
By Lauren McCauley | Editor
“I think that Congress does need to keep reasserting itself. But I think our democracy will be just fine.” - U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, when asked during Thursday’s debate her thoughts on the state of democracy in America.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and her Democratic challenge, Troy Jackson, met in Bangor for their fourth and final debate on Oct. 15. (Screenshot courtesy of Maine Public/ News Center Maine)
ELECTION 2026
By Emma Davis
Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic nominee Troy Jackson offered new insight on how they view the state of American democracy, gun rights, campaign finance and more during their final debate on Thursday.
ELECTION
By Kaitlyn Budion
During their second and final debate appearance Thursday evening, Democrat Matt Dunlap and Republican Paul LePage resurrected many of the same disagreements from their initial debate, digging further into each other’s record in state government.
COMMENTARY
By Lauren McCauley
Each election cycle, the torrent of dark money flowing into Maine gets more and more unwieldy. And all these millions ultimately do is pay for more ads to drown out competitors, overwhelming voters so our leaders can continue to make decisions that donors hope will benefit them.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
The next act for the No Kings movement: Early voting in the midterms | Ashley Murray, States Newsroom
Democrats aiming for control of Congress vow action on healthcare, cost of living, Iran war | Shauneen Miranda, Ashley Murray, Ariana Figueroa and Jonathan Shorman, States Newsroom
California sued by Trump administration over demand to purge 20,000 voters from rolls | Jacob Fischler, States Newsroom
Thanks for reading Top of the Morning. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.