A former Democratic Connecticut state senator has been arrested after a voter accused him of opening her completed absentee ballot and pressuring her to change her vote to his brother.

Dennis A. Bradley was arrested Tuesday on four criminal charges stemming from alleged absentee-ballot violations ahead of Bridgeport’s Aug. 11 Democratic primary, according to Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin.

Bradley faces two counts involving the illegal possession of absentee ballots and envelopes, one count of being present when an absentee-ballot applicant executes a ballot, and another absentee-ballot charge involving the alleged unlawful opening of a ballot.

The allegations center on the Democratic primary for probate judge between incumbent Paul Ganim and challenger Mark Bradley—the former state senator’s brother.

At the center of the case is Bridgeport voter Alesia Dennis.

Dennis told authorities that Bradley came to her apartment after she had already completed her absentee ballot.

She alleged that Bradley opened the completed ballot and then instructed her on changing her vote from Ganim to his brother.

Dennis said she complied because she felt intimidated.

“I felt intimidated. So I just went along with everything he said for me to do,” Dennis told NBC Connecticut.

Rather than allowing the disputed absentee ballot to proceed, Dennis said she turned it over to police.

She later went to the registrar of voters’ office and cast her vote in person.

“I shouldn’t have to go through that twice. I mean, literally, I cast my vote,” she said.

Dennis contacted Bridgeport police on Aug. 5 and filed a complaint with the State Elections Enforcement Commission the following day.

The commission subsequently referred the matter to the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney for further investigation.

That investigation ultimately resulted in Bradley’s arrest.

Bradley, who represented Bridgeport in the Connecticut Senate from 2019 until 2023, was released on a promise to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on Oct. 21.

His attorney, Darnell Crosland, said Bradley maintains his innocence.

The charges are allegations, and Bradley has not been convicted in connection with the absentee-ballot case.

Republican Connecticut Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding and state Sen. Rob Sampson responded to the allegations with a blistering joint statement.

“Got fraud? Bridgeport has plenty of it. What an absolute embarrassment.”

Dennis, meanwhile, said the experience and subsequent investigation took a serious personal toll.

She told NBC Connecticut that at one point the ordeal left her questioning whether she wanted to participate in elections at all.

“I wasn’t going to vote no more,” Dennis said. “I mean, that’s how bad it got me to that point.”

Despite that experience, Dennis said she continues to have faith in Bridgeport’s election system and intends to keep voting, something she said she has done since becoming eligible.

The new case isn’t Bradley’s first encounter with criminal charges connected to politics.

Bradley was separately charged in a federal case in 2021 involving his 2018 campaign for the Connecticut Senate.

He was later convicted in March of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud in a case involving Connecticut’s public campaign financing program.

That federal prosecution is separate from the new absentee-ballot allegations.

The latest case instead centers on a specific voter’s allegation that Bradley took possession of her completed absentee ballot, opened it and instructed her to change a vote in a Democratic primary involving his own brother.

Bradley maintains his innocence and is scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on Oct. 21.

Two Republican members of Congress have reportedly called it quits after a relationship that drew considerable attention on Capitol Hill.

U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick of Georgia and Rep. Beth Van Duyne of Texas are no longer dating, according to TMZ.

Sources described as having direct knowledge of the situation told the outlet that the two House Republicans ended their relationship, although exactly when they separated was not disclosed.

The split was reportedly amicable.

Sources told TMZ there was no bad blood between McCormick and Van Duyne, and the outlet reported that it had not learned what ultimately led to the breakup.

McCormick appeared to confirm that the two remain on good terms when TMZ contacted him for comment.

“I have a great relationship with her and will continue to strive to be the best friend I can be,” McCormick told TMZ when asked for comment.

The reported breakup comes more than two years after the lawmakers publicly confirmed they were dating.

Their relationship first attracted widespread attention in May 2024, shortly after the Daily Mail reported that McCormick had filed for divorce from his wife of 12 years, Dr. Debra Miller.

McCormick filed for divorce on May 3 in Gwinnett County, Georgia.

A mutual restraining order was also filed in connection with the divorce, which the Daily Mail reported was standard procedure in divorce cases in the county.

Around the same time, reports emerged about McCormick and Van Duyne spending time together on Capitol Hill.

Colleagues reportedly described seeing the two together, including accounts that they had been spotted holding hands near the House floor and attending a Republican Study Committee lunch.

Van Duyne publicly addressed their relationship on May 17, 2024.

“I’m single. We’re both parents of adult children and empty nesters. We are happily engaged in a relationship and, beyond that, it’s a personal issue,” she said.

A spokesperson for McCormick said at the time that the congressman and Miller had already been separated for “quite some time.”

The spokesperson later confirmed McCormick’s relationship with Van Duyne.

Miller offered a pointed response when the Daily Mail asked whether McCormick’s divorce involved one of his congressional colleagues.

“You should ask Rich and his colleague.”

By April 2025, McCormick was speaking openly about his relationship with Van Duyne.

“So we’ve been dating for a minute, and we have a great relationship,” the congressman told The Mail.

The pair were still being seen publicly together as recently as late July 2026.

McCormick and Van Duyne were spotted walking together after votes when a TMZ reporter approached them and asked whether maintaining a relationship in Washington was difficult.

McCormick responded with a joke.

“Relationships are tricky to begin with, right? But DC makes it easy.”

Now, according to TMZ, that relationship has ended.

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Neither the timing nor the reason for the split has been publicly disclosed, and the sources cited by the outlet said there was no animosity between the two lawmakers.

McCormick’s own response appeared to reinforce that account.

Rather than publicly criticizing Van Duyne after the breakup, the Georgia Republican said he intends to maintain their relationship as friends.

“I have a great relationship with her and will continue to strive to be the best friend I can be,” McCormick said.

Barack and Michelle Obama marked 34 years of marriage with a collection of personal photographs offering a rare look back at more than three decades together.

The former president and first lady celebrated their anniversary on Oct. 3, sharing affectionate messages, wedding photographs, White House memories and more recent moments from their life after Washington.

But one of the simplest images stood out.

Barack and Michelle were photographed barefoot and holding hands as they walked toward the ocean, their shoes left behind as they headed for the water.

Michelle wore a patterned ankle-length cardigan with matching taupe trousers and a gold headband, her hair pulled into a knotted ponytail.

Barack wore a dark jacket, gray trousers and a white baseball cap while carrying a pair of white tennis shoes.

The relaxed beach photograph was a sharp contrast to the formal settings in which Americans became accustomed to seeing the couple during Barack Obama’s eight years in the White House.

Michelle accompanied the anniversary collection with a brief message directly to her husband.

“Love you just keeps getting better and better! Happy anniversary, @BarackObama,” she wrote.

She added, “Here’s to many, many more years of joy, laughter, and memories to come.”

Barack responded with his own anniversary tribute.

“Happy anniversary, @MichelleObama! I’m still the luckiest guy in the world to be with you,” he wrote.

His post included a more recent photograph showing Michelle with her arms wrapped around him as he smiled and looked toward her.

Michelle wore a white dress with an asymmetrical neckline, while Barack appeared in a navy blue suit.

The couple married in Chicago in 1992, long before Barack Obama’s rise from Illinois politics to the presidency.

Their anniversary collection reflected that history without focusing exclusively on their years in the White House.

Black-and-white photographs from their wedding were included alongside pictures from their time in Washington and images taken during the years since Barack left office.

One scene showed the pair slow dancing during a coordinated date night.

Another captured them laughing together at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.

The collection also included an image connected to the September 11 memorial marking the 25th anniversary of the attacks.

Together, the photographs traced different stages of a marriage that has unfolded alongside an extraordinary public life.

Their daughters, Malia and Sasha, also spent much of their childhood in the national spotlight as the Obama family occupied the White House.

Malia is now 28 and Sasha is 25, according to the anniversary report.

Michelle has spoken publicly about how family life changed after their daughters grew up and moved out, but the anniversary posts kept the attention squarely on the marriage she and Barack have shared for more than three decades.

Their individual messages struck slightly different notes.

Michelle looked ahead, writing about more years of “joy, laughter, and memories.”

Barack focused on gratitude, calling himself “the luckiest guy in the world.”

The photographs accompanying those messages ranged from some of the biggest moments of their public lives to considerably quieter ones.

And perhaps none captured that contrast more clearly than the beach photograph.

There was no podium, presidential backdrop or formal event.

Just Barack and Michelle Obama, barefoot and holding hands, walking toward the ocean after 34 years of marriage.