Mike Tipping
Political Patronage?
Submitted by Mike Tipping on Wed, 11/19/2008 - 10:47pm.Maine is the only state in the country to not select the state Attorney General through an election of the legislature rather than a gubernatorial appointment or a general election. In practical terms, this means that the majority party in the legislature chooses one of their own, usually a fellow legislator, to hold this post. On Friday, two Maine newspapers published editorials expressing concern about the legitimacy and efficiency of this process. The
Maine's Best Pollster
Submitted by Mike Tipping on Mon, 11/10/2008 - 6:15pm.Tons of media coverage is devoted each election cycle to predicting the outcomes of upcoming races. In the weeks before the recent vote, a swarm of polling firms scoured the Maine electorate hoping to divine voter intentions in the high-profile presidential and senate elections. Each arrived at a different assessment of the state of Maine's major races.
Any pollster will tell you that a poll is meant to provide a
Post-Election Politics
Submitted by Mike Tipping on Tue, 11/04/2008 - 10:17am.The voting is done tonight, but the politics will continue tomorrow. Here are some Maine political events to watch for in the coming weeks and months.
Recounts
Several local races will likely be close enough that one candidate will request a recount, a process that can continue for weeks or months. This occurred in House District 107 during the June primary, when the first count resulted in an exact tie between
A Dogpile in Senate District 15
Submitted by Mike Tipping on Wed, 10/29/2008 - 7:57am.How likely are voters to be influenced by a cute puppy? The answer to that question could decide the state senate race in District 15 (Auburn, New Gloucester, Poland and Durham) and could potentially determine which party controls that body of the Maine state legislature. The puppy in question, a creation of the Maine Democratic Party for their website at www.iwasaluckyone.com
Predicting the outcomes of state house races
Submitted by Mike Tipping on Wed, 10/22/2008 - 4:34pm.Predicting the outcomes of state house races in Maine is difficult. The districts are small, the issues are often hyper-local, and the personalities, work ethic and political acumen of the candidates can make a huge difference in the outcome of the race.
Despite the passage of the Maine Clean Elections Act, which has allowed for more decentralized campaigns, the state parties still have a big role in these elections.
Senate District 15
Submitted by Mike Tipping on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 8:29pm.The election in senate district 15 will likely be one of the closest contests in November. The Republican incumbent, Senator Lois Snowe-Mello, is fielding a challenge from term-limited Democratic Representative Deborah Simpson. Snowe-Mello won by only 395 votes in 2006, and Simpson is a strong campaigner.
The experts I talked to all agreed that both candidates will work hard to contest the seat, but were split on
The McCain campaign counts mainly on north Maine.
Submitted by Mike Tipping on Tue, 10/07/2008 - 9:57pm.This post is about the presidential campaign. If you're hungering for some state senate coverage, check out these articles from the Blethen papers: 3, 4,
The Politics of a Crisis
Submitted by Mike Tipping on Mon, 09/29/2008 - 5:25am.Due to the worsening economic crisis, I've decided to suspend the series on state senate races and instead fly to Washington to help with the bailout… or maybe I'll just write about how the crisis has affected Maine's people and politics.
The first thing to note is that the mortgage crisis hasn't hit Maine as hard as it has other regions.
A Top Priority Senate Seat
Submitted by Mike Tipping on Mon, 09/22/2008 - 3:36pm.With the retirement of Karl Turner in District 11, what has previously been a solid Republican seat may have become much more competitive, and political observers from across the ideological spectrum are interested in the race.
Jesse Graham, executive director of the progressive Maine People's Alliance identified it as one of the races he's watching most closely.
"This has
Maine's 1st Senate District
Submitted by Mike Tipping on Tue, 09/16/2008 - 5:43pm.Maine's 1st Senate District encompasses the five southernmost towns in the state, including York and Kittery, and like District 32, features a race between an incumbent Senator and an opponent who has held the seat previously.
Every Republican I've asked about the Senate has listed District 1 as a top opportunity to pick up a seat. Dan Billings, a
