Jon Reisman
Between April showers and the upcoming June primaries, Maine is in for a likely record- breaking mud season. A post-tax-day survey of the garden suggests that tilling and planting will not be happening til after the Republican convention, and maybe not til May Day. Bug Baffler suits will have to be dug out, because Black Flies Matter.
The following primary contests are likely to be major sources of mud, despite the dubious claims of Ranked Choice Voting advocates that RCV promotes civility and discourages mud- slinging:
• Democratic Senate Primary – Spendthrift Governor Janet (thank you) Mills, Oysterman/Actor/Graham (Passover seders are my favorite) Platner, and David (Who?) Costello are competing to take on Senator Collins. Platner has a commanding lead because socialist and antisemitic policies are desired and required attributes within the Democratic base. Mills has tried to attack Platner for his misogynistic slut shaming Reddit posts, to no effect. Attacking Platner for his Nazi tattoo and antisemitism will only increase his support within the Democratic base. I don’t believe Janet will stay in the race as it becomes increasingly clear that Platner is going to crush her and end her political career with a humiliating defeat.
• Democratic Gubernatorial Primary – Mills protégé, climatista, former Speaker of the Maine House/Chellie’s baby Hannah Pingree, Secretary of State and Wicked Partisan Witch of Augusta Shenna Bellows, Covid Lockdown Czar and Public Health Nazi Nirav Shah, Windmill crony capitalist/Angus spawn Angus King III, and former State Senate President/“Maine Liar” media critic Troy Jackson are all competing. Pingree was the early favorite, but Nirav Shah is supposedly leading in the ranked choice infected election/selection. Mud slinging has been somewhat restrained, probably because of ranked choice voting, but that will likely end as the black flies draw blood in May. I expect/fear that Shenna Bellows will emerge as the Democratic nominee, and she is one nasty piece of work. That’s why the Democrats will choose her.
• Republican Gubernatorial Primary – National security staffer/analyst Bobby Charles is the early leader. Former Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason and business leaders Ben Midgley and Jonathan Bush comprise the next tier, with businessmen Robert Wessels and David Jones, and UMS trustee Owen McCarthy rounding out the field. The only significant mud-slinging has come from Jones targeting Charles, without any noticeable effect either against Charles or for Jones. We’ll see how much mud flies in Augusta at the GOP convention on April 24 and 25. I am backing Bobby Charles. I’ll have no trouble supporting any of the GOP candidates over any of the Democratic threats to freedom and prosperity.
• Democratic 2nd CD Primary – Congressional staffer (to the odious California Gubernatorial candidate mashed potato head Katie Porter)/carpetbagger Jordan Wood, nose ringed social worker Paige Loud, State Senator Joe Baldacci, and State Auditor Matt Dunlap are competing. I suspect that Baldacci will be the ultimate victor, although Dunlap deserves the nomination if only for his relative sanity amongst the deranged leftists, which likely assures his defeat.
Every Democratic 2nd CD candidate supports the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which Maine joined when brave leader Mills let it become law without her signature. Had it been in effect in 2016 and 2020, it would have disenfranchised every right-of-center voter in the 2nd CD, which is why the Democrats passed it. Had it been in effect in 2024, it would have disenfranchised every left-of-center voter in the 1st CD, which is probably why brave Janet declined to sign it. I am hopeful that Collins, LePage, and the GOP gubernatorial nominee will collectively attack the NPV compact as an ill- advised effort to replace Maine’s Congressional apportionment of electoral votes with a divisive, disenfranchising, and constitutionally suspect scheme. That would require leadership, courage, and wisdom, so I’m not holding my breath.
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.
