Augusta, Georgia

Maine's U.S. Senate race between Sen. Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson is rated among the closest in the country, raising the possibility that neither candidate wins a first-choice majority on election night. If so, the state would conduct its first-ever statewide ranked-choice count in a general election, a process that has taken up to a week to complete in past elections. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows says her office is trying to speed up tabulation but is not promising quick results. Past ranked-choice counts in Maine have drawn legal challenges, and officials expect similar litigation here, echoing a recent Trump-backed effort to block certification in Alaska's ranked-choice Senate race.

Maine Democrat Troy Jackson says he does not regret telling Sen. Susan Collins to "shut up" during their final debate, after a protester opposing data centers interrupted the event and Collins suggested the demonstrator was one of Jackson's supporters. Jackson denied any connection to the protester, identified as Bowdoin College student Henry Elgie; the Sunrise Movement claimed him as one of its own volunteers. Collins called Jackson's retort "telling," citing past criticism of his temper toward female colleagues. Jackson has acknowledged past outbursts but won't apologize. Days later, Democrats remain divided over whether his cautious, establishment-aided campaign can match Collins in the closely watched Nov. 3 race.

Republican Paul LePage, the former two-term Maine governor known as "Trump before Trump," was expected to easily flip the open 2nd District seat after Democratic Representative Jared Golden's retirement. Instead, rising fuel and living costs tied to tariffs and the Iran conflict have narrowed the race against Democratic State Auditor Matt Dunlap, who won a contested primary after Golden initially withdrew. Polls show a close contest in a district Trump carried by nine points in 2024, prompting heavy outside spending and visits from Speaker Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance. LePage, 78, has softened his combative style and touted his access to Trump, while Dunlap emphasizes cost-of-living concerns and LePage's past Medicaid expansion vetoes. The race is seen as the GOP's best chance to flip a Democratic-held seat this cycle.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson met for their final debate before the final stretch of the Maine Senate race, this one hosted by Maine Public and The Portland Herald. Jackson again sought to tie Collins to President Trump's agenda, pointing to her vote advancing Trump's tax and spending bill despite her later opposition to the final version. Collins countered that she sides with Trump roughly 72 percent of the time, not the higher figures Jackson cited, and touted her votes to confirm three Democratic-nominated Supreme Court justices and her unsuccessful effort to block Pete Hegseth's confirmation as defense secretary. The Iran war remained contentious, with Jackson arguing Collins failed to use her Appropriations Committee chairmanship to cut off funding, while Collins defended her War Powers votes and said Congress should have been consulted.

A notable moment came when Jackson, who had pledged to reject billionaire and corporate PAC money, admitted receiving billionaire donations and $15,000 from oil and pharmaceutical interests, which he said he donated to charity. Collins also criticized his delayed financial disclosure. A protester briefly interrupted over AI data center concerns.

The Department of Veterans Affairs' National Cemetery Administration has approved more than $13.6 million to build a new veterans cemetery in Augusta, Georgia, funded through H.R. 5371, the fiscal year 2026 appropriations act covering military construction and veterans affairs. The grant, awarded September 16 after an application filed in May, will fund what is set to become the largest veterans cemetery in the state, spanning more than 200 acres of state-owned land next to the Gracewood campus of East Central Georgia Regional Hospital.

The site addresses a long-standing gap for military families in the Augusta area, who have had to travel to Fort Jackson, Columbia, or Milledgeville for burial services. Planned amenities include an administration building, maintenance facility, committal shelter, 600 grave sites, 1,500 crypts, 900 cremation sites, 960 columbarium niches, and a memorial wall with 140 plaques. Construction is slated to begin in November and take about 18 months. A local nonprofit is separately raising additional funds for extras like a bell tower and memorial benches.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills' administration is asking an Augusta court to throw out an arbitrator's ruling that found the state illegally fired epidemiologist David Abafi after his work authorization briefly lapsed. Abafi, who immigrated from Nigeria in 2021, worked at the Maine Center for Disease Control from early 2024 until his termination in April 2025, when U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services denied his green card application and gave him 18 days' notice that his work authorization would end. The union sought unpaid leave for him instead under the contract, but the state refused, citing legal obligations tied to employing unauthorized workers.

An arbitrator sided with the union in June, noting Abafi's authorization was restored by July 2025, and ordered the state to make him whole. Maine's lawsuit, filed Sept. 10, argues the arbitrator exceeded his authority, citing the Supreme Court's Hoffman Plastic Compounds precedent. The union calls the state's case "frivolous" and says the ruling is binding. Abafi has taken another job but could reclaim his position and back pay.