Trump-endorsed NASCAR driver wins key GOP primary in Maine

Maine State Rep. Austin Theriault, a Republican better known as a former NASCAR driver and 2019 ARCA Menards Series champion, was projected Tuesday to win the Republican nomination for Maine's 2nd Congressional District.

He defeated Marine veteran Mike Soboleski in the district, which covers a plurality of the state, including much of its rural expanse. 

Theriault, who was endorsed by former President Trump, said during his campaign that people are looking for candidates with experience in business, like the presumptive GOP presidential nominee and himself.

Theriault's hometown of Fort Kent is known both as the "other" ‘Mile 0’ of US Route 1 -- versus Key West, Fla. -- and a key international border crossing.

To that end, Theriault made border security a hallmark of his campaign.

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"I know that we live thousands of miles away from the southern border, but it's a huge issue because of the drugs coming across and the human trafficking," he told WMTW.

Theriault, who also raced a handful of times in NASCAR's marquee cup series, will face "blue dog" Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine in November.

Golden, who notably split his 2019 votes on Trump's two impeachment counts at the time, represents a district that also leans to the right for New England.

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Since the early 1900s, the district has flipped from blue to red and back every few terms. Golden has been in the seat since he defeated Rep. Bruce Poliquin, R-Maine, in 2018. 

Golden's win over Poliquin at the time was an early test of the controversial ranked-choice voting practice adopted by a growing list of states since then.

In his Monday endorsement of Theriault, Trump said Golden wrongly "poses as a bipartisan politician," while the Republican nominee, "will work hard to secure the border, protect our always under siege Second Amendment, stop crime, cut taxes and defend our brave law enforcement."

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Theriault's last big win came in 2017 when he won what is now called the Hard Rock Bet 200, a premier ARCA race during Daytona's Speedweeks at the proverbial "World Center of Racing."

The 2nd Congressional District has a Cook PVI of R+6, which casts Golden as a vulnerable Democrat come November.

Susan Colins, key Senate GOP moderate, won’t back Trump in 2024

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, says she will not endorse former President Trump for president, even if he were to become the Republican nominee in the 2024 election. 

Collins, the ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, is a moderate legislator and one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump on the impeachment charge of inciting an insurrection during his Senate trial in 2021.

When asked by The Hill whether she would support Trump following his win in New Hampshire, Collins said, "I do not at this point."

Instead, she expressed optimism about former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's campaign and said she was happy that Haley would not drop out after losing to Trump by 11 points in New Hampshire. 

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"I’m glad to hear last night that Nikki Haley is determined to stay in [the race.] I think the more people see of her, particularly since she appears to be the only alternative to Donald Trump right now, the more impressed they will be," Collins said.

However, the Maine Republican stopped short of endorsing Haley.

Collins has previously said she was "unlikely" to support Trump and that the former president should not have pledged to pardon those convicted for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. 

However, other GOP senators have lined up behind the former president since his convincing primary election wins in Iowa and New Hampshire.

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Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Deb Fischer, R-Neb., endorsed Trump on Tuesday after he won 54% of the vote in the Granite State's first-in-the-nation-primary. 

"It's time for Republicans to unite around President Donald Trump and make Joe Biden a one-term president," Fischer said in a statement. "These last three years have yielded a crippling border crisis, an inflationary economy that prices the American Dream out of reach for families, and a world in constant turmoil with our enemies on the march. I endorse Donald Trump for president so we can secure our border, get our economy moving again, and keep America safe."

Cornyn posted his endorsement on X, "To beat Biden, Republicans need to unite around a single candidate, and it’s clear that President Trump is Republican voters’ choice."

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., joined his colleagues on Wednesday, declaring the primary "over." 

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"Competition makes us all better, so I let the primary play out, but this thing’s over," Kennedy posted on X. "It’s going to be Pres. Trump versus Pres. Biden: A choice between hope and more hurt. It’s not even close. I choose hope. I am endorsing Pres. Trump and look forward to working with him."

Despite her second loss, following another defeat in Iowa last week, former Gov. Haley has vowed to stay in the race, even with the prospect looming of an embarrassing home-state primary defeat in South Carolina on Feb. 24.

"New Hampshire is first in the nation. It is not last in the nation," Haley declared before leaving Tuesday night. "This race is far from over. There are dozens of states left to go."

Fox News Digital's Jon Brown and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.

Maine GOP state lawmaker moves to impeach state secretary over Trump ballot removal

A Maine Republican state lawmaker wants to impeach the Maine secretary of state who removed former President Donald Trump from the primary ballot.

GOP state Rep. John Andrews said he wants to pursue impeachment against Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows after she disqualified Trump from the 2024 Republican primary ballot on Thursday.

In her ruling, Bellows cited Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which bans from office those who "engaged in insurrection."

Andrews said in a statement that he filed a request with the Maine Revisor's Office saying he wanted "to file a Joint Order, or whichever is the proper parliamentary mechanism under Mason's Rules, to impeach Secretary of State Shenna Bellows."

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"In Maine, the people do not elect the Secretary of State, Attorney General or Treasurer," Andrews told Fox News Digital. "They are chosen by elected Democrat Party insiders after deals are made in the back room of State House."

"Shenna Bellows knows that the process that put her there is extremely partisan," he continued. "She should know better and be going out of her way to be as neutral as possible to serve every citizen in Maine and not just registered Democrats."

"That’s why she swore an oath to the Constitution and not the Democrat Party," he added. "We are still a republic, but moves like this fracture that foundation, which ultimately is the point of all this."

Andrews said in his statement that he wants to impeach Bellows "on the grounds that she is barring an American citizen and [the] 45th President of the United States, who is convicted of no crime or impeachment, their right to appear on a Maine Republican Party ballot in March."

"Donald J. Trump has met all qualifications for the March 2024 Republican Presidential Primary. He should be allowed on the ballot. This is raw partisanship and has no place in the offices of our state's Constitutional Officers," he continued.

Andrews' press release noted a social media post he made, saying Bellows' decision "is hyper-partisanship on full display."

"A Secretary of State APPOINTED by legislative Democrats bans President Trump from the 2024 ballot so that she can jockey for position in the 2026 Democrat Primary for Governor," Andrews said. "Banana Republic isn't just a store at the mall."

Andrews said Friday in a "FOX & Friends" interview that Bellows "has unilaterally disenfranchised 300,060 Maine voters with this partisan move."

He also applauded U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Maine Democrat, for speaking out against Bellows' move, even with his dislike of Trump.

Golden slammed Bellows over the move, saying that he "voted to impeach Donald Trump for his role in the January 6th Insurrection."

"I do not believe he should be re-elected as President of the United States," Golden said Thursday night. "However, we are a nation of laws, therefore until he is actually found guilty of the crime of insurrection, he should be allowed on the ballot."

The Maine secretary of state defended her move while responding to Golden's criticism during a CNN interview on Friday.

"I reviewed Section Three of the 14th Amendment very carefully and determined that Section Three of the 14th Amendment does not say ‘conviction,' it says ‘engage,'" Bellows said.

"And, let's go back and keep in mind that the events of January 6, 2021, were unprecedented and tragic," Bellows continued. "This was an attack, not only on the Capitol and the government officials, the former vice president, members of Congress, but an attack on the rule of law."

"And the weight of evidence that I reviewed indicated that it was, in fact, an insurrection," she added. "And Mr. Trump engaged in that insurrection under Section Three of the 14th Amendment."

In a shock decision issued Thursday evening, Bellows said Trump was ineligible for the state’s 2024 primary ballot, citing a clause in the U.S. Constitution that bars people who have "engaged in insurrection" from running for elected office without two-thirds congressional approval.

The clause was originally meant to bar former Confederate soldiers and officers from holding positions in the U.S. government or military.

It was also referenced by Colorado’s highest court in a 4-3 ruling last week similarly barring Trump from that state’s primary ballot. The decision was challenged by the Colorado GOP, setting up a battle before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bellows' office declined to comment.

Fox News' Liz Elkind contributed to this report.