A Democratic Senate candidate in Maine backed away from his own anti-war positions on a debate stage, which looks bad for progressive voters hoping for a real alternative to Susan Collins.

• Troy Jackson had promised no US military aid to Israel and called the war in Gaza a genocide, but on stage he only objected to a "blank check" and skipped the genocide label.
• His campaign website still carries the harder line, leaving voters unsure what he actually stands for.
• Internal campaign papers show establishment consultants coaching him to soften the language and treat Gaza as a two-sided conflict.
• The campaign is run by Biden and Schumer-world operatives, has frozen out Graham Platner's progressive volunteers, and hired a pollster tied to AIPAC.
• Collins, the long-serving Republican incumbent, dodged a question about Americans killed by the Israeli military entirely.

Outlook: Expect Jackson to keep hedging on Israel as his consultants steer him to the middle, with progressive enthusiasm in Maine draining away as a result.