Era of the New Majority

[KingSweden]

2018 FIFA World Cup

Group H

Austria
Japan
Mexico
Portugal

The first fixture pits Austria against Portugal, and in yet another major group stage upset Austria defeats group favorite Portugal 1-0 behind a score at 62' by David Alaba. A few hours later, Mexico draws Japan 0-0.

The next fixture for Portugal ends equally badly, with Mexico scoring twice behind Javier Hernandez to win 2-0 over the reeling Portuguese, and it gets worse when aging captain Cristiano Ronaldo leaves the game with an apparent ACL tear, marking his final appearance in a major international tournament. Austria continues its magical run by drawing Japan 1-1, with Alaba scoring again at 22' and Japan's Kagawa scoring at 70' to effect the draw.

In the last matchday, Austria defeats Mexico, 3-2, with Alaba scoring twice along with a late strike by Axel Witsel and Giovani and Hernandez each scoring once. Portugal draws Japan 1-1 with a score by Kagawa putting the Japanese up and Estrela scoring late for Portugal to equalize. Austria and Mexico both advance.

Final Standings:

Austria 7
Mexico 4
Japan 3
Portugal 1

Goalscorers:

Alaba (Austria) 4
Hernandez (Mexico) 3
Kagawa (Japan) 2
Giovani (Mexico) 1
Witsel (Austria) 1
Estrela (Portugal) 1

[KingSweden]

2018 FIFA World Cup

Round of 16

Italy vs. USA

Ciro Immobile continues his magic and scores the game's first point at 17'. However, USA equalizes late on a Julian Green score at 77' to send the game into a scoreless extra time, setting up the first penalty kicks of the tournament.

Italy:

Balotelli GOOD
Immobile GOOD
Florenzi GOOD
Improta GOOD
Insigne NO GOOD

USA:

Green GOOD
Altidore GOOD
Zelalem GOOD
Yedlin GOOD
Morris GOOD

With Jordan Morris' kick sailing past Italian goaltender Salvatore Sirigu after Sean Johnson deflected Insigne's kick moments earlier, the United States earns its first-ever win over Italy at the World Cup level and marks one of the biggest World Cup wins in American history, bigger than the upset over England in 1950. The USA is on to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002 after two straight round of 16 exits.

Germany vs. Netherlands

The Germans come out of the gate strong, with Götze scoring the game's only goal at 5'. Der Stegen blocks 14 shots on goal to be named Man of the Match as Germany advances to the quarters for the 17th straight time after a 1-0 win.

Sweden vs. Belgium

After an early Valmir Berisha score, Belgium striker Eden Hazard scores at 80' to equalize and prevent what would be a humiliating defeat to Sweden. The game goes into a scoreless extra minutes and then heads to penalty shots.

Sweden:

Berisha GOOD
Forsberg NO GOOD
Toivonen NO GOOD
Gustafson GOOD

Belgium:

Lukaku GOOD
De Bruyne GOOD
Januzaj GOOD
Hazard GOOD

With Hazard's converted penalty shot, Belgium wins the shootout 4-2 and advances to their second straight quarterfinal.

Spain vs. Mexico

Javier Hernandez scores first for El Tri at 59', but just when it looks like Mexico is going to escape with a 1-0 win over Pedro scores for Spain at 89'. Extra time goes scoreless until Giovani puts Mexico ahead at 119' on a cross from Escoboza. Goaltender Memo is the man of the match after a 20-save game, with seven of them in extra time. Mexico advances to its first quarterfinal since 1986.

Argentina vs. Panama

The miracle run for the Canal Boys ends against Argentina in Sochi, where Messi and Aguero each score once to defeat Panama 2-0 in regular time.

Colombia vs. Chile

In a rematch of the 2015 Copa America final, Colombia faces Chile in Kazan. David Ospina blocks an early Alexis Sanchez penalty kick and the game is at 0-0 for most of the match until James Rodriguez catches a long kick across the field from Jeison Murillo and bicycle kicks it into goal at 75'. It is the only goal of the match and powers Colombia into their second straight quarterfinal.

Brazil vs. South Korea

The Red Devils find themselves very overmatched against the Selecao as Neymar (47', 56'), Oscar (34') and Luiz Adriano (82') all score in a 4-0 rout over Korea Republic. It is the biggest margin of victory in the Round of 16 and starts talk of Brazil potentially winning their second World Cup on European soil after they had been regarded as a second-tier contender for much of the early tournament. Korea fans riot in Seoul after the second-half meltdown.

Austria vs. Uruguay

Austria's breakthrough World Cup tournament ends at the hands of Uruguay. Fagundez scores at 27' to put Uruguay up 1-0 and Calvani adds a goal at 73' to give Uruguay the match 2-0.

[Free Bird]

King Sweeden has become 538

[KingSweden]

2018 FIFA World Cup

Quarterfinals

Germany vs. USA

In Kazan, Germany's Thomas Müller continues his assault on the record books as his goal at 13' ties him with fellow German Miroslav Klose for most World Cup goals at 16. USA equalizes thanks to Julian Green scoring at 27' on a cross from Brek Shea, and USA actually pulls ahead with a header from Mix Diskerud on a cross from DeAndre Yedlin at 46'. Germany does not falter, however, and scores at 70' with Toni Kroos to equalize. The game heads to extra time, and the exhausted American side, in their second straight extra time game, fail to prevent sub Julian Draxler from scoring at 112' to put Germany ahead 3-2. A visibly gasping Rubio Rubin tries to head in a corner kick from Jozy Altidore at 119', but Ter Stegen deflects it and Müller boots it downfield to preserve the win and send Germany to their fifth straight semifinal, a modern record, and ends one of the most successful USA runs in World Cup history.

Belgium vs. Mexico

The game is 0-0 for its entirety, including extra time with two exhausted sides unable to get much done against one another. Belgium heads to its second consecutive penalty shot session, where the result is as follows:

Belgium:

Lukaku GOOD
De Bruyne NO GOOD
Januzaj GOOD
Kompany NO GOOD
Hazard GOOD
Witsel GOOD
Origi GOOD

Mexico:

Hernandez GOOD
Giovani GOOD
Vela NO GOOD
Herrera GOOD
Gonzalez NO GOOD
Dos Santos GOOD
Corona NO GOOD

When Jesus Manuel Corona's penalty shot is deflected by Belgian netminder Thibaut Courtois, the game ends in sudden death and Belgium advances to their first semifinal since 1986.

Argentina vs. Colombia

The game is deadlocked at 0-0 for most of the match until a breakthrough at 60' by Falcao, who scores on a cross from Rodriguez. Ospina deflects two attempted Messi scores to hang on to the 1-0 lead, powering Colombia into their first-ever semifinal and triggering massive celebrations back home.

Uruguay vs. Brazil

Neymar scores at 10' to take a 1-0 lead that Brazil holds for nearly the entire game, until Uruguay manager Celso Otero subs out Luis Suarez for 17-year old striker José Morales at 76'. Morales takes an assist from Fagundez and turns it into a brilliant score in the 88' to equalize and send the game to extra time. Neither team scores in extra time, sending the match to penalty shots.

Brazil:

Adriano NO GOOD
Oscar GOOD
Fred GOOD
Luiz NO GOOD
Neymar GOOD
Costa NO GOOD

Uruguay:

Calvani GOOD
Fagundez NO GOOD
Acosta GOOD
Castro GOOD
Suarez NO GOOD
Morales GOOD

The young Morales is the youngest-ever Man of the Match and is a national hero, scoring not only the equalizer but the winning penalty shot after Douglas Costa fails to convert for Brazil. Uruguay heads to their second semifinal in three World Cups.

[KingSweden]

King Sweeden has become 538

?

[Free Bird]

King Sweeden has become 538

?

Not an insult, just an observation. Lots of delicious politics, and then SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS WORLD CUP WORLD CUP WORLD CUP just like 538. I for the record like them both so I'm not complaining; just noting the similarity

[KingSweden]

King Sweeden has become 538

?

Not an insult, just an observation. Lots of delicious politics, and then SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS WORLD CUP WORLD CUP WORLD CUP just like 538. I for the record like them both so I'm not complaining; just noting the similarity

I'm going through a soccer phase right now, that's certainly part of it haha. I like your signature, by the way, that's usually how I feel.

[KingSweden]

2018 FIFA World Cup

Semifinals

Germany vs. Belgium

A clearly haggard and tired Belgium, subjected to two straight penalty shot games, struggles against Germany, with the game 0-0 until Draxler scores at 66' to give Germany a 1-0 lead. Belgium fails to equalize on a Hazard penalty at 82' and Germany hangs on to win 1-0 and go their second straight World Cup final.

Colombia vs. Uruguay

The game between heavily-favored Uruguay and Colombia remains 0-0 for most of the match until James Rodriguez takes a long cross from Cuadrado and shoots it into the corner of the goal. Fagundez equalizes at 70', but James scores again in stoppage time to send Colombia to its first-ever World Cup final with a 2-1 win.

Third Place Game

Belgium vs. Uruguay

Uruguay is favored to win its best showing since 1950, but Calvani's penalty shot at 59' is deflected by Courtois and the game goes 0-0 in regular time to head into extra minutes. In this time, Hazard scores once at 101' and de Bruyne scores at 118' to give Belgium their best-ever result with the third-place position and Uruguay is fourth place in the World Cup for the fourth time.

[KingSweden]

I live in Richmond B.C which is directly south of Vancouver.  If you've been to B.C and out of B.C, you obviously know it because that's where the airport (YVR) is.  Richmond is also the 4th biggest city in B.C by population (and probably second by geography in the Lower Mainland, and for all I know all of B.C after Surrey).  Where the people have lived in Richmond though has been much more compact but we're seeing a lot of growth recently in East Richmond, especially the area near New Westminster.  

I told a friend of mine who was looking at buying a house to look at East Richmond assuming the area must be pretty cheap to live in due to the lack of ammenities and he told me that houses there were already going for over $1 million (Canadian).  I don't know if the business services have been expanded there since, but it is (or was) a good place to open a store or a restaurant.

I've never been to Kelowna, but my brother used to live in Penticton which is also in the Okanagan.  Apparently a lot of marijuana is grown there .  One of the few things I know about Kelowna is that the late 1980s band The Grapes of Wrath wrote a song about it called "Backward Town."

I know exactly where Richmond is, I've driven through there (and accidentally wound up driving to New Westminster) through there many times. Kelowna is worth checking out, Penticton... eh, not so much.

[KingSweden]

2018 FIFA World Cup

Final

At the final at Luzhinski Stadium in Moscow, Germany and Colombia face off with the scoring started by Thomas Müller at 51' after a scoreless first half. The goal gives Müller 7 goals in the tournament and pushes him past Miroslav Klose for most goals in World Cup history with 17. With the clock ticking down, Cuadrado heads the ball to Quintero, who shoots it on a cross to Falcao who kicks it into goal with a sliding strike to equalize at 84'. The game heads into extra minutes when David Ospina deflects Ozil's attempt at 90+1.

In extra time, the game becomes wild. At 100', Draxler scores his third goal of the tournament to take a 2-1 lead, heading the ball past Ospina. Just when it seems like Germany has finally taken over control of the game, Cuadrado gets the ball in isolation in midfield, shoots it on a cross to James Rodriguez who gets it into goal at 116'. At 2-2 with only minutes left before penalties, Germany's Mario Götze takes a cross from Müller and shoots it off of the crossbar at 120'. However, as it ricochets, it bounces to Toni Kroos who thinks fast and rifles it into goal past Ospina, who is still in the other end of goal scrambling to find the ball. With only two minutes of stoppage time, Germany's Draxler intercepts a long cross from Quintero and dribbles the ball away as the clock runs out and Germany has won the 2018 FIFA World Cup!

They become the first team since Brazil in 1958/1962 to win consecutive tournaments and only the third ever. They cement themselves along with the Spain side of 2008-2012, Brazil from 1958-1970 and 1994-2002, and Italy in the 1930s and Uruguay in the 1920s as one of the greatest teams in world footballing history.

Golden Ball: James Rodriguez, Colombia
Silver Ball: Thomas Müller, Germany
Bronze Ball: Diego Fagundez, Uruguay

Golden Boot: James Rodriguez (Colombia) and Thomas Müller (Germany), 7 each
Silver Boot: Neymar (BRA), 6
Bronze Boot: Ciro Immobile (Italy), Eden Hazard (Belgium), Diego Fagundez (Uruguay), 5 each

Golden Glove: David Ospina, Colombia
Best Young Player: José Morales, Uruguay (only player to ever win this award after playing only one game)

Major achievements: Thomas Müller has 17 goals in three World Cups, the most of any player. James Rodriguez has 13 goals in two World Cups, the second-fastest player to that mark after Just Fontaine. Neymar joins fellow Brazilians Pele and Ronaldo in the 10-goal club of players.

[Cranberry]

Austria in the World Cup, and we get further then the group phase? I love you!

[KingSweden]

July 2018: The hottest summer in recorded history continues, with drought conditions in much of the Southwest unabated and water rationing going into effect in ten states. Massive wildfires sweep through much of central Colorado and Wyoming, one of the largest wildfires on record. An F5 tornado sweeps through much of Davenport, Iowa, killing 47 people. President Clinton visits both the scene in Colorado and Iowa as the environmentalist lobby cites all incidents as evidence that global warming is intensifying.

July 2018 (continued): Cristina Díaz is elected as the first female President of Mexico nearly by default as neither the PRI nor the PAN can field a candidate competent enough to defeat her. Karachi passes Shanghai as the world's largest city. Miguel Diaz-Canel succeeds Raul Castro as President of Cuba, with Castro staying on as Party Chairman.

[KingSweden]

Austria in the World Cup, and we get further then the group phase? I love you!

We aim to please!

[KingSweden]

August 2018: A minor scandal engulfs the Clinton administration mere months before the midterms over staffer expenses. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx announces that he will resign as soon as a replacement is picked; two days later, Clinton surprises many that she will nominate former New York MTA CEO and 2013 Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota to be the next Secretary of Transportation. It is a surprise mostly as it elevates a former opponent of Clinton ally Bill de Blasio and becomes the second Republican appointed to her Cabinet, seen as an olive branch extended to the expected incoming Republican House majority and potential Senate majority. At the end of the month, Julian Castro announces he will step down as HUD Secretary at the end of the year. Former US Rep. John Conyers dies in Detroit of a stroke.

August 2018 (continued): Seven French Foreign Legion troops are kidnapped and executed by Venezuelan paramilitaries, their bodies displayed on the Internet. French President Fillon gives a prime time address promising "we will avenge these young men who were murdered so brutally." The Venezuelan crisis has clearly spiraled out of control, and its conduct is negatively effecting the popularity ratings of most leaders in the major UN nations contributing to the peacekeeping force. Chuka Umunna is elected as the new leader of the Labour Party. Abdullah of Saudi Arabia dies at 94 after years in seclusion, with his 82-year old relative Salman taking the throne in his place and igniting fears of a power struggle that could destabilize the country. South Korean President Ahn visits Japan to sign a landmark defense treaty in which he and Prime Minister Takaichi promise to defend one another in case of attack, with an eye on North Korea as the potential aggressor.

And now, for Sports: New York Giants QB Eli Manning retires at the age of 37 after tearing his ACL in preseason football, sending the team scrambling to find a replacement. Paris St. Germain defeats UEFA Europa League winner Valencia for the UEFA Super Cup.

[KingSweden]

September 2018: Joe Lhota is approved by the Senate as Secretary of Transportation 90-7. Several notable female American public figures pass away - former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, and most prominently, former First Lady Nancy Reagan. Reagan's funeral at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley attracts nearly 60,000 people, including a who's who of prominent Republicans. Hurricane Florence hits Miami as a Category 4, becoming the most damaging hurricane to hit Florida since 1992's Andrew and flooding the city. It takes weeks to restore electricity to many poorer Hispanic and black neighborhoods, leading to accusations of de-prioritizing by the Scott administration and city officials.

September 2018 (continued): Serbia accuses Albania of tampering in Kosovo and threatens war. The Ukraine accuses Russia of re-escalating the conflict in the Donbass after the crisis there has been mostly contained. A tentative ceasefire arrangement in Syria is sketched out after several months of lull in fighting. Former German Premier Helmut Schmidt dies in Berlin at the age of 99, a few months short of his 100th birthday.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I'm excited for the midterms! Hopefully another Republican wave will be in order, ala 2010.

[KingSweden]

I'm excited for the midterms! Hopefully another Republican wave will be in order, ala 2010.

I think you'll be pleased with the House results, where R+10 is enough to win back control, but I don't want to give away anything with the Senate or Gov results

[KingSweden]

Canada's "Fall of Elections"

Within three weeks in late September and early October 2018, three Canadian provinces hold legislative elections. The results, as follows:

New Brunswick

Brian Gallant's Liberal team does not bring the promised economic growth and Gallant often comes across as in over his head. He manages to alienate Acadian Liberals and clashes with St. John-area Tories on regular occasions. The PCs, meanwhile, run a competent campaign behind Trevor Holder promising a tax reduction, an expansion of fracking, improved port in St. John and increased funding for schools and universities. Gallant's Liberals lose a net of eight seats to drop to 20, picking up the one Green-held seat. The Tories grab nine seats to hold a majority government of 30, and the NDP is shut out once again.

Progressive Conservatives 30
Liberals 19
NDP 0
Greens 0

Quebec

Quebec Premier Phillippe Couillard runs a competent, scandal-free government and makes that the centerpiece of his campaign. However, he is harmed by his party's perception as right-wing by many PQ and NDP supporters, with the NDP led by Pierre Ducasse emerging as a potent political force at the provincial level for the first time. Couillard's efforts to lower public debt and rein in pension costs make him an enemy of Quebec's vast but divided left.

PQ continues its meltdown as all but the most hard-core sovereigntists abandon PKP over his economic views. Former Premier Jean Charest states in an interview that "PQ has ceased to be a 'big-tent' party for Francophones now that they have alternatives." The interview becomes the backbone of the NDP advertising strategy, where they simply run the campaign as "an alternative." CAQ struggles to maintain its odd ideological position and polls indicate that they will lose seats.

The election sees Couillard returned in a minority government, losing 16 seats to drop to 54. QS loses all of its seats as NDP goes from zero seats to being the Official Opposition, blowing out both PQ and CAQ in all but a handful of seats. The final seat count:

Liberal 54
NDP 44
PQ 17
CAQ 10

Ontario

Ontario is last, where Kathleen Wynne's embattled Liberals preside over a slowing economy outside of the Toronto area and a new rash of scandals. With the PCs led by Christine Elliott, it is the first time that all three major parties are led by women. Elliott's PCs are the clear winners of the leadership debates, with Elliott citing her knowledge of finances and her repudation of Harris/Hudak style Thatcherism. Wynne does not perform well and her party falls behind the PCs in opinion polls, and Horwath continues her poor performances at the high level despite decent support for her party as a whole.

On election night, the Progressive Conservatives win a minority government with 46 seats to 39 for the Liberals, 20 for the NDP and 2 for the Greens, which is much less than polling indicated the PCs would attain. The narrow result emboldens the PC right, suggesting that Premier-elect Elliott will likely need to lean on the Liberals and NDP for her support despite most of her caucus freshmen being fellow moderates.

Progressive Conservative 46
Liberal 39
New Democrat 20
Green 2

It is not lost on any observers that the Liberal Party loses government in two of the provinces, including Canada's largest, and loses significant seats in all three both to parties on their right and on their left. It is seen as the first major setback to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

[badgate]

Surprised Julian Castro didn't quit sooner to run in TX in 2018

[KingSweden]

Surprised Julian Castro didn't quit sooner to run in TX in 2018

I figured taking on an incumbent like Greg Abbott or Ted Cruz in a midterm w/ a Democrat in the White House would be a VERY tough slog and Castro is savvy enough to know this.

[KingSweden]

October 2018: The midterm elections keep ratcheting up, though this year there is no unifying issue like ObamaCare to fire up the Republican grassroots like in 2010 or mass of administration gaffes to fill the news like in 2014. Still, most Democrats expect to lose about 10-20 seats in the House and thus their narrow majority and few think they can keep the Senate, though polling there looks much more favorable. Clinton barnstorms the country with her husband, Vice President Heinrich and several Cabinet members who are much more okay with campaigning than any of Obama's were, which draws rebukes from many Republicans. Tragedy strikes when Rep. Don Young suffers a fatal stroke a few weeks before what would be his easy reelection to his 22nd term in office. Governor Bill Walker states that there is no way the ballots can be changed at this late date, and most predict he will be elected posthumously. He was the Dean of the House at the time of his passing.

October 2018 (continued): Angela Merkel officially steps down as Chancellor of Germany after 13 years in power, handing over the reins to Ursula von der Leyen. It marks the end of a chapter of German history which saw them become even more central to the EU, and in which public opinion of Germany in the EU periphery is the most polarized since the 1950s and 1960s, particularly in the Mediterranean. She is applauded by many conservatives worldwide and her leaving office is hailed by many on the left, particularly due to signs that der Leyen is much more pro-growth than her predecessor. After an economically disastrous second term full of recession, inflation and high unemployment, the PT loses the 2018 elections as Aecio Neves is elected in the first round over sclerotic opposition to become the first center-right Brazilian President since 2002.

And now, for Sports: In five games, the Los Angeles Dodgers win the 2018 World Series over the Houston Astros to become the first back-to-back champion since the Yankees won three straight from 1998-2000.

[Tayya]

Looking forward eagerly to the midterms coverage. Your attention to detail is mesmerizing. Do you know how the Swedish elections went?

[KingSweden]

Looking forward eagerly to the midterms coverage. Your attention to detail is mesmerizing. Do you know how the Swedish elections went?

Ah shoot! I knew I was forgetting something in the September range. I was going to predict a slightly larger Social Democratic minority, still short of a full majority, with the right continuing to lose vote share to the Sweden Democrats.

[KingSweden]

A brief analysis of the 2018 Brazilian election campaign:

Aecio Neves runs a campaign basically lauding widely popular ex-President Lula and accusing the outgoing Rousseff administration of squandering the Lula era's achievements. Though this campaign is cited by The Economist as "intellectually vapid" due to the commodities boom and Neves coming from an anti-PT party, it is largely successful in driving a wedge between many soft-PT voters in the middle class who supported Lula but have turned in large numbers against Rousseff. He also scores a coup by getting four political parties, including the PSB, to back him on a joint ticket called "Brazil Renewal," and he has the first Afro-Brazilian running mate in history. The tack to the center earns him both the votes of conservatives and moderates who are not natural PT voters and left-meaning middle class voters who have grown tired of on-and-off recessions and high unemployment under Dilma to power him to a 51% victory in the first round.

Neves strikes a conciliatory tone in his victory speech, particularly since Brazil Renewal (RB) does not have a majority in Congress despite gains. He promises to strengthen and expand Bolsa Familia, to build new nuclear and hydropower plants to increase energy to the cities, allow foreign competition with Petrobras and expand and modernize ten of Brazil's busiest ports.

[KingSweden]

United States elections, 2018

Author's Note: Once again, this goes east to west. This is not indicative of poll closings or order of wins, just an easy way to organize the write-up.

Maine

ME-Gov: With Paul LePage term limited and Angus King a heavy favorite for reelection, this becomes the focal race. Democrats get a huge boost when Eliot Cutler elects not to run and is later appointed to a high-ranking position in charge of renewable energy in the Department of Energy. Former Treasurer and US Rep. Bruce Poliquin enters the race on the Republican side to face US Rep. Chellie Pingree, who retires from Congress after five terms. It is widely suspected that Pingree chose to run for Governor after hearing that Susan Collins intended to run for reelection in 2020 through back channels. Without a spoiler candidate like Cutler and after a very tumultuous second term under the polarizing LePage, Pingree leverages her popularity in her home district and wins statewide 51-48 despite narrowly losing most of the rural counties of the 2nd District to Poliquin, who represented it for a term. D+1.

ME-Senate: Democrats decline to nominate a serious candidate, and so Shenna Bellows runs an even more quixotic campaign than in 2014, receiving only $5,000 from the DSCC. LePage is the Republican nominee after 30-year old Paulite State Senator Eric Brakey decides not to challenge for the position. With a leftist activist and the polarizing, unpopular LePage as his opposition, King strikes the middle ground and is a good fit for Maine's independent-minded, moderate voters and cruises to a 60-32-6 general election win.

ME-1: With Chellie Pingree retiring, Democrats avoid a divisive primary when former State Senator Justin Alfond announces he will run for Mayor of Portland in 2019 instead. Pingree's daughter Hannah, a former State House Speaker. In the very Democratic district, Pingree is elected over State Senator Amy Volk.

ME-2: Troy D. Jackson is elected narrowly to a second term over 33-year old State Senator Garrett Mason, whom he defeats 48-46 in the R-trending district.

Maine Legislature: No seats change hands in the Senate, leading to continued 18-17 Republican control. House Democrats lose three seats to drop to 82-68-1, with Republicans gaining 4 seats net, picking up a seat held by a retiring independent as well.