Good morning from Augusta. Yesterday’s political story of the day was in Lewiston, where former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell was stumping with Democratic 2nd Congressional District candidate Emily Cain.
That wasn’t a surprise: Mitchell, a Waterville native who rose to be Senate majority leader and czar for peace in the Middle East and Northern Ireland is a Democratic heavy-hitter who headlined a New York City fundraiser for Cain last week for her key rematch against Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin.
Mitchell hasn’t commented much on the 2016 presidential race, but he has also raised money for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. On Thursday, he told reporters, “She’ll be able to hit the ground running and deal with the many serious issues that we face in our country.”
But Clinton is having trouble in Maine, which normally favors Democrats in presidential elections: A poll this week showed her tied statewide with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and 10 points behind him in the more rural and conservative 2nd District, which is worth one of Maine’s four electoral votes.
Maine has gone for Democrats in every presidential election since 1992, but it has been thought for months that Trump’s party-bucking stances on issues like trade could have outsized sway in parts of Maine that have been hit hard by manufacturing job losses in recent years.
Mitchell acknowledged an economic anxiety in many parts of the electorate, including Maine, that “prosperity is not distributed throughout the country.” But he said Trump wants to take the country backwards.
“And going backwards doesn’t deal with these problems,” he said. “I believe that, come Election Day, a majority of Americans will understand that, act on that and elect Hillary Clinton as president.” — Michael Shepherd
In Maine’s, endorsements from sportsmen can get awkward
This week, the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine released its list of endorsements in federal and state races, backing Poliquin over Cain and longshot Republican Mark Holbrook over Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree in the 1st District.
That was no surprise, because the powerful group that melds advocacy for guns, conservation, hunters and fishermen usually backs Republicans, with a smaller handful of Democrats always getting SAM’s backing in legislative races.
That’s what happened this year, but the politics behind SAM’s decisions is perhaps more complicated than it has been in the past.
While it’s a pretty conservative group working with Gov. Paul LePage in the Republican grassroots to defeat the gun background check expansion in Question 3 on November’s ballot, it was working with Democratic-oriented environmental groups to pressure LePage to release conservation bonds in 2015.
This balance makes this year’s endorsement list an interesting read, with a “special recognition” section for Democrats who got good marks from the group, but didn’t win an endorsement.
In a key race, SAM endorsed Sen. Rodney Whittemore, R-Skowhegan, for re-election over House Majority Leader Jeff McCabe, D-Skowhegan, even though both got A+ grades.
SAM Executive Director David Trahan wrote that while “no one is more committed to protecting the Second Amendment” than Whittemore, the group is “lucky to have two great candidates.”
Unlike most Democrats, McCabe has spoken out against Question 3 and has long received the group’s backing in House races. He said after a close relationship with the group, he’s “disappointed to not receive an endorsement,” but “my focus and priorities remain the same.”
In an interview, Trahan said this endorsement and others were largely due to a policy that “if we have a friendly incumbent who we’ve worked well with in the past, they always get the endorsement.”
A few Democrats also benefited from that phenomenon, including former Maine Senate Majority Leader Troy Jackson, D-Allagash. He’s not an incumbent, but was endorsed over the A+-rated Caribou City Councilor Tim Guerrette, a Republican.
The impact of these endorsements might be muted in most districts, but it’s something to think about in rural areas that will largely decide 2016’s nip-and-tuck race for legislative control. — Michael Shepherd
Quick hits
- Watch Monday’s first presidential debate with the Bangor Daily News in Portland. We’ll be projecting the 9 p.m. debate between Clinton and Trump at Think Tank Coworking at 533 Congress St. Food will be provided, but it’s BYOB. RSVP on Facebook.
- The National Rifle Association released an ominous, six-minute video in its fight against Question 3. It features LePage, Trahan, Assistant Maine Senate Majority Leader Andre Cushing, Franklin County Sheriff Scott Nichols and others.
- Blaine House repairs have pushed back LePage’s annual fall food drive. It’ll now happen in April 2017, according to the governor’s office.
Reading list
- Report: To prosper, Maine must hire more immigrants — Darren Fishell, Bangor Daily News
- Court affidavit: Fairfield murder victim shot twice in head — Dawn Gagnon, BDN
- Fatal shooting by police shakes Charlotte’s self-image — Richard Fausset and Alan Blinder, The New York Times
- Warming waters threaten young lobsters, study finds — Bill Trotter, BDN
- Turbine critics weigh in on proposed rules for future wind power development — Nick McCrea, BDN
- Despite dispute, Maine Civil War veteran to be laid to rest in Hodgdon — Joseph Cyr, Houlton Pioneer Times
- A privy problem: Maine group races to replace outhouses on Appalachian Trail — Aislinn Sarnacki, BDN
- Will the least popular governors hurt their parties in November? — Alan Greenblatt, Governing
- Clinton’s leading in exactly the states she needs to win — Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight
- Bernie Sanders leaders on college campuses turning their backs on Clinton campaign — Alex Daugherty, McClatchy Washington Bureau
Best of Maine’s Craigslist
- But must the animals be housebroken?: A man in Waldo County wants to start a “Christian communal living group” in his house, which has “hens, rabbits and goats” with “animals and house broken children welcome.” Here’s your soundtrack.
- Marijuana brought them together: At Springvale District Court, a man was meeting with prosecutors alongside a woman facing “a pot charge.” He wanted to ask for her number, but she “disappeared.” Now he wants to get together “over a cup of coffee and a joint,” an activity that could lead to more minor legal trouble unless legalization passes in November. — Michael Shepherd