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Good morning from Augusta. There are 16 days till the brand new Maine Legislature convenes.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “People are saying, ‘Properly look, I’m not going to any live shows. I’m not going to any sporting occasions. I’m not going to any giant gatherings, I needs to be positive,’ however now, in fact, we’re seeing that that’s not the case,” Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Heart for Illness Management and Prevention, mentioned of the unfold of coronavirus in Maine, which has been driven by small gatherings in individuals’s houses over the previous few weeks.
What we’re watching in the present day
A rumor that one in all Maine’s senators is being thought of for a Cupboard place set off a wave of hypotheticals about who might rise in Maine politics. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, is being considered for a top intelligence position beneath the brand new administration of President-elect Joe Biden, Politico reported on Friday. It’s unclear how severe the hypothesis about King is.
Operatives we spoke to that day had been stunned — and tantalized — by the information. If he had been chosen, Gov. Janet Mills would appoint somebody to fill his spot. In the event that they wished to maintain the seat, they must compete for the remainder of King’s time period in a 2022 particular election and run once more in 2024, when the time period expires.
On the Democratic facet, there could be massive dominoes to fall. Some speculated U.S. Rep. Jared Golden of the 2nd District could be an excellent candidate, although he informed the Bangor Every day Information in a latest interview that he’s not fascinated with any run for Senate in 2024. His swing help in a district gained by Trump this 12 months would make him a strong statewide prospect.
However Rep. Chellie Pingree of the first District and her daughter, Hannah Pingree, who heads Mills’ coverage workplace, will dangle over this dialog as they’ve with many others about larger positions over the previous 5 years. They might include monetary and political help centered in southern Maine. Wild playing cards embrace outgoing Home Speaker Sara Gideon, D-Freeport, who’s dinged up after her loss to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins however might have thousands and thousands of {dollars} left in her marketing campaign account after elevating file sums in her race.
Hypotheticals about Golden, Pingree and Gideon replicate that neither Democrats nor Republicans in Maine appear to have a very deep slate of legislative candidates to attract from. On the Republican facet, former Gov. Paul LePage seems primed to run for his previous spot in 2022 whereas former U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin appears to be itching to run for one thing once more.
All situations appear unbelievable for now, nonetheless, as King’s age and comparatively restricted intelligence expertise make different candidates extra possible. Different names floated for the place embrace a number of intelligence officers who served beneath Biden and former President Barack Obama. King is 76 years previous with an intelligence profile solely restricted to his Senate service. He has not mentioned how he could be in such a place.
The Maine politics high 3
— “Maine’s polarized political shift may survive the Trump era,” Jessica Piper, Bangor Every day Information: “The political divide on the presidential degree has grown as a smattering of small cities in northern and japanese Maine — together with some that had been Democratic strongholds only a decade in the past — have trended conservative whereas coastal areas have change into extra liberal. Inland cities in central and southern Maine typically stay a battleground.”
— “A Black doctor will be 1st Democrat in 30 years to serve a conservative piece of Maine,” Caitlin Andrews, BDN: “[Rep-elect. Richard Evans] made two uphill bids for the seat, dropping to Rep. Norman Higgins of Dover-Foxcroft, who unenrolled from the Republican Social gathering three years in the past, by 7 factors in 2016 and 9 factors in 2018. The 2020 marketing campaign was difficult by a 3rd hopeful — Republican Chad Perkins of Dover-Foxcroft. The state’s political events didn’t mount main efforts for the seat in 2020.”
Evans’ fortunate victory got here as Home Democrats’ majority receded considerably in 2020. The Dover-Foxcroft race was a uncommon shiny spot for Home Democrats on this 12 months’s election, since they lost 11 seats to Republicans after making massive good points two years in the past. It reduces their Home majority to 80 seats and places Republicans inside hanging distance of taking again the chamber for the primary time since 2010 within the subsequent election. Very similar to Republican gains in the U.S. House of Representatives this 12 months, these massive good points had been largely unexpected.
— “BIW and union are getting back on same page after strike,” David Sharp, The Related Press: “Bathtub Iron Works President Dirk Lesko mentioned Friday that he expects the federally mediated discussions to yield constructive outcomes by 12 months’s finish, because the shipyard and union embark on a three-year plan to get caught up.”
At this time’s Every day Temporary was written by Michael Shepherd, Caitlin Andrews and Jessica Piper. In case you’re studying this on the BDN’s web site or had been forwarded it, electronic mail clumm@bangordailynews.com (we’re establishing a brand new subscriber web page quickly) to subscribe to it by way of electronic mail.
To succeed in us, don’t reply on to this article, however contact the political staff at mshepherd@bangordailynews.com, candrews@bangordailynews.com or jpiper@bangordailynews.com.
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