A Democrat who trailed a Republican incumbent in a costly U.S. House race in Maine came from behind to emerge as the victor Thursday following extra rounds of tabulations under the state's new voting system, officials said.
Election officials declared Jared Golden the winner, flipping the seat held by two-term Rep. Bruce Poliquin, after a federal judge declined to halt tabulations in the state's ranked-choice voting system used in last week's election. It was the first time an incumbent has lost that seat in more than 100 years.
The outcome was a dramatic reversal in the nation's only test of the ranked-choice voting system used for the first time in U.S. House and Senate races. Golden's election further strengthens a majority for Democrats who swept into power in the House. His election leaves Sen. Susan Collins, of Maine, the lone Republican member of Congress in New England.
FILE - This combination of file photos show U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin in 2017, left, and state Rep. Jared Golden in 2018, right, in Maine. Golden challenged Poliquin for the 2nd District Congressional seat in the November 2018 general election. Golden, who finished behind Republican U.S. Rep. Poliquin in the first round of balloting in Maine's new voting system, came from behind to flip the U.S. House seat representing one of two congressional districts in the state, election officials said Thursday, Nov 15, 2018. (AP PhotosRobert F. Bukaty, File)
Golden, a Marine Corps veteran, declared himself the "majority consensus winner" and told reporters he wants to bring to Washington, D.C., the type of leadership he saw in the Marines.
"The best leaders were the ones who didn't worry about who got credit for getting the job done," he said. "Imagine what Congress could do if we had more leaders like that in Washington?" he added.
The ranked-choice system, approved in 2016, lets voters rank all candidates from first to last on the ballot. If no one gets a majority, then last-place candidates are eliminated and their second-place votes are reallocated.
Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap and Deputy Secretary of State Julie Flynn explain the process for determining a winner using ranked voting in the 2nd Congressional District race, on Thursday, Nov. 15, in Augusta, Maine. (AP PhotoMarina Villeneuve)
In this case, Poliquin and Golden both collected 46 percent of first-place votes, with Poliquin maintaining a slim edge of about 2,000 votes. But additional tabulations were triggered because no one collected a majority.
On Thursday, Golden overtook Poliquin after state election officials eliminated two independent candidates who trailed, collectively gathering about 8 percent of first-place votes. A computer algorithm reallocated the second-place votes, giving Golden a lead of nearly 3,000 votes.
The legal challenge by Poliquin and three GOP activists served as the backdrop for the dramatic finale of a hard-fought battle that became the most expensive congressional race in state history.
Poliquin's spokesman vowed Thursday to continue the lawsuit that contends the voting system violates the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit remains alive even though U.S. District Judge Lance Walker declined Poliquin's request to stop tabulations.
In his decision, however, the judge said it doesn't appear the Constitution prohibits an election process with more than one round of ballot counting. He also said it's plausible the Constitution allows states "sufficient leeway to experiment with the election process."
Golden said he didn't think the ongoing litigation would prevent him from being seated in January.
During a press conference, Golden said he's willing to work with Republicans and that his focus will be on getting things done, not in the ongoing investigations of President Donald Trump. He also said he wouldn't vote for Democratic California Rep. Nancy Pelosi to serve as House speaker.
Mainers approved ranked-choice voting in a statewide referendum after nine of the previous 11 governors were elected without a majority of the vote.
For now, the ranked-choice voting system is used only in federal races and in statewide primary elections in Maine. It cannot be used in the governor's race or legislative races because of concerns it runs afoul of the state constitution.
Democratic Gov.-elect Janet Mills has said she will try to amend Maine's constitution so the system can be used in all elections.
Associated Press writer David Sharp in Portland, Maine, contributed to this report.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s parliament on Tuesday approved a measure that criminalizes a broad range of activities that can hinder navigation and commerce in the South American country, such as the seizure of oil tankers.
The bill — introduced, debated and approved within two days in the National Assembly — follows this month's seizures by U.S. forces of two tankers carrying Venezuelan oil in international waters. The seizures are the latest strategy in U.S. President Donald Trump's four-month pressure campaign on Venezuela's leader Nicolás Maduro.
The tankers are part of what the Trump administration has said is a fleet Venezuela uses to evade U.S. economic sanctions.
The unicameral assembly, which is controlled by Venezuela's ruling party, did not publish drafts on Tuesday nor the final version of the measure. But as read on the floor, the bill calls for fines and prison sentences of up to 20 years for anyone who promotes, requests, supports, finances or participates in “acts of piracy, blockades or other international illegal acts” against commercial entities operating with the South American country.
Venezuela's political opposition, including Nobel Peace laureate María Corina Machado, has expressed support for Trump's Venezuela policy, including the seizure of tankers. Machado and Trump have both repeatedly said that Maduro's days in power are numbered.
The bill, which now awaits Maduro’s signature, also instructs the executive branch to come up with “incentives and mechanisms for economic, commercial and other protections” for national or foreign entities doing business with Venezuela in the event of piracy activities, a maritime blockade or other unlawful acts.
The U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday seized a Panama-flagged vessel called Centuries that officials said was part of the fleet moving sanctioned cargo. With assistance from the U.S. Navy, it seized a rogue tanker called Skipper on Dec. 10. That ship was registered in Panama.
Trump, after that first seizure, said the U.S. would carry out a “blockade” of Venezuela. He later demanded that Venezuela return assets that it seized from U.S. oil companies years ago, justifying anew his announcement of the blockade against sanctioned oil tankers traveling to or from the South American country.
At an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council called by Venezuela, U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz on Tuesday stressed that sanctioned oil tankers “operate as the primary economic lifeline for Maduro and his illegitimate regime.”
“Maduro’s ability to sell Venezuela’s oil enables his fraudulent claim to power and his narco-terrorist activities,” Waltz said. “The United States will impose and enforce sanctions to the maximum extent to deprive Maduro of the resources he uses to fund Cartel de los Soles.”
Maduro was indicted in 2020 on narcoterrorism charges in the U.S. and accused of leading the Cartel de los Soles, which the Trump administration designated as a foreign terrorist organization last month. But the entity is not a cartel per se.
Venezuelans began using the term Cartel de los Soles in the 1990s to refer to high-ranking military officers who had grown rich from drug-running. As corruption expanded nationwide, its use loosely expanded to police and government officials as well as activities like illegal mining and fuel trafficking.
At Tuesday's meeting, Venezuela’s U.N. Ambassador Samuel Moncada accused the U.S. of acting “outside international law” and its own domestic laws, by demanding that Venezuelans vacate the country and hand it over to the Trump administration, including all its oil fields.
“What right does the United States government have to appropriate, to date, almost 4 million barrels of Venezuelan oil?” Moncada asked, referring to the cargo of the two seized tankers. “This alleged naval blockade is essentially a military act aimed at laying siege to the Venezuelan nation, degrading its economic and military apparatus, weakening its social and political cohesion, and causing internal chaos to facilitate aggression by external forces.”
Many countries expressed concern about violations of international maritime law and adhering to the United Nations Charter, which requires all 193 member nations to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every other country. The United States’ actions were supported by a few countries, including Panama and Argentina.
Associated Press writer Edith Lederer in New York contributed to this report.
Lawmaker Giuseppe Alessandrello gives a speech during an extraordinary session at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Evana, an oil tanker, is docked at El Palito port in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
