Tag Archives: James Hamper

The race to lead the next Maine Legislature is heating up

Legislators are already jockeying for leadership positions in closely divided chambers that will rest on the outcomes of key 2018 campaigns.

More Republicans jump into races to retain the Maine Senate

Two new Republican candidates bode well for their party’s chances to retain two seats, but their battle to retain the Maine Senate in 2018 will still be difficult.

All the ways Maine’s budget ‘deal’ could fall apart

We don’t think we’re exaggerating when we say that Friday promises to be the most suspenseful day in the era of Gov. Paul LePage with the Legislature’s two presiding officers throwing a Hail Mary pass to close Maine’s budget impasse with no idea where it’ll land. What we know is that the deal brokered late […]

Start the shutdown ticker if Maine lawmakers don’t cut budget deal Thursday

The special panel of six lawmakers trying to bridge their own gaps on Maine’s two-year budget is setting a deadline of noon today to finish their work, but there was no agreement on the sticking point — education funding — by the time they adjourned late Wednesday. There was some movement, with Democrats and Senate […]

Communication breakdown: Letter contradicts LePage claim that budget writers dodged him

Republicans and Democrats alike have raised concerns in recent weeks that progress on the biennial state budget bill has been hampered by Gov. Paul LePage’s refusal to allow Maine Revenue Services to run numbers related to the various tax reform proposal that have been under discussion recently. That kind of analysis, which leads to estimates […]