Soaring heating oil prices put struggling Maine families in a bind
The price of heating oil in Maine has soared from $3.34 per gallon one year ago to $5.97 today, a jump of roughly 79%.
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Maine has recent source-backed changes around Trump looms as tensions flare in final Maine Senate debate and Soaring heating oil prices put struggling Maine families in a bind.
The marathon of debates in the Maine Senate race has ended, but there is still one unanswered question: Just how large will President Donald Trump loom in November?
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Trump looms as tensions flare in final Maine Senate debate
The marathon of debates in the Maine Senate race has ended, but there is still one unanswered question: Just how large will President Donald Trump loom in November?
Maine timeline
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Maine couple forced to choose food or heat as oil prices skyrocket
Along with diesel and gas, the price of heating oil is up, and no state depends on it more than Maine. Meg Oliver spoke with residents there, now forced to make some tough decisions.
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Democrats Worry About Tight Midterm Races in Maine, Michigan and Minnesota
Despite hopes for a blue wave, Democratic candidates in Minnesota, Maine and Michigan are facing local political headwinds and have struggled to open up clear daylight in the polls.
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Iran war and affordability take center stage in Senate debates
The economic backdrop of the 2026 midterms is causing political heartburn for many Republicans. CBS News congressional correspondent Caitlin Huey-Burns joins "The Takeout" with takeaways from the Maine, Georgia and Iowa Senate debates.
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5 Takeaways From a Heated and Personal Maine Senate Debate
Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, and her Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson, disagreed over the war in Iran and President Trump in the third of four debates in a key race.
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US midterm elections: 10 under-the-radar races worth watching
Though Democrats have a strong edge heading into the midterms, some races have openings for Republicans While marquee races from Maine to Michigan get all the attention, and draw in a ton of money, a significant batch of lower-profile contests across the US could result in upsets. Democrats have a strong edge heading i.
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An Ad Targeting Susan Collins’s Opponent, Troy Jackson, Airs in the Wrong Portland
An executive with the Republican super PAC that paid for the ad attacking Troy Jackson, the Democratic Senate candidate in Maine, blamed its vendor for running the ad in Oregon.
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How a lobsterman's privacy fight reached SCOTUS — and could ripple far beyond the water: 'Ain't over yet'
One Maine lobsterman isn’t ready to give up after the Supreme Court declined to hear his challenge to a GPS vessel-tracking requirement Monday, fearing it threatens a way of life passed down for generations and could ripple across other industries. For decades, fifth-generation lobsterman Frank Thompson has driven his.
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In Maine Senate Race, Spiking Heating Oil Costs Put Susan Collins on Defensive
Half of homes in Maine rely on heating oil. Rising costs driven up by President Trump’s war with Iran have become central to the state’s Senate race.
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CBS News poll finds voters split on state v. national focus in Maine Senate race
Troy Jackson is boosted by those looking for change, while Collins peels off some Trump disapprovers.
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Maine's head prison chief on giving inmates second chances: "I believe in redemption"
This installment of "Beg-Knows America" features Randall Liberty, the commissioner of the Maine Department of Corrections, whose own family influenced his belief and efforts in providing inmates with education, employment, training and dignity.
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L.L.Bean embraces its old-school roots with brick-and-mortar stores, print catalogs, no AI
L.L.Bean is embracing its rugged roots in Freeport, Maine, shunning AI and adding more brick-and-mortar stores.
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While Trump Goes Big in Dallas, Collins Goes Small in Maine to Save Her Seat
Senator Susan Collins, the only Republican seeking re-election in a state President Trump lost, steered clear of his convention as she distances herself from him and his record.
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Elon Musk-backed super PAC reports $800,000 in first burst of midterm spending, largely in Maine and Texas
Elon Musk's super PAC disclosed over $800,000 in spending last month to support Republican Senate and House candidates in competitive races, with the bulk in Texas and Maine.
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Painter Alex Katz reflects on his career and artistry ahead of 100th birthday
Artist Alex Katz is an American great who just celebrated his 99th birthday. What better way to celebrate than to have an exhibition in Nice, France, this fall titled "Henri Matisse - Alex Katz." Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown visited Katz at his home in Maine for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.
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Susan Collins on Trump, tariffs and the state of her senate race over Maine lobsters
Susan Collins on Trump, tariffs and the state of her senate race over Maine lobsters lead image.
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At 91, Dale 'Grey Beard' Sanders reclaims record as oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail
Dale Sanders started last Sept. 6 in West Virginia, hiked the nearly 2,200-mile trail in out-of-order sections with breaks in between, and finished Monday atop Mount Katahdin in Maine.
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Platner announced as speaker for activist-led event in Maine
Former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, who dropped out of the race last month amid sexual assault allegations , was announced as a speaker for a Labor Day event in Ellsworth, Maine, next month. The event was organized by the groups Hancock County Activists and Acadia Action Peacemakers, according to information.
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Maine lifeguard "started swimming like hell" when shark pulled him underwater
A lifeguard said a shark off the coast of Scarborough Beach in Maine grabbed onto his buoy and pulled him 5 feet underwater before he was able to get free.
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In a competitive Maine Senate race, women voters could be the deciders
The race between Susan Collins and Troy Jackson is one of this year's most high-profile Senate contests. To win, both candidates will need support from an especially powerful voting bloc: Maine women. (Image credit: Scott Eisen).
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Dems stand by Maine nominee hit with report he fathered children with his second cousin
Democratic senators are still backing Maine Senate nominee Troy Jackson, who replaced former candidate Graham Platner on the ballot, after the latest allegations threaten to yet again shake up the race for U.S. Senate in the Pine Tree State. Platner , following a series of scandals culminating in sexual misconduct clai.
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Funding milestone detected
President Donald Trump’s most vocal opponents on the right were sowing the seeds for a future third-party political organization during a weekend get-together aimed at undercutting the Republican establishment. The meeting at Tucker Carlson’s compound in Maine with Rep. Thomas Massie, former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
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One Maine community's fight to save a birthing center
In mid-coast Maine a grassroots coalition is fighting to prevent the proposed closure of Miles Hospital's labor and delivery center.
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How a community rallied around a little girl and her love for roosters
CBS News contributor David Begnaud shows how the small town of Ogunquit, Maine, rallied around a 6-year-old girl when local code enforcement officials told the girl's family to take a flock of tin roosters off their property.
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Bernie Sanders on if he regrets Platner endorsement: ‘Easier to be a Monday morning quarterback’
In an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) shares his thoughts on the Maine Senate race after Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) criticized Sanders for having “no regrets” over endorsing Graham Platner.
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Maine Democrats pick Troy Jackson to replace Platner on Senate ballot
Maine Democrats gathered Saturday to select former state Senate President Troy Jackson as the Senate nominee to replace Graham Platner on the ballot.
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After Democratic Shake-Up, Susan Collins Holds Enormous Cash Edge in Maine
Republicans are pouring huge sums behind the Maine senator through a web of billionaire-funded super PACs. Troy Jackson, picked as the new Democratic nominee, has a lot of catching up to do.
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Maine Democrats meet to select Senate nominee to replace Graham Platner
Maine Democrats are gathering Saturday to select a Senate nominee to replace Graham Platner on the ballot, with former state Senate President Troy Jackson poised to secure the nomination.
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The Debate Moment That Captures Democrats’ Worries About Troy Jackson
Troy Jackson, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks outside of a federal immigration office in Scarborough, Maine, on July 14, 2026, after a man was fatally shot by ICE agents. —Ryan Murphy—Getty Images It should have been a layup. Instead, the question illustrated why some Democrats fear they are about to swap.
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Democrats’ Top Senate Candidate in Maine Won’t Support Schumer for Leader
Troy Jackson, who is set to become the party’s nominee, also said in an interview that he was not sure he wanted the support of Senator Chuck Schumer in the general election.
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Once Anti-Abortion, Now a Progressive: The Evolution of a Maine Democrat
Troy Jackson, who is expected to become his party’s nominee in the state’s marquee Senate race, has long been an economic populist, but his positions on social issues have changed markedly over time.
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In Maine Senate Race, Democrats Go From Chaos to Coronation
Troy Jackson’s emergence as the clear front-runner to replace Graham Platner spares the party some challenges but points to some new ones.
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Democrats avoid a messy fight in Maine, but uncertainty lingers: From the Politics Desk
Welcome to From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.
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Senators demand ICE answers and body cameras after deadly shootings in Maine and Houston
Dozens of Democratic U.S. senators and Maine's Independent senator are demanding more details from Immigration and Customs Enforcement about vetting practices for new agents.
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In Maine, Troy Jackson Gains Momentum in Bid to Replace Platner
Troy Jackson, a progressive former State Senate president, showed signs of significant strength, as half the state’s counties picked delegates to a convention where they will choose Graham Platner’s replacement.
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Homan says "I think body cameras are the way to go" after ICE shootings
White House border czar Tom Homan said "I think body cameras are the way to go" after fatal shootings by federal immigration officers in Texas and Maine earlier this month.
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Platner-ally Troy Jackson closing in on Democratic Senate nod in key race to face Collins
Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson appears to be sprinting far ahead of his rivals in the abbreviated race to replace now ex-candidate Graham Platner as the Democratic Senate nominee in the high-stakes showdown to face off with longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Delegates aligned with Jackson won the vast.
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ICE officer in Maine shooting has history of violent behavior, relatives say
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot and killed a Colombian man in Maine this week is an Army veteran who has struggled with serious mental health issues since early childhood, relatives say.
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ICE detention center employee arrested for shooting protester in Colorado
A woman was shot while protesting outside of an ICE detention center in Aurora, Colorado, police say. The employee of a group operating the center faces assault and attempted second-degree murder charges in connection with the shooting. This comes after two fatal shootings by ICE agents in Maine and Texas.
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Without Platner, Maine Democrats Scramble to Keep Grassroots Energy Alive
Graham Platner’s campaign for Senate imploded last week. The activists who backed him are seeking a candidate to carry his populist message in the race against Republican Susan Collins.
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‘Professional malpractice’: The Platner fallout engulfs the operatives who made him
When Daniel Moraff showed up on Graham Platner's doorstep last summer, the oyster farmer had a message for the young political operative who had traveled to the Maine coast to convince him to run for the U.S. Senate: "Get the fuck off my property." It took weeks of prodding before Platner relented, according to two peo.
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5 Takeaways From a Maine Debate That Showed Replacing Platner Isn’t Easy
Maine Democrats vying to become the state’s new Senate nominee met, and mostly agreed, at a debate filled with halting answers and stilted deliveries.
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Maine Democratic Senate candidates discuss which of Platner's ideas they would use
Maine Democratic Senate candidates Nirav Shah, Shenna Bellows, Jordan Wood and Troy Jackson discuss which ideas from Graham Platner's platform they would use if they are chosen as the nominee.
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I See My Father in the Fathers Killed by ICE
A makeshift memorial for Joan Sebastian Guerrero who was fatally shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, on July 14, 2026 in Biddeford, Maine. —Ryan Murphy—Getty Images Joan Sebastian Guerrero, the 26-year-old man shot by ICE while driving to work on Monday, attended the same school my mother did.
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The use of force has become a 'default tool' for ICE officers, a new report finds
An ACLU report looks at the widespread use of force in immigration enforcement in the first year of President Trump's return to office. Recent fatal shootings in Texas and Maine have brought renewed scrutiny to the agency's tactics. (Image credit: Scott Olson).
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Biddeford, Maine, mayor on ICE shooting, community's response
Liam LaFountain, mayor of Biddeford, Maine, joins "The Daily Report" to discuss his town's response to Monday's incident where an ICE officer shot and killed a man.
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Trump overturns pause of ICE vehicle stops implemented after deadly shootings
Neither of the victims of the ICE shootings in Maine or Texas were the target of enforcement operations, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
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Maine Democrats’ Adventurous Political Experiment
The party’s leaders have a political experiment on their hands.
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Here Are the Maine Democrats Running to Replace Graham Platner
To win, they’ll have to convince Democrats at a July 25 convention that they’re the best candidate to take on Senator Susan Collins, a Republican.
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Man fleeing immigration officers in Florida struck and killed by tractor trailer, police say
It was the third death in a week involving encounters with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, following shootings in Texas and Maine.
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Colombian Immigrant Killed by ICE in Maine Had Legal Status, Father Says
The father of Joan Sebastian Guerrero, the man fatally shot by a federal immigration agent on Monday, said his son had been working two jobs to support his wife and daughter.
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ICE Halts Most Vehicle Stops After Fatal Texas, Maine Shootings
In the wake of two fatal ICE-involved shootings in less than a week, the Department of Homeland Security is now instructing agents to suspend most vehicle stops amid growing uproar. On Truth Social, President Donald Trump wrote, “We cannot give up one of ICE’s most important and effective crime fighting tools,” adding,.
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After ICE fatally shot multiple people, officials speak out: "We want them out"
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials shot and killed two men in the last week in Maine and in Texas. Maine's House speaker, a Houston prosecutor and a Minnesota attorney spoke with CBS News about the violence.
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An ICE Shooting in Maine Puts Pressure on Senator Susan Collins
The Democrats hoping to challenge Ms. Collins, a vulnerable Republican, have seized on the fatal incident, drawing attention to her record on immigration matters.
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ICE Ordered to Cease Most Vehicle Stops After 2 Killings in a Week
Agents fatally shot a man in Houston and another in coastal Maine, both in their vehicles. The killings were the latest in a string of ICE shootings during President Trump’s second term.
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Family of a man shot by agents responding to a 911 call seeks answers
A troubling pattern of federal agents fatally shooting civilians is developing, with deaths in Maine, Texas and Tennessee. The family of a man shot by agents told NPR they want answers.
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Morning news brief
Trump says the U.S. will collect tolls and impose blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, man killed by federal agents in Maine, states sue to stop Paramount-Warner Bros merger.
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Platner's voters are reeling as Maine Democratic Party races to choose his replacement
Graham Platner generated enthusiasm in Maine with his progressive policies. Now he's out of the race, and his supporters have to decide what's next, as Maine Democrats prepare to choose a nominee. (Image credit: Tamara Keith/NPR).
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Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on Lindsey Graham's passing
NPR's Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Geoff Bennett to discuss the latest political news, including what the passing of Sen. Lindsey Graham means for South Carolina and the Senate, Sen. Mitch McConnell's health and Democrats scrambling to replace Graham Platner in the Maine.
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Graham Platner's voters figure out what's next as candidates vie for their support
voters are still grappling with Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner's dramatic departure from the race.
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1 person killed in Maine shooting involving ICE, state House speaker says
A person was killed during a shooting in Maine involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Monday morning, state House Speaker Ryan Fecteau said.
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Ro Khanna says he regrets his endorsement of Graham Platner: ‘I got that call wrong’
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) joins Meet the Press for an exclusive interview after Graham Platner (D) exits the Maine Senate race amid a sexual assault allegation.
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Maine Democrats Will Replace Graham Platner. Here’s What to Know.
Mr. Platner’s withdrawal from a marquee Senate race, under pressure from his party, has set in motion an unusual competition to become the new nominee.
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Graham Platner officially withdraws from the Maine Senate race
Democrats have already set off a mad dash to find a new candidate, with a July 27 deadline to submit a replacement nominee to face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the November election.
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How The Times Reported on Graham Platner
Two senior editors discuss the difficult effort to track down allegations against the leading Democrat for Senate in Maine and the questions that soon followed.
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Platner’s Rise and Fall Revives Old Questions About ‘Bernie Bros’ and Women
The collapse of Graham Platner’s Senate bid in Maine after a rape allegation renewed attention to a movement built by Senator Bernie Sanders that some say is too forgiving of male misconduct.
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It’s not me, it’s them: Platner goes down snarling with graceless exit video
The populist Democrat nominee for Senate in Maine bowed to the inevitable but turned his farewell into a pity party “Always give your best, never get discouraged, never be petty. Always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself.” These were the p.
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How Are Democrats Choosing Graham Platner's Replacement—and Who Could It Be?
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks at a “Fighting Oligarchy” tour stop held by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) at the Collins Center for the Arts on the University of Maine campus in Orono, Maine, on May 24, 2026. —Joe Raedle—Getty Images Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner has suspended his c.
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Platner’s advisers urged him to go out with ‘gratitude.’ He led with grievance.
Graham Platner went down swinging — even as some of his political confidants urged him not to. Several of the embattled Maine Democrat’s closest advisers pleaded with him Wednesday to strike a “conciliatory” tone in the announcement terminating his Senate campaign , according to two people close to Platner’s team with.
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Platner Suspends Senate Bid in Maine After Rape Accusation
Mr. Platner’s withdrawal, which comes after a woman accused him of rape, creates deep uncertainty in a race that both parties see as crucial to their hopes of winning the Senate.
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Does a Sex Assault Claim Kill a Political Career? It Depends.
The swift exit of Graham Platner from the Maine Senate race followed Eric Swalwell’s similar exit from the California governor’s race, but Republicans have taken a different tack.
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