Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) on Tuesday said Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner should win his primary on Tuesday and then get off the ballot so that Democrats can replace him with a stronger candidate in the fall. Platner is expected to win Tuesday’s Democratic primary for Senate. He would then face Sen. Susan Collins…

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) on Tuesday said Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner should win his primary on Tuesday and then get off the ballot so that Democrats can replace him with a stronger candidate in the fall. Platner is expected to win Tuesday’s Democratic primary for Senate. He would then face Sen. Susan Collins…

The Senate race in Maine is a chance to do away with inconsistent standards applied according to political bias.

© Penn Chan for The New York Times

Oysterman and marine veteran favored to win Democratic primary amid a string of controversies

Voters are headed to the polls on Tuesday for primary elections that include a crucial Senate race involving the scandal-haunted Graham Platner.

In Maine, Platner is favored to win the Democratic primary after his main opponent, former governor Janet Mills suspended her campaign. Incumbent senator Susan Collins remains safely at the top of the Republican ticket – just slightly behind newcomer Platner’s lead in polling.

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© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

Voters across Maine, Nevada, South Carolina and North Dakota head to the polls Tuesday for another day of primary elections in America, but much of the political world will be focused on Maine's high-stakes U.S. Senate contest.

Graham Platner is seeking to make a Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate official in advance of one of the most anticipated contests of the year.

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Vice-president JD Vance has added a chicken coop to his residence at the US Naval Observatory, the Daily Wire reports, along with a dozen baby chicks whose new henhouse is designed to look like the Victorian home where the second family lives.

The coop was built without taxpayer money, a person familiar with the project told the Associated Press. The residence hosted a family event over the weekend where local 4-H students taught other kids about the newly installed coup, the person said.

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© Photograph: Michael Brochstein/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Michael Brochstein/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Michael Brochstein/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

Plus, “I’m busy, but you can talk to my A.I. twin.”

© Arash Khamooshi/Polaris for The New York Times

Any indication of tepid support for Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for Senate in Maine, will be seen as a warning sign about his chances against Senator Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent.

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