jackson handily won the state Democratic party’s support in a last-minute party convention vote on Saturday. He will take on Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November.

Former candidate Graham Platner dropped out of the race on July 8 after facing allegations of sexual assault. A dozen candidates quickly launched campaigns after Platner’s announcement, though the field had whittled itself down to Jackson and Saundra Pelletier by Friday after a televised debate last week.

The state Democratic party backed Jackson nearly unanimously via hundreds of delegates who were selected through a series of county meetings July 18-19. The deadline to submit the new nominee’s name is Monday.

“The easy solution would have been to task a party committee with making that choice,” Democratic State Committee Chair Charles Dingman said in his opening remarks, prompting lighthearted groans from the audience. “Instead, we responded to the growing grassroots movement in our state to build power for ordinary working people.”

Now, Jackson will have just under 100 days to mount an entirely new campaign against Collins after having rallied with Platner several times during his gubernatorial run earlier this year. The incumbent senator has already characterized Jackson as a “Bernie bro” and a socialist.

Before the nomination vote, Jackson acknowledged that many people had likely already supported “different candidates” before Saturday’s convention kicked off — declining, as all speakers had throughout the event, to say Platner’s name. He said the hope Democrats had built during the primaries does not belong to “any one campaign,” but rather a list of progressive ideals. His speech concentrated on praising the organizing power of working-class people and bashing votes Collins had made on Medicaid cuts or boosting spending on federal immigration agents.

“For nearly 30 years, Collins has told Maine that she is ‘concerned,’” Jackson said in his opening remarks, addressing a room full of attendees with “Troy Jackson for Maine” signs and state flags.

“But concern does not lower the cost of groceries or gas,” he said. “Concern does not restore all of the rights she’s taken away. Maine does not need another six years of concern.”

The first challenger to form an exploratory committee, Jackson emerged as the clear favorite throughout the replacement process after he dominated the initial delegate voting process. As it became clear that he would be the nominee, other prominent candidates like Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former gubernatorial candidate Nirav Shah and former congressional candidate Jordan Wood dropped out of the running. Shah and Wood both endorsed Jackson.

The only one to not drop out of the race ahead of Saturday was little-known candidate Pelletier, a biopharmaceuticals executive originally from Caribou. She garnered five delegate votes.

Jackson is a progressive Democrat and a fifth-generation logger who initially entered politics as a Republican before being elected to the state House as an independent in 2002. He switched to the Democratic Party two years later, eventually becoming the state Senate president from 2018 to 2024.

Jackson’s campaign announced this week that the candidate has raised more than $1 million since entering the race. But he will still have to contend with Collins’ $11 million war chest.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/maine/democrats-maine-election-troy-jackson Alex Roarty, Igor Bobic, Christa Dutton Whether they can win is an open question. Fri, 24 Jul 2026 09:13:00 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/maine/democrats-maine-election-troy-jackson Maine Democrats are on track to select a new Senate candidate later this week. Their likely pick? A former state lawmaker who lost the party’s recent gubernatorial primary, has no federal political experience and has only three months to assemble a campaign against a 30-year Republican incumbent.

Most party leaders — including Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand, who said she’s “very optimistic that we will win Maine” — say they haven’t felt this good about the race in months.

“I think it's going to be hotly contested, but I think it's very much back in play,” said Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico.

On Saturday, Democrats in Maine are expected to pick Troy Jackson as their Senate nominee against Republican incumbent Susan Collins, less than a month after the party’s former nominee, Graham Platner, was accused of sexual assault, the latest in a string of controversies he faced throughout his campaign.

Jackson’s nomination would cap what has been one of the party’s most tumultuous primary processes in recent memory, a series of mishaps that could — and is widely expected to — jeopardize the Democrats’ ability to defeat Collins.

That’s especially the case with a candidate like Jackson, who even allies acknowledge is an underwhelming orator with little time to build out a campaign infrastructure.

But Democrats in Washington and Maine insist they think he’s still in a better position than Platner, who, despite denying the allegations, carried baggage into the race that party strategists feared would undermine his electability.

“Turbulence is never the friend of politics, but I think there’s plenty of time,” Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado told NOTUS. “There's some history, and people have done attack ads, and you know, have in some way vetted him a little more thoroughly than some candidates get.”

The sentiment reflects just how anxious many Democrats — especially moderates — had become about Platner’s chances against Collins, so much so that they are relieved to throw in with a candidate few national Democrats know well.

More importantly, it indicates that Democrats remain committed to trying to win the Senate race despite everything that has happened there. Democrats likely need to win the race in Maine — the only Senate seat held by a Republican in a state won by Kamala Harris in 2024 that is up for grabs this year — to have a chance at flipping majority control of the Senate.

Platner’s baggage had made his path to victory “very likely insurmountable,” said Lauren French, spokesperson for Senate Majority PAC, a super PAC aligned with Senate Democrats.

“Now we have the opportunity to refocus this conversation where it should be, which is Susan Collins,” she said.

National Democrats have pointedly stayed out of the race to replace Platner. Asked if he would support Jackson, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed confidence in defeating Collins, a formidable and well-funded incumbent who is seeking her sixth term in Washington.

“We're going to win Maine. Susan Collins is going to lose, and we are going to take back the Senate,” Schumer told NOTUS. “People in Maine don't like Donald Trump, and they don't like that Susan Collins always votes with him.”

Jackson told The New York Times this week that he would not support Schumer being the party’s leader in the Senate. He was also wary of receiving support from the minority leader.

“I’d have to find out what that entailed,” Jackson told the New York Times. “I mean, if his help comes, absolutely no strings, I would say, you know, possibly. There’d have to be no strings.”

Jackson’s team did not comment for this article.

Among voters, Jackson, a fifth-generation logger and former state Senate president, appears to start the race in a competitive position. He edged out Collins by 3 percentage points in a recent poll from the University of New Hampshire, and, unlike Collins, he is viewed quite favorably by Maine voters. The poll’s margin of error is 2.8 percentage points.

But that could change with the onslaught of Republican attacks waiting for him in the general election.

Republicans have already begun drawing parallels between Platner and Jackson. They’ve pointed to Jackson’s reported history of growing angry in meetings, and attacked him for views Republicans have cast as extreme, like support for a single-payer health care system.

“He's had quite a transformation over the years in his political views, but now seems to be firmly aligned with the democratic socialists,” Collins told NBC News, referring to Jackson’s conservative positions on social issues, like abortion, more than a decade ago.

Democrats acknowledge that Maine will still be a difficult place for Democrats to win, but President Donald Trump’s unpopularity and rising costs give the party a chance to make a compelling case.

“While the Democrats will have a new candidate by the end of this weekend, the fundamental motivation around winning the Senate race hasn't changed at all,” said Emily Cain, a Democratic strategist in Maine.

Platner’s departure is a second chance at the seat without the distraction of controversy, some Democrats argue.

An open question is whether Jackson can raise the money needed to beat Collins, who had nearly $11 million in the bank at the end of June. He’s raised $1 million in the less than two weeks since he entered the race, Politico reported.

“All 49 states of Democratic Party activists and donors — small donors and large donors — are now all eyes on Maine,” said Democratic strategist Mike Trujillo.

One Democratic donor who gave the largest contribution they could to Graham Platner told NOTUS they plan to give the maximum donation to the new candidate as well.

“Maine is Maine,” the donor said. “My priority is winning in the general in every state where we're competitive, and that definitely includes Maine. No matter who's running, I'm sold.”

Still, other Democrats are less than certain about their chances of flipping Maine’s Senate seat after Platner’s collapse and the rushed process for selecting his replacement.

“They had to come up with somebody, and they did,” Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono said of Maine Democrats’ likely nomination of Jackson.

Asked if he had a better shot than Platner, Hirono burst into laughter.

“Let's just say that we have a candidate,” she said.
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