This column was written amidst fine fall foliage, but substantially before Election Day and any final electoral outcome. Frosty mornings and recent elections reminded me of the iconic conclusive lines of The Road Not Taken:
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Recent elections abroad have reinforced my Frostian reverie while producing suspicious socialist recidivism (Brazil) and status quo angst/default (Israel). Both elections triggered a lyrical memory from CSN’s Wooden Ships:
I can see by your coat, my friend you're
from the other side
There's just one thing I got to know
Can you tell me please who won?
Brazil and Israel don’t bode well for fans of freedom and prosperity in Maine and America. Democrats, socialists, Democratic socialists, and antisemites (but I repeat myself) are all likely to be in a better mood than I am on Nov 4. Statler and Waldorf’s balcony bluster and incredulous invective will be in high demand and ready supply.
Meanwhile, in Lewiston there appears to be a Democrat/Maine People’s Alliance/Somali/”Poll Chaplain” voter fraud/intimidation scandal happening in plain sight as reported by the MaineWire and largely ignored/downplayed/spun by the legacy press. Here’s an ideologically diverse source list:
• www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJqw8s5Suow
• https://robinsonreport.substack.com/p/inside-gateway-how-somali-welfare
• https://robinsonreport.substack.com/p/breaking-security-video-shows-maine
• https://www.wmtw.com/article/voter-intimidation-reported-lewiston/74252797
The vote margins from Lewiston for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and Governor should be very interesting, not to mention a State House race involving an incumbent Democrat credibly accused of sexual harassment and numerous conflicts of interest and ethical lapses (https://www.themainewire.com/2026/10/a-woman-in-need-a-lawmaker-accused-and-questions-lewistons-leaders-have-yet-to-answer/ ). Channeling Bob Dylan’s Hurricane:
In Lewiston, that’s just the way things go...
Andrew Benson, the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for Maine, has brought multi-million dollar fraud charges against some of the Democrat/ Immigrant Mainecare Fraudsters, with more arrests and charges likely to come. The indicted migrant fraudsters enjoyed lavish wealth at taxpayer and needy Mainer expense, along with state prosecutorial immunity from the Mills/Pingree administration in return for Democratic votes. It’s been a successful scheme and scam, and it’s not likely the socialists will let it die easily, if at all.
Recent mock elections for Maine’s (public only?) high school students, voting under the expert guidance and tutelage of Secretary of State Shenna “Grima Wormtongue” Bellows and the totally professional and unbiased members of the Maine Education Association provided some additional data points:
Governor: Hannah Pingree (D) 41.8%, Bobby Charles (R) 30.4%, Rick Bennett (I) 24.4 %
US Senate: Troy Jackson (D) 50.8%, Susan Collins (R) 45.1%, Write-in 4.1%
CD1: Chellie Pingree (D) 57.5%, Ronald Russell (R) 39.7%, Write-in 2.9%
CD2: Paul Lepage (R) 52%, Matt Dunlap (D) 43.2%, Write-in 4.8%
The Mock Election results illustrate both the tragic literacy, numeracy, and critical thinking failures of Maine’s schools and why the Democrats and MEA won’t do anything about it, although some special education efforts in CD 2 may be required. If Maine’s high school students are an accurate harbinger of the vote (over recent years they have correctly predicted about three out of four races), Maine will follow Brazil endorsing socialism and Israel in returning an incumbent government (Pingree/Mills/Netanyahu) despite widespread dissatisfaction and accusations of corruption and policy malpractice.
Whether you loved, hated, or were indifferent to Janet Mills, Maine’s student vote suggests four more years of collectivist virtue signaling, high energy prices, racial and gender discrimination under the banner of diversity, equity, and inclusion, higher taxes, more fraud, no accountability, and less freedom. Hannah, Troy, Chellie, and Matt are and will be a Dirigo disaster.
Jon Reisman is an economist and policy analyst who retired from the University of Maine at Machias after 38 years. He resides on Cathance Lake in Cooper, where he is a Statler and Waldorf intern. Mr. Reisman’s views are his own, and he welcomes comments as letters to the editor here or to him directly via email at jreisman@maine.edu.
