Vice President JD Vance is making his mark on this administration in several ways, but one in particular is through President Trump&#8217;s historic focus on tackling fraud. Formalized through an anti-fraud task force that includes several agencies and advisors from the president&#8217;s team, the group has come together to advance a whole-of-government approach to eliminate fraud and the gross abuse of our federal programs.
As chairman of the task force, the vice president has executed this mission with lethal force. So much so that the White House recently unveiled its website dedicated to tracking the number of fraud cases uncovered. Already, the administration has exposed $229.9 billion in fraud and stopped $56.4 billion in suspected fraud from going out the door. These numbers are snapshots in time and keep growing. Dubbed The Fraud Ledger, the site sends a clear message: President Trump and Vice President Vance take fraud seriously. If you defraud American citizens, especially our most vulnerable populations who rely on our federal benefits, justice will be served.
Unsurprisingly, stopping fraud is an issue that connects with normal Americans, and the Vice President has been taking this anti-fraud agenda on the road to meet them. Tackling fraud isn&#8217;t just some flimsy messaging exercise that lives in the bubble of Washington, D.C. The mission resonates at the heart of our country. Most Americans have experienced the generosity of their fellow neighbors – either directly or through friends and neighbors. That generosity often manifests in our federal programs and government assistance. But the integrity of those programs disintegrates when fraudsters and criminals manipulate and steal from those programs meant to serve our neighbors and us.
For me, this is personal. Both of my parents were born into government-assisted housing, at a time when America still prioritized its own citizens. My mother grew up in a New York City Housing Authority public housing development in Woodside, Queens. My father grew up in Manhattan under similar circumstances. Throughout the 1940s and &#8217;50s, my paternal grandfather was so poor that he had to buy food on credit just to feed his family. None of these people were trying to game the system. They didn&#8217;t want a handout for life; they needed a hand up. And that hand up is exactly what it was meant to be: a bridge to real prosperity, not a permanent dependency on government assistance. That is the promise these programs are supposed to keep, and it is exactly what fraud steals from the family standing where my parents once stood.
A few months ago in Maine — which has a serious fraud problem — the vice president touted the Trump administration&#8217;s several fraud-related wins, stating: ”Maine is the bronze medalist&#8221; for its insane amount of fraud.
Health and Human Services department found earlier this year that Maine made at least $45.6 million in improper Medicaid payments that were slated to help children diagnosed with autism. Instead of going to children who desperately needed the assistance, the money went to providers giving poor services or providing no services at all. It’s a disservice to those children and their families who actually need assistance for a state to operate with such neglect.
Maine has zero oversight of the money going out the door, has failed to complete any of its required audits of nursing facilities that have received over $382 million, and food stamp benefits have consistently been going out more than 75 days after a recipient&#8217;s death. Hopefully, this is the beginning of the end of Maine&#8217;s fraud. As Vance put it: &#8220;You have been fleeced by your own government for far too long, and we are stopping it every single day.&#8221;
The crowd in Maine was one of his most energetic to date. Normal Americans are exceedingly glad and relieved that their elected leaders are finally tackling the outrageous notion that their tax dollars have lined fraudsters&#8217; pockets. That crowd in Maine is just one example.
The vice president has also talked about major fraud-related wins and exposures in Kansas City and Milwaukee. He highlighted the case of Markita Barnes, who was convicted on 10 counts of healthcare fraud for stealing more than $2.3 million from a Medicaid prenatal program for at-risk mothers and children. Fraud is a &#8220;dual victim crime,&#8221; Vance said. Those victims are the taxpayer and the intended beneficiary.
The vice president will no doubt continue his message about fighting fraud on the road and for good. The American people love to hear how the Trump administration is fighting for them, saving their tax dollars and putting fraudsters and criminals behind bars.
***
Harrison Fields is a partner at CGCN Group and former Special Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy Press Secretary in the Trump White House.

Vice President Vance Speaks At Event For Michigan Republican Candidates

Why The Trump Administration’s Fight Against Fraud Is Personal

donald trump

government fraud

jd vance

maine

medicaid

politics

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Troy Jackson backed millions of dollars in additional funding for a state academy while his son was simultaneously serving as the institution’s legislative lobbyist and working as a private lobbyist.
Jackson, who served as president of the Maine Senate from 2018 to 2024 and is now the Democratic nominee challenging incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, cosponsored legislation in January 2024 that sought to substantially increase taxpayer funding for the Maine Maritime Academy.
At the time, Jackson’s son (<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/graham-platners-replacement-accused-of-having-kids-with-cousin">and third cousin</a>), Chace Jackson, was registered as the academy’s legislative designee — the employee designated to lobby the Maine Legislature on the institution’s behalf, according to a review by the <a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/troy-jackson-cosponsored-bill-sending-millions-of-taxpayer-dollars-to-sons-lobbying-client/">Washington Free Beacon</a>.
The bill, Legislative Document 2092, lists “President Jackson of Aroostook” among its Senate cosponsors. A fiscal analysis projected that the proposal would require an additional $2.6 million in fiscal year 2024-5, increasing to $5.5 million the following year and $8.4 million in fiscal year 2026-27.
Chace Jackson had registered as Maine Maritime Academy’s legislative designee in December 2022, identifying himself as the academy’s “legislative affairs coordinator.” He filed another registration in January 2024, this time using the title “legislative coordinator.”
The elder Jackson had already backed a substantial increase in the academy’s funding the previous year. In July 2023, he voted for a state budget that provided the Maine Maritime Academy with an additional $2 million per year, an increase the Maine Service Employees Association described as the academy’s “single biggest” funding increase in years.
The academy thanked lawmakers for the additional funding but said it still needed more money to keep pace with rising costs. 
Jackson’s 2024 legislation would have provided the additional $13.4 million a year. The bill passed the Senate under Jackson’s leadership but ultimately did not become law.
Maine requires state departments and agencies to designate employees to lobby the Legislature on their behalf. The state Ethics Commission says an employee designated as a department or agency’s primary lobbyist must register with the commission. Chace Jackson, however, simultaneously worked as an outside lobbyist for the Resurgam Group, a lobbying firm founded by Troy Jackson’s former chief of staff and current campaign adviser B.J. McCollister.
Records reviewed by the Free Beacon show that Chace Jackson initially listed the Resurgam Group’s office as his mailing address on his Maine Maritime Academy legislative-designee registration and provided a personal email address rather than one belonging to the academy. His 2024 registration listed an academy email address, phone number, and mailing address.
A longtime Maine legislative staffer told the Free Beacon that the arrangement appeared to be an example of preferential treatment for the son of the Senate president. 
“I can’t think of another time that has happened,” the staffer said of Chace Jackson’s simultaneous roles as a legislative designee and outside lobbyist, arguing that the arrangement suggested he was “skirting the rules.”
The overlap is particularly notable given Troy Jackson’s political rhetoric. Jackson has portrayed himself as a working-class opponent of the political “system,” describing himself as a “fifth-generation logger” and saying he entered the Senate race because “the status quo isn’t working.” 
In an April gubernatorial <a href="https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2026-04-17/your-vote-2026-profile-troy-jackson-democrat-for-governor?utm_source=chatgpt.com">candidate profile</a>, Jackson blamed “special interests, high-priced lobbyists and corporate greed” for preventing legislation he supported from becoming law. 
“I’m tired of folks being told to hold on, wait a little longer or that now is not the right time,” Jackson said. “All thanks to the work of special interests, high-priced lobbyists and corporate greed.”
Chace Jackson previously worked as a lobbyist for Preti Flaherty, one of Maine’s largest government affairs firms. In 2019, while his father was Senate president, Chace Jackson <a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/troy-jacksons-son-repped-oil-and-gas-company-lobbying-against-bill-that-died-in-jacksons-senate/">represented Global Partners LP</a> as the company lobbied against legislation targeting its petroleum facilities following an emissions controversy. 
One of the bills subsequently died in the Troy Jackson-controlled Senate.
In 2022, Chace Jackson joined the Resurgam Group. In 2024, the final year of Troy Jackson’s tenure as Senate president, the firm received $182,500 in lobbying compensation from nine clients represented by Chace Jackson, according to Maine lobbying records reviewed by the Free Beacon.
The younger Jackson’s political work for his father also predates his lobbying career. Troy Jackson’s 2014 U.S. congressional campaign paid Chace Jackson more than $32,000 in salary, making him the campaign’s highest-paid staffer. The junior Jackson subsequently contributed $1,833.78 to the campaign, although $1,750 of that contribution was returned.
A spokesman for the Jackson campaign defended the candidate, saying that “Troy Jackson has fought for working Mainers” and that his work is “guided by one goal: fixing our broken system so Maine’s working families stop getting squeezed while the rich get richer.”
It is unclear whether Chace Jackson still works for Maine Maritime Academy. The academy has not submitted legislative-designee registration forms for 2025 or 2026, and the Ethics Commission said it stopped requiring the academy to make those disclosures after determining it was no longer a state department or agency.

Maine Democrats Hold Senate Nominating Convention

Troy Jackson Pushed Millions For College His Lobbyist Son Represented

2026 midterm election

lobbying

susan collins

troy jackson

Graham Platner, the former Democratic Senate nominee, is scheduled to headline a Labor Day rally in Ellsworth, Maine, next month, marking one of his first public appearances since his scandal-infested campaign collapsed.
The event, billed as a “Labor Day Rally for Labor,” is being organized by Hancock County Activists and Acadia Action Peacemakers, two groups that have helped organize “No Kings” protests and other activist events in the area. According to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/13/graham-platner-maine-event-speaker-01036207">Politico</a>, Platner will speak about the history of unions and the role organized labor has played in American communities. The event is scheduled for Sept. 7 at Ellsworth City Hall.
The Hancock County Democratic Party has said that the event is not an official party function and is not affiliated with the Maine Democratic Party. The county party has nevertheless <a href="https://hancockdems.org/event/labor-day-rally-2026/">shared information</a> about the event, with social media posts mentioning Platner&#8217;s appearance reportedly deleted while the event remained listed on its website.
Platner&#8217;s return to the public eye comes mere months after he abandoned his campaign against Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Platner won the Democratic nomination in June and quickly became a national figure, winning endorsements from prominent left-wing figures including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA). His campaign subsequently unraveled after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-new-sexual-assault-accusation-rocks-maine-democrat-graham-platner">reports came out</a> that a former girlfriend accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2021. Platner denied the allegation and said the accusations were false.
The allegations followed months of other controversies surrounding the candidate, including sexually explicit messages sent to women, controversial social media posts, allegations from former girlfriends of disturbing behavior, and a tattoo of Nazi imagery.
Ultimately, Platner <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/platner-caves-suspends-senate-campaign">suspended his campaign</a> in July, and Maine Democrats subsequently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-party-bosses-crown-new-nominee-to-replace-graham-platner">selected</a> former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson to replace him on the ballot.
Jackson has attempted to distance himself from the controversy while inheriting Platner&#8217;s Democratic coalition. He previously endorsed Platner and appeared alongside him at campaign events, but called for Platner to leave the race after the sexual assault allegation emerged.
Platner has largely remained out of the public eye since departing the race. His upcoming Labor Day appearance suggests that, despite his political collapse, he may not be finished playing a role in Maine and in the far-Left political movement more broadly.

Maine Senate Candidate Graham Platner Holds His Primary Election Night Event

Graham Platner Isn’t Exiting The Stage In Maine

graham platner

Maine Democrats have another headache on their hands after newly surfaced police records revealed that Senate candidate Troy Jackson was involved in a violent altercation nearly 40 years ago — an incident that included him breaking down a door and punching another man.
The March 1988 incident, first reported by the <a href="https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/08/12/mainefocus/mainefocus-government/troy-jackson-punched-man-pushed-partner-police-report/">Bangor Daily News</a>, occurred when Jackson was 19 years old. According to a Fort Kent Police report and a handwritten statement from the other man, Jackson arrived at a home shortly before 2 a.m. and kicked in the door after being told to leave.
Jackson then allegedly grabbed the man by the throat and swung at him, striking his glasses and cutting his face, according to the report. The man eventually restrained Jackson until one of Jackson&#8217;s friends intervened.
The man also told police that Jackson warned him to stay away from Lana Pelletier, referring ot Jackson&#8217;s girlfriend at the time and longtime partner.
Jackson does not dispute the fight. 
“Nearly forty years ago, when I was 19 years old, I got into a fight with another man. I took responsibility for it then, and I take responsibility for it now,” Jackson said in a statement. “But let me be clear: I have never been violent with my partner Lana, or any other woman.”
The surviving court record shows Jackson resolved the misdemeanor assault case by agreeing to pay the man $50. A background check conducted by the Bangor Daily News found no other criminal record associated with Jackson.
The police report also contains an allegation involving Pelletier. According to the report, Pelletier told an officer that Jackson had “pushed her around” following the altercation and that she intended to seek “cease harassment papers.”
Pelletier disputes that account. 
“I do not remember making the statements attributed to me, and they are not accurate,” Pelletier said. “This is the first time I have seen this report from 40 years ago. Troy and I have built a life and family together and I know the person he has been through the decades since, both as a caring partner and father.”
Jackson and Pelletier —unmarried <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/graham-platners-replacement-accused-of-having-kids-with-cousin">second cousins</a>— have been together for roughly four decades and have two adult sons. 
The revelation comes at an awkward time for Jackson, who only recently emerged as the Democratic Party’s replacement nominee in the race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins after the collapse of Graham Platner’s campaign.
Jackson has already faced questions about his temper during the current campaign.
In 2021, while serving as president of the Maine Senate, Jackson became embroiled in a heated dispute with then-state Sen. Heather Sanborn over legislation. Multiple witnesses told the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/us/politics/troy-jackson-maine-senate.html">New York Times</a> that Jackson lost his temper and threw a half-empty water bottle across the room.
The witnesses said the bottle did not hit Sanborn and was not aimed at her, and Jackson later apologized. One Democratic senator who witnessed the incident described it as an “anger spell.” 
Jackson acknowledged that he should not have thrown the bottle, while insisting that he was simply passionate about the issue.
&nbsp;

Maine Democrats Pick Ex-GOP Logger In Must-Win Senate Race

Troy Jackson Admits To Assault After Police Report Surfaces

lana pelletier

As Maine families struggle to afford groceries, rent, and the dream of home ownership, Democrats have handed the nomination to the career politician who championed one of the largest tax increases in decades and backed policies that skyrocketed energy costs across the state: Troy Jackson
And Maine voters never got a say. After Graham Platner dropped out of the race, Troy Jackson didn’t win a statewide primary. Instead, he was selected by Democratic Party insiders at a secretive convention.
The nearly unanimous vote by the party establishment signals they’re satisfied with Jackson’s record and eager to send his failed Augusta-style politics to Washington. Mainers deserve a clear look at what this would mean for their citizens and families.
Jackson’s record in the Maine Senate is a good indicator of how he would legislate in the U.S. Senate. As Maine Senate president, Jackson contributed to a state government that has grown more expensive and intrusive while household budgets have become more fragile. Under his leadership, spending rose, and regulations burdened employers and builders, while lawmakers paid lip service to affordability. Mandates and compliance costs have been passed along to renters and homebuyers, driving up rents and shelving projects.
The consequences of Jackson’s policies hit the private sector first and then showed up in the family budget. Maine now combines comparatively modest incomes with stubbornly high housing, energy, and tax burdens, a brutal mix for anyone trying to raise a family or retire on a fixed income.
Business owners have <a href="https://www.thecentersquare.com/maine/article_fab13867-c897-46a2-b82e-55239a2e0ebe.html">borne the brunt</a> of these partisan policy shifts, as Augusta’s agenda has driven up energy bills, payroll costs, and insurance premiums. It is simple – when the government makes it more expensive to operate in Maine, it becomes more expensive to live in Maine.
Jackson&#8217;s approach is grounded in greater government control over Maine’s economy. It&#8217;s why Maine’s organized socialist movement is <a href="https://www.themainewire.com/2026/07/maine-socialists-weigh-endorsement-of-troy-jackson-in-u-s-senate-contest/">weighing an endorsement of his campaign</a>. Their support alone raises real questions for Mainers about where this agenda could lead, from energy policy to housing. Socialists are really good at making basic things more expensive.
We saw a preview in Pine Tree Power, which would have replaced Maine’s investor-owned utilities with a quasi-public entity financed by the state’s largest-ever borrowing package and <a href="https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2023-09-28/pine-tree-power-requires-the-states-largest-ever-borrowing-package-will-maine-voters-allow-it">more than $1 billion in new debt</a>. <a href="https://ctmirror.org/2023/11/11/maine-public-power-company-referendum-vote/">Voters rejected that plan</a> 68% to 32% because they understood who would be left holding the bag. Jackson’s policies have clearly failed Maine at the state level. Just imagine what would happen if Jackson could bring these policies to the federal level.
Aside from his problematic policy stances, Jackson’s ethics are questionable at best.
Troy Jackson has long sold himself as a blue-collar champion from the North Woods. Yet after <a href="https://www.themainewire.com/2023/08/maine-senate-president-troy-jackson-locked-in-bitter-legal-fight-over-augusta-home-he-bought-and-moved-into-in-2019/">purchasing an Augusta home</a>, he agreed in mortgage documents to make it his principal residence and said in court filings that he had moved in.
At the same time, Jackson listed an Allagash address in the district he represented on filings with the Maine Ethics Commission, even as he acknowledged living in Augusta. The commission <a href="https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2023-10-25/maine-commission-clears-senate-president-troy-jackson-in-ethics-case-over-residency-rules">declined to investigate further</a>, concluding it lacked sufficient evidence of a violation, but to Mainers watching from outside Augusta, the arrangement still looks like one standard for Jackson and another for everyone else.
Susan Collins offers a very different pathway. You may not agree with her on every issue, but she has treated Maine’s private-sector job creators as partners rather than targets. She backed federal tax reform to <a href="https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/senate-passes-comprehensive-tax-reform-amendments-authored-senator-collins-benefit-middle">reduce marginal tax rates for small pass-through businesses</a>, helping family-owned companies keep more of each dollar and reinvest in equipment, hiring, and wages. Those changes didn’t create flashy new programs, but they kept doors open on Main Street and gave employers a buffer against the cost-of-living squeeze Mainers feel today.
Collins starts from the idea that strong communities require healthy local businesses and that tax policy should reward work and investment. Jackson’s camp treats private enterprise as something to be abused in the service of ideology.
Maine can’t afford to send the chief salesman of Augusta’s tax-and-spend experiment to Washington and expect him to govern any differently there. Higher federal taxes, heavier regulations, and socialist-inspired experiments in energy and housing would show up in your mortgage payment, your electric bill, and your grocery budget.
This fall’s Senate race is a choice between an Augusta agenda that has driven up costs and chased opportunity away, and steady leadership aimed at keeping this state a place where working families can stay and thrive. Mainers who are tired of being treated as collateral damage in someone else’s ideological project should reject Troy Jackson’s radical, tax-and-spend agenda and re-elect Susan Collins to fight for the economic survival of Maine families.
***
Laurel Libby is a member of the Maine House of Representatives.

Mainers Can’t Afford Troy Jackson’s Radical Tax-And-Spend Agenda

tax policy

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Troy Jackson has two children with his second cousin — longtime partner Lana Pelletier — according to genealogical records first <a href="https://x.com/SteveRob/status/2082913987633848818">reported</a> by journalist Steve Robinson. 
Jackson, a former Maine Senate president, became the Democrats&#8217; nominee after the party&#8217;s previous candidate, Graham Platner, withdrew from the race amid rape allegations, forcing Democrats to replace their Senate standard-bearer in one of the nation&#8217;s most closely watched contests. Jackson now faces incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in a race viewed as critical to the battle for Senate control.
According to genealogical records, Jackson and Pelletier share the same great-grandparents, Thomas Pelletier and Edith Thibodeau. Their daughter, Albertine Pelletier, was Jackson&#8217;s grandmother, while their son, Louis Pelletier Sr., was Pelletier&#8217;s grandfather, making the couple second cousins. 
Jackson and Pelletier have been together since high school and are the parents — and simultaneously third cousins — of two adult sons.
The relationship is legal under Maine law. While state law prohibits marriages between first cousins without additional statutory requirements, it places no restrictions on second cousins marrying or having children. Genetic experts generally consider second-cousin relationships as presenting no meaningful increase in the risk of inherited disorders compared with the general population.
Throughout his political career, Jackson has generally referred to Pelletier as his &#8220;partner.&#8221; The couple has never legally married, although some older official biographies referred to Pelletier as Jackson&#8217;s wife. 
Jackson has built his political image around his upbringing in the rural St. John Valley, frequently describing himself as a fifth-generation logger from Allagash before rising through organized labor and Democratic politics to become president of the Maine Senate.
The revelation comes as Jackson prepares for a high-profile general election against Collins, one of the Senate&#8217;s most vulnerable Republican incumbents. National Democrats view the race as a key pickup opportunity as they attempt to regain control of the Senate.
Neither Jackson&#8217;s campaign nor Pelletier has publicly addressed the genealogical reporting.

Graham Platner’s Replacement Accused Of Having Kids With Cousin

2026 elections

2026 Midterms

family

family values

Maine Democrats

Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills on Tuesday refused to endorse Troy Jackson, the last-minute candidate party elites chose to replace accused rapist Graham Platner on the November ballot. 
In an interview with local outlet <a href="https://www.wmtw.com/article/mills-calls-collins-vulnerable-but-stops-short-of-endorsing-troy-jackson/73292374">WMTW</a>, Mills said she has not spoken with Jackson and stopped short of endorsing him, adding that she still wants to see Republican Senator Susan Collins go down in November. 
“We haven’t spoken, but clearly Susan Collins is vulnerable, and she should be — she should be defeated,” Mills said. She did not comment on whether the process her party had used to coronate Jackson as the nominee would alienate voters. 
It&#8217;s unusual for a sitting Democratic governor to withhold an endorsement from her party&#8217;s U.S. Senate nominee. Perhaps the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maine-democrats-choose-nazi-tatted-graham-platner-in-senate-primary?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=125&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Dems+Pick+Nazi-Tatted+Graham+Platner+Even+After+%E2%80%98Predator%E2%80%99s+Paradise%E2%80%99+Photos+Surface">lingering resentment</a> stems from Mills spending months crisscrossing Maine, warning party activists and voters that Platner&#8217;s baggage would be too heavy to carry — even in a blue-leaning state. Voters, along with much of the Democratic establishment, ignored her warnings. 
The Democratic establishment viewed Mills, who was recruited and backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), as the strongest candidate to defeat Collins. However, Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) had different plans. 
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/graham-platner-was-really-lefts-2nd-choice-for-maine-senate-option-1-had-a-big-skeleton?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Graham+Platner+Was+Really+Left%E2%80%99s+2nd+Choice+For+Maine+Senate+%E2%80%94+Option+1+Had+A+Big+%E2%80%98Skeleton%E2%80%99">The Daily Wire previously reported</a> that leftists turned to the embattled Platner after their initial choice was found to have a major “skeleton” in his closet. In July 2025, two Bernie Sanders-aligned political operatives hunted for a Democrat to challenge Collins, ultimately landing on and recruiting Platner. The oyster farmer launched his campaign a month later <a href="https://x.com/grahamformaine/status/1957780836062826868?s=20">with a viral video</a> that quickly attracted national attention from leftist activists and Democratic donors. 
Trying to stop his momentum, Mills went on the attack against Platner in commercials, highlighting his scandals and running with the tagline, &#8220;<a href="https://x.com/AdImpact_Pol/status/2033915569401958580?s=20">Graham Platner: The closer you look, the worse it gets</a>.&#8221; One advertisement in particular featured older women expressing disgust. 
Ultimately, her strategy failed to gain traction with an increasingly restless base eager to buck their party’s establishment. On April 30, Mills suspended her campaign. 
“While I have the drive and passion, commitment and experience, and above all else — the fight — to continue on, I very simply do not have the one thing that political campaigns unfortunately require today: the financial resources,” <a href="https://x.com/JanetMillsforME/status/2049832653189152925?s=20">Mills said in a statement</a>. 
Now that Platner is off the ballot, Democrats face a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/likely-platner-replacement-used-to-be-normal-before-the-activists-got-to-him?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=27&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Likely+Platner+Replacement+Used+To+Be+Normal%2C+Before+The+Activists+Got+To+Him">new challenge</a>: rallying their base behind a nominee who previously opposed abortion and same-sex marriage and is known for a history of public outbursts.
Republicans hope to use Jackson&#8217;s conservative past and his new leftward platform as a wedge issue, arguing the shift will alienate voters across the political spectrum and help propel Collins to victory in November.
“He’s a Bernie Bro,” Collins <a href="https://x.com/mkraju/status/2080406319870230991?s=20">told</a> reporters in the halls of the U.S. Senate. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Susan Collins on Troy Jackson: “He’s a Bernie Bro.” <a href="https://t.co/qzt63Y3phE">pic.twitter.com/qzt63Y3phE</a>
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) <a href="https://x.com/mkraju/status/2080406319870230991?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2026</a></blockquote>

President Trump Meets With Governors At The White House

Maine Democratic Governor Refuses To Endorse Platner Replacement

Democrats

janet mills

Midterms

News

Republicans

U.S. Senate

Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has no regrets about aggressively campaigning for Graham Platner, who later dropped out of Maine&#8217;s U.S. Senate race following explosive rape allegations.
CBS anchor Margaret Brennan pressed Sanders over his support for Platner, whose failed candidacy upended the Democratic establishment and sent the party scrambling to find a new nominee just months before the November election.
“You were an early supporter in Maine of Graham Platner. You helped him rise. Do you regret not acting earlier to call for him to drop out, given the warning signs?” Brennan asked.
In a defiant reply, Sanders said: “No, I don&#8217;t think so. When we heard the serious allegations made against him, I wanted to get on the phone. I wanted to talk to him. I did. I asked, along with virtually all his supporters, that he should get out of the race, and he did.” 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
CBS: “You were an early supporter in Maine of Graham Platner, you helped him rise. Do you regret not acting earlier…given the warning signs?”
BERNIE SANDERS: “No, I don’t think so.” <a href="https://t.co/oImvb4luHc">pic.twitter.com/oImvb4luHc</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://x.com/RNCResearch/status/2081396620545921295?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/graham-platner-was-really-lefts-2nd-choice-for-maine-senate-option-1-had-a-big-skeleton?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Graham+Platner+Was+Really+Left%E2%80%99s+2nd+Choice+For+Maine+Senate+%E2%80%94+Option+1+Had+A+Big+%E2%80%98Skeleton%E2%80%99">The Daily Wire previously reported</a> that leftists hand-picked Platner after their initial choice was found to have a major “skeleton” in his closet. Last July, two Bernie Sanders-aligned political operatives hunted for a Democrat to challenge Republican Senator Susan Collins, ultimately landing on and recruiting Platner. After a meteoric rise, Platner suspended his Senate campaign on July 8 after Democrats mounted a pressure campaign to force him out of the race following rape and sexual harassment allegations that he denies.
Over the weekend, Maine Democrats <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-party-bosses-crown-new-nominee-to-replace-graham-platner?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Democrat+Party+Bosses+Crown+New+Nominee+To+Replace+Graham+Platner">hand-selected a new nominee</a> to replace the disgraced oyster farmer: Troy Jackson.
The party announced the decision on Saturday, saying that Jackson had been “formally” selected by the Maine Democratic State Committee — meaning that not a single Maine Democrat had cast a vote for him to be their nominee in that race.
Maine Democrats’ Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson praised the move, claiming that it was just one more example of “democracy” working exactly as it should.
“Democracy, while sometimes really messy, is always, always worth fighting for … doing what is right is what us Maine Democrats will choose every damn time,” she said.
Kristen Cianci, the Republican Party&#8217;s New England communications director, blasted the move on X, drawing comparisons to Kamala Harris&#8217; coronation as the Democrats&#8217; 2024 presidential nominee.
“History is repeating itself in Maine. Troy Jackson will be crowned by @MaineDems this weekend without a single vote being cast. Just like Kamala, voters will reject him when they finally get their say in November,” she said.

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Bernie Sanders Doesn’t Regret Supporting Accused Rapist Graham Platner

bernie sanders

In a move that bore striking similarities to the 2024 emergency coronation of former Vice President Kamala Harris, Democrat Party bosses in Maine hand-selected a new nominee to replace disgraced former U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner: Troy Jackson.
The party announced the decision on Saturday, saying that Jackson had been &#8220;formally&#8221; selected by the Maine Democratic State Committee — meaning that not a single Maine Democrat had cast a vote for him to be their nominee in that race.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Maine Democrats officially handpick socialist Troy Jackson to replace Graham Platner.
&#8220;The Maine Democratic State Committee formally selects Troy Jackson as the replacement nominee for&#8230;U.S. Senate.&#8221;
Troy Jackson received zero votes from Mainers. <a href="https://t.co/x7ddUTQT8V">pic.twitter.com/x7ddUTQT8V</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://x.com/RNCResearch/status/2081044514672689368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;The Maine Democratic State Committee formally selects Troy Jackson as the replacement nominee for the Maine Democratic Party&#8217;s candidate for U.S. Senate n the 2026 general election ballot.&#8221;
Maine Democrats&#8217; Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson praised the move, claiming that it was just one more example of &#8220;democracy&#8221; working exactly as it should.
&#8220;Democracy, while sometimes really messy, is always, always worth fighting for…doing what is right is what us Maine Democrats will choose every damn time,&#8221; she said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Maine Democrats’ Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson: “Democracy, while sometimes really messy, is always, always worth fighting for…doing what is right is what us Maine Democrats will choose every damn time.”
Not a single Mainer voted for Graham Platner’s replacement. <a href="https://t.co/jgAoNJQcGG">pic.twitter.com/jgAoNJQcGG</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://x.com/RNCResearch/status/2081041462746026306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A number of critics pointed out the similarities between Jackson&#8217;s rapid ascent and the vote-free installation of Harris as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, arguing that the party with an often-stated goal of &#8220;saving democracy&#8221; had very little interest in putting it into practice.
The Republican Party&#8217;s New England communications director Kristen Cianci called them out on X, sharing a post from Thursday marking two years from the day from that Harris had been gifted the presidential nomination.
&#8220;History is repeating itself in Maine. Troy Jackson will be crowned by @MaineDems this weekend without a single vote being cast. Just like Kamala, voters will reject him when they finally get their say in November,&#8221; she said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
History is repeating itself in Maine.
Troy Jackson will be crowned by <a href="https://x.com/MaineDems?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MaineDems</a> this weekend without a single vote being cast.
Just like Kamala, voters will reject him when they finally get their say in November. <a href="https://t.co/HcSEHJja12">https://t.co/HcSEHJja12</a>
— Kristen Cianci (@kristencianci) <a href="https://x.com/kristencianci/status/2080425105046282380?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Others, like the National Democratic Senatorial Committee, argued that Jackson offered little to no substantive difference compared to Platner.
&#8220;No tattoo. Same crazy,&#8221; the NRSC posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
No tattoo, same crazy. <a href="https://t.co/jfgTxXUNO7">pic.twitter.com/jfgTxXUNO7</a>
— Senate Republicans (@NRSC) <a href="https://x.com/NRSC/status/2081045608316436705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Democrat Party Bosses Crown New Nominee To Replace Graham Platner

kamala harris

Troy Jackson, the Maine Democrat who appears poised to replace accused rapist Graham Platner as the Democrats&#8217; U.S. Senate nominee, used to be a staunch social conservative, a record Republicans could exploit to divide the party&#8217;s left-wing base.
Jackson, a logger and former president of the Maine State Senate, is the overwhelming favorite to win the Democratic nomination. Over the weekend, he secured the backing of hundreds of delegates pledged to support him at the party&#8217;s upcoming state convention, while two other top contenders, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah, dropped out of the race.
Platner, who decisively won the Democratic primary, dropped out following an explosive rape allegation that surfaced against him, which he has denied.
Jackson&#8217;s ascent, however, does not come without real risks for a candidate who remains largely unvetted and untested on the national political stage. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/us/politics/troy-jackson-maine-senate.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zVA.SiBi.ysg7LTNX8Jxr&amp;amp;smid=url-share">A New York Times report </a>dove into Jackson&#8217;s political record, which includes conservative positions on issues ranging from abortion and same-sex marriage — stances he is now working overtime to scrub from the minds of leftist Maine Democrats.
Before earning a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood, Jackson received a perfect rating from the pro-life group Maine Right to Life, according to the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130515043228/https://www.votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/36809/troy-jackson#.U3TNuYFdXYS#.U3TNuYFdXYS">nonpartisan Project Vote Smart.</a>
Now, he’s trying to walk that record back, telling the New York Times: “I’ve made mistakes early on in understanding” around the issue of abortion. “Regardless of this U.S. Senate race, I’m really, really proud of how I’ve turned that around and, you know, done the right thing. I mean, I was wrong.”
“I was always conflicted,” Jackson, who grew up Catholic, told the outlet. “I had a hard time getting to a place I felt comfortable. But as time went on, I had a lot of conversations with people.”
In 2022, he <a href="https://www.mainesenate.org/president-jackson-senate-majority-leaders-vitelli-and-daughtry-react-to-supreme-court-opinion-overturning-roe-v-wade/">condemned</a> the overturning of Roe v. Wade but admitted to a <a href="https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2022-10-24/maines-senate-president-battles-for-his-job-and-potentially-democratic-control-of-the-chamber">local Maine news outlet</a> that he struggled to embrace abortion. Jackson has since introduced and helped enact some of the most <a href="https://www.maine.gov/governor/mills/news/governor-mills-signs-legislation-empowering-women-doctors-make-reproductive-health-care">extreme pro-abortion legislation</a> in the country, which allows, at a doctor’s discretion, abortion at any stage of pregnancy. 
Jackson is also under fire for voting against a bill in 2009 that would have legalized same-sex marriage in Maine. He’s walking back that position, too, telling the Times it was his “worst vote ever.”
Jackson first ran for the Maine House of Representatives as a Republican in 2000 but lost. Two years later, he won the seat as an independent, defeating an incumbent Democrat. He sought re-election as a Democrat in 2004 and won. Then, he was elected to the Maine Senate in 2008 and served until 2024, except for a two-year hiatus following a failed U.S. House campaign. 
During that tenure, the self-described populist has shown a tendency to lose his temper and burst out in public settings. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/07/20/democrat-set-replace-platner-maine-led-state-senate-with-temper/">A Washington Post</a> story published Monday revealed that Jackson once hurled a water bottle in a meeting after failing to persuade a colleague to vote his way.
In another incident, Jackson is said to have screamed at another lawmaker, who then took to social media to complain that straight men were “too emotional” to work in politics, according to the Post. 
Responding to the report, BJ McCollister, a campaign adviser, admitted that the Senate hopeful has had “moments when he let his frustration get the better of him.”
“Troy regrets the moments when disagreements became too heated,” McCollister told the Post, “but passion for the issues he advocates for should not be confused with physical intimidation or bullying.”
If officially nominated, Jackson, who has vowed to carry on Platner&#8217;s agenda, will face incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the general election.

Senator Bernie Sanders Holds Fighting Oligarchy Event With Senate Candidate Graham Platner

Likely Platner Replacement Used To Be Normal, Before The Activists Got To Him

Elections

Platner

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin won&#8217;t say whether he briefed President Donald Trump before briefly pausing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) traffic stops in the wake of two recent fatal shootings.
During a Friday briefing on the department&#8217;s efforts to clean up the voter rolls of noncitizens, Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan asked Mullin to clarify if he informed Trump before suspending ICE traffic stops.
&#8220;The president and I are very close. I was texting with him this morning,&#8221; Mullin said. &#8220;There&#8217;s no daylight between us and the enforcement. In fact, we have ramped up our enforcement in our arresting illegals.&#8221;
Mullin then redirected the conversation to arrest and deportation data.
&#8220;Our arrests are up, we&#8217;re hitting single-day records every single day, but what we’ve done is I’ve turned down the temperature of the stove to try to get it correct without boiling over,&#8221; he said.
The decision to pause vehicle stops followed two recent fatal shootings of migrants by ICE officers trying to pull over vehicles in Houston and Biddeford, Maine. In the Houston case, ICE said Mexican illegal immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo &#8220;attempted to evade arrest&#8221; and &#8220;rammed&#8221; an ICE vehicle before he &#8220;weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer resulting in our officer firing his weapon in self-defense.&#8221;
In the Biddeford shooting, which occurred last week, an ICE officer fatally shot a Colombian man who “attempted to flee the scene” of a traffic stop, the agency said.
The morning after vehicle stops were paused, Trump posted on Truth Social that he opposed the change and viewed it as capitulating to criminals and anti-ICE Democrats.
“The Open Border Policy of Sleepy Joe Biden allowed 25,000,000 people to pour into our Country, unchecked and unvetted,” the president said. “Many were Criminals, and we have to get them out. In order to do this, we must be strong, tough, and smart, and we CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP! Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands.”
“The Radical Left Dumocrats would like to see this done, but it won’t happen on my watch. I.C.E., be judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job,” he said. “Keep those Crime Stat Records coming! Remember, you are loved and respected in America.”
ICE sources also questioned whether Mullin informed Trump before enacting the pause.
“Not sure how they don’t consult Trump about this before they send out guidance to every field office,” one agency source said.
White House border czar Tom Homan on Tuesday credited Mullin with deciding to cease the tactic, emphasizing that it was a &#8220;temporary&#8221; measure, not &#8220;a policy change.&#8221;
ICE officers across the country received orders to resume vehicle stops on Thursday, with some new changes, including a requirement that at least one agent on the team have a body camera, sources said. There is concern within ICE that not all officers have received body cameras, making it impossible to resume traffic stops in some parts of the country.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the concerns during her Thursday briefing, saying all ICE body cameras will be distributed within the next 60 days.
“It’s been a slower rollout than we would have hoped, but that’s because [of] the Democrats’ decision to shut down DHS for several weeks. So, we expect to fully execute on the promise of body cams to all field offices across the country very soon,” she said.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin Discuses Trump Administration’s Efforts To Secure Elections

Mullin Won’t Say Whether He Briefed Trump Before Pausing ICE Traffic Stops

Houston

immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

markwayne mullin

texas

The high-stakes debate over who should replace alleged rapist Graham Platner on the Maine ballot took a bizarre turn when a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/eight-dems-including-a-logger-and-transgender-songwriter-face-off-in-maine-senate-debate?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Eight+Dems%2C+Including+A+Logger+And+Transgender+Songwriter%2C+Face+Off+In+Maine+Senate+Debate">transgender-identifying man</a> was asked to explain qualifications for serving in Congress.
With the clock ticking to find a nominee, eight candidates vying to become Maine&#8217;s Democratic Senate nominee took the debate stage Thursday night, including transgender activist Ashley Webb.
“What qualifications do you have to serve in the U.S. Senate?” the debate moderator asked the Senate hopeful.
That’s when things got weird. 
“Oh, I ran for office several times. Didn&#8217;t win, but did run,” Webb said with a chuckle. “Then, I&#8217;m a songwriter, and then I write my own books, and then I suppose my transparency… I wouldn&#8217;t lie to the people, and I wouldn&#8217;t deceive the people like we&#8217;re being deceived right now.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
MODERATOR: &#8220;What qualifications do you have to serve in the U.S. Senate?&#8221;
Maine Democrat Ashley Webb: &#8220;I&#8217;m a songwriter and I write my own books.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/csMIFkmt4Q">pic.twitter.com/csMIFkmt4Q</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://x.com/RNCResearch/status/2077912498087289214?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
On the Maine Democratic Party’s <a href="https://mainedems.org/ashley-webb/">website</a>, Webb pledges to build on Platner’s grassroots campaign.
“As an openly trans and intersex woman, I know what it means to be told to wait, to be quieter, to let someone else speak for you. I won’t do that in this campaign, and I won’t do it in the Senate,” Webb’s platform reads.  
During the televised debate, Webb expressed fear of being assaulted if biological males were fully removed from women’s spaces, including bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports.
&#8220;We’re being dehumanized. They say we want to hurt people. I don&#8217;t want to hurt anybody. I just want to use the bathroom,” Webb said on the debate stage. “If they want me to use the men&#8217;s room, I will, but I don&#8217;t want to be assaulted.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Ashley Webb &#8211; a Democrat contender to replace Graham Platner for U.S. Senate:
&#8220;I don&#8217;t want to hurt anybody, I just want to use the bathroom&#8230;if they want me to use the men&#8217;s room I will but I don&#8217;t want to be assaulted.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/ckiNs08hi9">pic.twitter.com/ckiNs08hi9</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://x.com/RNCResearch/status/2077913037005099366?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
Republicans pounced. 
Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro <a href="https://x.com/benshapiro/status/2078105996451344810?s=20">posted</a>, “‘I wouldn&#8217;t lie to the people, and I wouldn&#8217;t deceive the people,’ said the man dressed as a woman.”
“I think the Democrats must nominate Ashley. No question about it,” <a href="https://x.com/tylerbowyer/status/2077981912715661766?s=20">said</a> Tyler Bowyer, COO of Turning Point Action. 
“Ashley is an incredible woman,” <a href="https://x.com/JackPosobiec/status/2078034305796690397?s=20">joked</a> conservative commentator Jack Posobiec.  “The Democrats would be doubling down on Platner’s misogyny if they refuse to support Ashley.” 
News Center Maine, the debate host, split the candidates into two sessions. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, former Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah, and former congressional candidate Jordan Wood participated in the first hour. 
The second featured David Costello, Dan Kleban, Elizabeth Dickerson, and Ashley Webb. Prediction Market giant Kalshi <a href="https://news.kalshi.com/p/graham-platner-suspends-campaign-kalshi-odds-maine-senate-nominee">currently lists</a> Jackson as the frontrunner to become the Democratic nominee. Traders give him an 89% chance of winning. 
Facing a July 27 deadline, the Maine Democratic Party will <a href="https://mainedems.org/advisory-mdp-to-host-u-s-senate-nominating-convention/">hold</a> a nominating convention on July 25 in Bangor, where 601 voting delegates – not Democratic primary voters – will choose the party&#8217;s nominee.
Despite decisively winning the nomination, Platner was forced off the ballot by Democrats following explosive allegations of rape and sexual harassment, which he denies.
The winner of the pop-up Democratic convention will advance to the Nov. 3 general election against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Trans Songwriter

Trans-Identifying Songwriter Wants To Replace Platner On Maine Ballot

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