All posts by Darren Fishell

Darren Fishell

About Darren Fishell

Darren is a Portland-based reporter for the Bangor Daily News writing about the Maine economy and business. He's interested in putting economic data in context and finding the stories behind the numbers.

Poll: Clinton, Trump virtually tied in Maine’s 2nd District

The latest poll of Maine’s presidential election preferences found Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump in a dead heat in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, a battleground that’s gotten much more attention than usual this cycle. The latest polling from the Maine People’s Resource Center, an affiliate of the progressive Maine People’s Alliance, found third-party […]

In July, Clinton outraised Trump fivefold in Maine

Democrat Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign had its biggest Maine fundraising haul yet in July as Republican Donald Trump’s fundraising grew slightly, at about one-fifth of Clinton’s draw. The latest fundraising figures reflect a slower acceleration in fundraising for the Trump campaign in Maine, but they also skew toward showing larger donors. The reports only reflect amounts for […]

Maine graded ‘middling’ for state spending transparency

Despite Maine’s effort at government spending transparency, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group on Wednesday issued the state a “C+” for the openness of its checkbook. Maine’s rank has improved since the launch of its spending transparency site in 2013, but that’s up to 76 points from 68 points (out of 100). There are many ingredients to crafting a winning […]

Video: LePage tells Verso to ‘get out of the state of Maine’

Gov. Paul LePage said his message to Verso Paper Corp. executives is to “get out of the state of Maine” and echoed allegations from one of the millworkers’ unions that the company sold the mill for scrap to prevent competition. “Get out of the state of Maine,” LePage said Thursday morning in response to a reporter’s question. “Those […]

Maine jumps to ‘A’ for state political spending disclosures

Maine’s one of 11 states with the most stringent financial disclosure requirements for outside political groups seeking to influence your vote, according to a campaign spending watchdog group. The National Institute on Money in State Politics gave Maine a perfect score in a report today for disclosure requirements from independent groups in state elections. It’s alongside Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, […]

How each campaign spent in their final days

Campaigns for Republican Gov. Paul LePage and Democrat Mike Michaud spent up until the day before the election to try and win over voters. The expenditures in those final days give some insight into how the campaigns hoped they would push their respective candidates over the top. Michaud’s campaign spent heavily on television ads, with most spending right […]

LePage wins re-election at Marden’s prices

Candidates for governor are battling for hearts and minds. Sure. But while they fight with their words, they also do it with their money and other people’s money (which, in American politics, roughly equals words). Candidates can’t just buy votes (so the review is a bit crude), but it is possible to put a rough price tag on […]

Outside groups spend $14 million on Maine state elections

Outside groups have spent about 3.5 times the $4 million they spent in 2010 to influence Maine’s gubernatorial and state-level elections, just one day before voters go to the polls. The spending comes as incumbent Republican Gov. Paul LePage and Democrat Mike Michaud are neck-and-neck in the latest polling and as Democrats fight to keep control of the state […]