PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Former Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday endorsed Maine's Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, Troy Jackson, just two days after the state's party used a hastily called nominating process to name him as the replacement candidate in a race seen as crucial for control of the chamber.
Jackson secured the Democrats' nomination on Saturday to run against longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Party delegates held a special nominating convention for the post after Graham Platner, who won the June primary, withdrew from the race in the wake of sexual assault accusations that he has denied.
The last-minute scramble for a new candidate in a top-tier race was reminiscent of how Harris ascended to the Democratic presidential nomination two years ago.
She became the party's nominee in August 2024 after President Joe Biden abruptly ended his reelection campaign following a disastrous debate performance against then-former President Donald Trump. Trump would go on to defeat Harris, winning every presidential battleground state.
In a fundraising email to supporters Monday, Harris said she relates to the hurried nature of Jackson's candidacy and called on Democrats to support him.
“I know what it is like to step up to the plate with a short runway to Election Day. Troy will have just 101 days between his nomination for Senate and when voters in Maine will cast their ballots," Harris said in the email.
Democrats are counting on a win in Maine to have a chance to take back control of the Senate. They also need to win three other Republican seats and to hold all the seats they currently have.
Jackson, a fifth-generation logger and former president of the Maine Senate, initially ran for governor during this year's primary. He lost that race but quickly became the party's preferred candidate to replace Platner, with whom he had campaigned before Platner's candidacy fell apart.
Representatives for Jackson's campaign and the Maine Democratic Party did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It was not clear whether Jackson had approached Harris for an endorsement or her statement of support was unsolicited.
Jackson's campaign said in a statement earlier Monday that it is working on making up a fundraising deficit against Collins, who has raised more than $16 million. Jackson has raised $2 million since securing the nomination, the campaign said.
Jackson “is harnessing historic energy across the state to deliver the change Mainers have been demanding over Collins’ three-decade career in Washington,” the campaign said in a statement.
Republicans in the state were swift to mock Harris' endorsement and drew comparisons to the fact that neither Harris nor Jackson won a party primary before becoming the nominee.
“She knows exactly what he's going through,” said Blake Kernen, a spokesperson for Collins.
FILE - Kamala Harris, former Vice President and 2024 presidential candidate, arrives during the National Action Network (NAN) Convention in New York, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, File)
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, asks a question during a Senate Health Education Labor and Pension committee confirmation hearing for Keith Sonderling to be the Labor Secretary, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
Troy Jackson, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks at the Maine Democratic Nominating Convention, Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Bangor, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
SEATTLE (AP) — Police now say there were at least three suspects involved in a shootout at a crowded food festival near Seattle’s Space Needle over the weekend. One of them was among those killed in the violence.
In a document filed in juvenile court in Seattle, where a 15-year-old arrested in the case waived his initial appearance Monday, police said they believe there were at least three shooters, rather than two: the 15-year-old; an acquaintance who died at the scene; and “at least one other unknown suspect.”
“Based on the evidence at the scene, investigators believe” the 15-year-old “and one of the deceased engaged in a gunfight with at least one other unknown suspect,” the document said.
A judge ordered the teen held in juvenile detention for investigation of firearms violations and first-degree assault. The King County prosecutor's office said it expected to receive the case from Seattle police on Wednesday for a charging decision.
The gunfire erupted around 6 p.m. Sunday in the waning hours of the Bite of Seattle, leaving three people dead and at least four others injured. The annual three-day festival draws hundreds of food and retail vendors and performers to Seattle Center, a sprawling park in the shadow of the Space Needle. Many attendees rushed into campus buildings or ran from the park at the sound of the shots.
News that there were at least three suspects followed a series of confusing statements from city officials concerning the shooting.
On Sunday, the police department waited five hours to share with the public that one shooter had been arrested and that they believed another to be on the loose. Earlier, Mayor Katie Wilson had announced two people were in custody, a statement she retracted.
At a news conference before the court hearing Monday, Police Chief Shon Barnes said investigators weren’t sure if the second shooter was among the dead. Neither he nor the mayor made any reference to additional shooters. Barnes had been out of town Sunday, attending a conference of Black law enforcement executives in Dallas.
The officials defended their handling of the case, saying they were trying to ensure they provided accurate information about chaotic events.
The dead were described as two men, ages 19 and 44, and a woman, 56.
The four wounded included a 2-year-old boy, who was in satisfactory condition Monday. The others — two men, ages 23 and 27, and a woman, 39 — were discharged, a hospital spokesperson said.
One of the victims was walking a bicycle when struck, the court document said. The toddler was with his mother.
Vendors were allowed to return to the sprawling campus Monday morning to collect their equipment and merchandise. Skewered squid on grills, roasted ducks in ovens and plates full of food were among the items left behind as people fled the gunfire.
Near the spot of the shooting, a stain of what appeared to be blood was still visible in the morning. A candlelight vigil was planned Monday night at the center’s International Fountain.
Dozens of officers were providing security at the event and some saw one of the suspects firing, authorities said. A large number of police and emergency crews responded and began evacuating the area. Police then searched an IMAX theater on the grounds where they initially believed a second shooter had fled.
Adam Lombardo, who had a Burmese food stand at the festival with his spouse, described the panic of fleeing people as a “stampede.” As he gathered his equipment Monday, he described how police escorted food vendors back to the crime scene to turn off their ovens and stoves.
“It’s really sad because you think that three innocent people aren’t getting up with their families,” he said. “They just came to enjoy a food festival with people, with friends, with new friends, and they lost their lives in just what sounds like meaningless bloodshed.”
Festival attendee Faith Adia Hunter said she and her friends had just gotten food from a crepe vendor when gunfire broke out. They ran into the nearby Seattle Children’s Museum.
“We were about to start eating, then heard someone yell something, then we saw people start to run,” Hunter said. “So we took off running, too.”
Estan Wakonabo said he and his girlfriend were waiting in line for a photo booth when he was shoved from behind.
“People were hiding, were pushing, people were falling on the ground, baby strollers were falling,” Wakonabo said.
The festival started in 1982 and draws 350,000 attendees, according to its website.
Associated Press journalists Manuel Valdes and Lindsey Wasson in Seattle, Annika Wolters in Bangkok and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
The U.S. flag flies at half staff at the Space Needle as cleanup continues the day after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A worker cleans blood off the pavement the day after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
The U.S. flag flies at half staff as cleanup continues at the Space Needle the day after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A man walks near the scene, a day after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A Seattle Police officer sets up police line tape at the site of a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
An unidentified man is led into the scene by police after they responded to a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, center, speaks at a news conference after a shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Police respond to a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
An unidentified man is led into the scene by police after they responded to a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A Seattle Police officer walks through tents with colorful toys at the scene of a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A crime scene photographer arrives as law enforcement examines the scene following a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
