Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson has all but secured the Democratic nomination in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races after dominating the party’s delegate selection process over the weekend, prompting his two strongest rivals to suspend their campaigns ahead of next week’s state convention. Jackson won overwhelming victories across Maine’s county meetings, with more than two-thirds of the 601 delegates pledging to back him at Saturday’s Democratic convention in Bangor. While delegates are not formally bound to support him, there has been little indication that his commanding lead will erode before the final vote. The rapid consolidation around Jackson comes less than two weeks after Democratic nominee Graham Platner ended his campaign following allegations that he sexually assaulted a former girlfriend, accusations Platner has denied. His withdrawal forced Maine Democrats to scramble to choose a replacement with less than four months remaining before Election Day. Jackson’s emergence as the presumptive nominee also represents a continuation of many of the themes that powered Platner’s campaign. Like Platner, Jackson has campaigned as a Left-wing populist focused on working-class voters, Medicare for All, and confronting corporate power. A logger from northern Maine and former president of the state Senate, Jackson also enjoys close ties to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who previously endorsed his gubernatorial campaign. The results quickly reshaped the race, as both Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah suspended their campaigns as the delegate math became increasingly lopsided. “A few weeks ago, I entered this race because I could not accept the idea of Susan Collins gliding to a sixth term,” Shah said in a statement announcing his withdrawal. “Today, I am stepping aside … because we must defeat Susan Collins, and the Democratic Party must be unified to do it.” Shah formally endorsed Jackson, arguing Democrats could not afford divisions heading into November. Jackson himself struck a similar tone after securing a majority of delegates, telling supporters that defeating Republican Sen. Susan Collins would require expanding the coalition rather than narrowing it. “Whether you supported me from the beginning, or are still deciding, or support another candidate, there is a place for you in this movement,” Jackson said during a rally Sunday. “Because we’re not going to defeat Susan Collins by making this movement smaller.” The delegate victories were driven in large part by Jackson’s organizational strength. Backed by much of Maine’s organized labor movement and many volunteers who had previously supported Platner, Jackson swept many of the state’s largest counties, including nearly every available delegate in Cumberland County, Maine’s most populous county. Jackson now faces a compressed timeline to challenge Collins, who is seeking a sixth Senate term and enters the race with a substantial fundraising advantage and decades of statewide electoral success. The Democratic nominee will have roughly three months to pitch himself to voters across Maine while attempting to unify a party still recovering from Platner’s dramatic exit. If officially nominated Saturday, Jackson will become Democrats’ latest attempt to unseat Collins, one of the GOP’s most durable incumbents despite representing a state that has consistently favored Democrats in presidential elections. For national Democrats, the race remains one of the party’s best pickup opportunities as they seek to regain control of the Senate in November.

Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance welcomed their fourth child on Sunday. Alec Neel Vance was born Sunday morning at Walter Reed Medical Center. “Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother,” Vance said on Sunday. Alec Neel Vance joins older brothers Ewan and Vivek and older sister Mirabel. pic.twitter.com/VMCGCCRd7s — JD Vance (@JDVance) July 19, 2026 Alec Neel Vance’s birth marks the first time in more than 150 years that a sitting vice president has welcomed a newborn. The last baby born to a sitting vice president was Vice President Schuyler Colfax’s son, born in 1870 during President Ulysses S. Grant’s administration. Alec Vance is the second baby born to a top Trump administration official in recent months after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt gave birth to a baby girl in May. When Vance subbed in for Leavitt one day at the briefing room podium during Leavitt’s maternity leave, he joked that she would be vice president for a couple weeks when he welcomes his baby. Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was the most recent sitting cabinet member to welcome a child while in office, and he took a two-month paternity leave after he and his husband adopted twins in 2021. Vance, however, has said he will not be taking formal paternity leave from office. Instead, he will spend more time at home as he continues his official duties.  Vance revealed in his new book that the assassination of his friend Charlie Kirk last year, helped influence his and Usha’s decision to have a fourth child. The vice president’s latest book “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith” describes sitting next to widowed Erika Kirk with Usha after Kirk’s assassination as Erika Kirk told Usha “between sobs” that she wished she had had more kids with Charlie. Vance said that although a fourth child was already a discussion between him and Usha, “something changed” that day. “I think it really heightened JD’s sense that he’d been talking about this for a while, this sense that there was this possibility of having another kid whom he could love as much as the three that we had,” Usha said. “It really did crystallize for [him], that sense that if you could have that other child, then you would have nothing to regret. And if we couldn’t have that other child, then we were very happy with the children that we had. So it was very powerful what she said about her own family and certainly very moving to both of us.”

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) incorrectly described Virginia’s own voter identification law during a Sunday interview, prompting a correction from the host of a Democrat-friendly network. The awkward exchange came on ABC’s “This Week“ with host Jonathan Karl, as Warner criticized President Donald Trump’s election security agenda and defended Democratic opposition to the SAVE America Act, legislation that would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. Karl asked Warner whether Democrats should embrace photo voter identification requirements, noting that polls consistently show broad public support for voter ID laws. “You know what? In Virginia, we have voter voter ID and photo ID,” Warner responded. Karl immediately corrected the senator. “That’s actually not the case,” Karl replied. “I mean, I’m a Virginia voter. You don’t need to show a photo ID in Virginia. There are a wide range of things you can show for ID. And if you don’t show one of those, you can sign an affidavit.” Warner attempted to recover by arguing that Virginia still has “voter ID of one form or another,” before pivoting back to criticizing Republican-backed election reforms. ABC: “You and every other Democrat oppose the SAVE America Act… requiring photo ID to register to vote, is this Democrats should get behind?” WARNER: “In Virginia, we have voter ID and photo ID!” ABC: “That’s actually not the case. I’m a Virginia voter…” pic.twitter.com/jRuFt8veKw — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 19, 2026 Under Virginia law, voters may present numerous forms of acceptable identification, including certain government-issued IDs and other approved documents. If a voter does not have acceptable identification, he or she may sign an ID Confirmation Statement affirming their identity and cast a regular ballot. Virginia does not require voters to present a photo ID in order to vote. The exchange occurred after Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, spent several minutes attacking Trump’s election security policies, arguing foreign adversaries such as Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China continue to pose cyber threats to American elections.  Warner argued that Republicans were using the issue to suppress turnout through the SAVE America Act. “The SAVE Act is about voter disenfranchisement,” Warner said. “The SAVE Act is going to take anybody that changed their name when they got married. They don’t get to vote unless they go back and find [proof of a name change].” Warner also argued that some Republican-led states permit voters to use gun-related identification while refusing to accept student IDs. “The irony here would be the case if you can show any photo that is government stamped would be fine,” Warner said. “Certain states will say we’re going to let you show your … NRA gun license but you can’t show your student ID.” While some states do accept certain handgun carry permits as valid identification, a majority of those same states also permit qualifying student IDs for voting under specified circumstances.

South Carolina’s newly appointed interim U.S. Senator Darline Graham Nordone addressed the people of her state in an open letter posted to X on Saturday, reflecting on the sudden loss of her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, and her commitment to stepping into the role. Nordone began the letter by addressing her brother’s death a week before, writing, “Dear Fellow South Carolinians, I never imagined I would be speaking to you under these circumstances.” “If I could trade this moment and have Lindsey back, I would do so in a heartbeat,” she continued. Darline Graham expressed gratitude for the support her family has received. “I have been amazed and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support from the people of South Carolina,” she said. “I always knew Lindsey was an amazing person, but I have been overwhelmed by how many people truly loved him and how many lives he touched.” The letter highlighted Lindsey Graham’s lifelong dedication to South Carolina and the nation and also described Nordone’s decision to accept the appointment as a continuation of family values instilled in them from an early age. “Lindsey dedicated his life to serving South Carolina and defending our nation. He accomplished so much, yet he still had so many big ideas that he was determined to see through,” she wrote, adding, “Now, it’s time for me to step up for South Carolina, just like he stepped up for me when our parents died. In the most challenging of times, I’ve learned God often calls on ordinary people to do extraordinary things.” She acknowledged that she brings her own approach to public service. “Yet I am not Lindsey. I have my own way of doing things. But we were raised with the same values: work hard each day, trust in the Lord, remember your roots, and never forget who you work for.” She cited her career focused on helping South Carolinians with disabilities find employment and live independently as an example of that service. The open letter also thanked Lindsey Graham’s staff for their work during a difficult period. “On behalf of my family and Lindsey’s staff — who have worked tirelessly through their own grief while continuing to serve the people — thank you.” She concluded by asking for prayers: “I did not seek this moment. But it’s here. Now, I’m asking for your prayers. God Bless.” The letter comes days after South Carolina Republican Governor Henry McMaster appointed Nordone to fill the remainder of her brother’s Senate term after she was recommended by President Donald Trump, saying it would be a fitting tribute to Lindsey Graham, who had spoken highly of his sister in past interviews. She accepted the position in an emotional public appearance. “Lindsey has always been there for me. Now, I will be there for him,” she said last week. Supporters, including members of Graham’s former staff and fellow South Carolina officials, praised her background in state government, workforce development, and her personal character. With her appointment, Nordone became the first woman to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate. She will serve out the remainder of her brother’s term, which ends in January 2027. 

Think of the great accomplishments of civilization: skyscrapers reaching toward heaven, bridges joining divided peoples, dams powering ambitious societies. How many have been built by human beings using only their feet? Not many, right? So, as we bring the mind-numbing boredom of another World Cup to an end, please explain our nation’s new fascination with soccer. Civilization took off when our ancestors stood upright, developed opposable thumbs, and learned to use tools. The hand fashioned the spear, raised the cathedral, laid the railroad, split the atom, and put a man on the moon. Human beings stopped merely living in the world and began shaping it to their intentions. Soccer responded to our magnificent evolutionary ascent by prohibiting the use of the hand. After millions of years of progress, soccer asks humanity to put its most useful equipment in its pants pocket. Here is a game in which modern human beings voluntarily surrender their principal biological advantage and spend 90 minutes trying to maneuver a ball with the precision of a bear opening a refrigerator. In American sports, effort usually produces some identifiable result. Football measures achievement yard by yard. Baseball records every pitch, hit, run, and error. Basketball rewards successful action so reliably that the scoreboard routinely reaches three digits, unless we count the WNBA as basketball. American sport operates on a simple assumption: If extraordinary athletes exert themselves for several hours, something should be accomplished. Soccer makes no such rash promise. And it frequently delivers. A soccer match can conclude 0–0, a score traditionally associated with a game that has not been played. A 2–0 result is considered an exciting blowout. Fans can watch nearly two hours of strenuous activity only to discover that neither side has achieved anything. Soccer remains stubbornly unwilling to happen. Except, of course, for the penalties. There is true drama only when a player is brushed by a passing breeze. Down he goes as if plugged by Dirty Harry. He grabs his leg, rolls across the grass, and pleads to the referee. Thirty seconds later, the performance is over. He’s back on his feet, running as if nothing happened. This theatrical suffering is not incidental to soccer. It is part of the strategy. Because goals are so scarce, an official’s ruling can matter more than ages of athletic effort. The referee reviews the collision. Video officials review the referee. Television analysts review the video officials. Millions of spectators then wait for a ruling from soccer’s administrative state. In an elimination match, a tie may finally be settled by a penalty shootout, a ceremony only loosely related to the original contest. It is as if the Super Bowl ended in a tie and the championship was decided by a game of beer pong. The soccer authorities award a victory; the players do not earn it. This explains why soccer doesn’t fit comfortably within the American imagination. Historian Frederick Jackson Turner argued that the frontier helped shape the American character: individualism, practical ingenuity, restless energy, and a determination to overcome obstacles rather than be their victim. Turner’s theory describes something recognizably American. The frontier did not reward elegant suffering. It rewarded people who crossed the river, raised the barn, harvested the crop, and made it over the mountain. American games reflect that inheritance. They divide territory, measure advances, record individual contributions, and produce winners. Their statistics are not just decorations. They express a national conviction that performance should be measured, excellence recognized, and achievement rewarded. A scoreboard is America’s incentive system celebrated in lights. Soccer comes from a different world. Its admirers praise its accessibility, and they have a point. A child does not need pads, helmets, bats, baskets, or a manicured diamond. All he needs is a ball and a patch of ground. That simplicity helped make soccer the world’s game. But scarcity is not an American virtue. Our nation did not escape poverty by romanticizing it. We triumphed by inventing tools, increasing productivity, rewarding accomplishment, and refusing to accept a scoreless afternoon as adequate. “The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton,” goes the famous observation credited to the Duke of Wellington. The historical attribution is a little shaky, but the larger idea is sound: The games a culture plays help form the habits it carries into the future. If that is true, give me the playing field where progress is visible, achievement is rewarded, and somebody wins. Give me the game played with hands. *** Alex Castellanos is a co-founder of Purple Strategies, a bipartisan public affairs firm, and appears regularly on Fox News.