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Focus on Platner's Policies? He Fails Maine There, Too
Graham Platner's Democratic Senate campaign against Susan Collins faces scrutiny over policies that mirror Augusta's progressive agenda.
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NYT > U.S. > Politics
Matt Dunlap Wins Democratic House Primary in Maine’s Swing District
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Matt Dunlap defeated a candidate backed by the House Democratic campaign arm and is set to face former Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican, in a competitive general election.
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Axios
House Democrats suffer 2nd crushing primary loss as party's pick falls short in Maine
House Democratic leadership's preferred candidate in Maine's 2nd district, state Sen. Joe Baldacci, lost his primary to progressive rival Matt Dunlap, state election officials announced early Friday morning.Why it matters: This is the second time this month that a candidate backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has fallen short in their primary.California State Assembly member Jasmeet Bains, the DCCC-backed candidate in California's 22nd district, failed to make it to the general election, losing out to progressive Randy Villegas.The DCCC has sparked considerable tension among House Democrats by intervening in these races, with some lawmakers threatening to withhold their dues to the House Democratic campaign arm.Dunlap, Maine's state auditor, defeated both Baldacci and former congressional staffer Jordan Wood in a ranked-choice primary.Catch up quick: Baldacci was one of several candidates in contested primaries who were added to the DCCC's coveted "Red to Blue" list last month.The program is generally meant to help Democratic candidates in open or Republican-held battleground seats defeat their GOP opponents.But party leadership determined that Baldacci and several other candidates in districts across the country had the best chance of flipping or holding their districts.Yes, but: The DCCC's investment was minuscule compared to how much they spent in other primaries in California, Texas and Pennsylvania.They ran a $7,500 joint ad buy with Baldacci, whose own campaign spent nearly $250,000 on ads, according to AdImpact.Outside group Real Change PAC, which has suspected ties to Republicans, spent $500,000 on ads attacking Baldacci.What's next: Dunlap will face off with Republican former Gov. Paul LePage in the race to succeed Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine).The district is seen as one of the GOP's top potential pickups in November, having gone for President Trump by nine percentage points in 2024.
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Democracy Now!
Rhiannon Giddens on Pulitzer-Winning Opera "Omar" About Enslaved Muslim Scholar Omar ibn Said
As part of our Juneteenth special broadcast, we feature our interview with pioneering musical artist Rhiannon Giddens, who won a Pulitzer Prize for her opera Omar, about Omar ibn Said, a Muslim scholar in Africa who was sold into slavery in the 1800s.
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Politics
Democrat Hannah Pingree and MAGA ally Bobby Charles will face off for Maine governor
Both emerged from the state’s ranked choice voting process early Friday morning.
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RealClearPolitics - Homepage
If Democrats Aren't Cheating, Why Act Like This?
For several years, I've been debating with a close friend (who happens to be a pre-Trump Republican) about whether the Democrats habitually cheat in elections.
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Bloomberg Politics
Vance Delays Swiss Trip as White House Says Talks Never Simple
Vice President JD Vance will not depart Thursday night for face-to-face negotiations with Iran in Switzerland, the White House said, as the US and Iran begin a 60-day countdown to reach a nuclear agreement and a more permanent peace deal.
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New York Post
Mamdani, Bernie Sanders tout radical ‘movement’ in rally boosting DSA NY House hopefuls: ‘Need leaders across our city’
“The Democratic Party must change. The party of the past will not be what leads us into the future, for we need a democratic party with a backbone," Mayor Zohran Mamdani told the crowd.
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