ME-02

Amy Walter did some significant research for the Cook Report that was published yesterday.

Jared Golden made history this cycle-- not just because he's a progressive Democrat who won Maine's second district and not just because prior to Poliquin's defeat no incumbent had lost an election for Maine's 2nd District seat since 1916, but because he is the first member of Congress who won election through ranked-choice voting.

Winning smileAlthough Maine’s largely rural second congressional district voted for Obama both times he ran, in 2016 it was anything but Hillary country. First Bernie wiped her out in the state caucuses 64.3% to 35.3%. And in the 2nd it was even worse for her. Bernie took every county, Oxford with over 70%.

Click to enlargeby Gaius PubliusIn England, at this day, if elections were open to all classes of people, the property of landed proprietors would be insecure.—James Madison, on why a Senate is needed to counterbalance the majoritarian HouseMinority rule occurs in a political system when a small group of citizens is able to force its will on the large group of which it is a part.

One of the funniest moments in the election debate this cycle-- at least for me-- came when Arizona congresswoman, Martha McSally, a garden variety Trump rubber-stamp who had voted to repeal protections for pre-existing conditions several times, was cornered by a reporter asking her to square her consistent record against healthcare with her promise now-- as she runs for U.S. Senate-- to protect people with pre-existing conditions from the greed of insurance companies.

Janet Hook reported for the Wall Street Journal that "Voter interest in the midterm elections has surged to record highs within both parties... findings point to an energized electorate, buffeted by dynamics that bring great uncertainty to the outcome just two weeks away.

A few days ago, we saw the Des Moines Register give the nod to J.D. Scholten over Steve King in Iowa.

It was embarrassing for Congressman Bruce Poliquin (R) when Maine's Republican senior Senator, Susan Collins, decided to stand up to DC party leaders who wanted to destroy MaineCare (the local version of Medicaid). Poliquin voted "yes" and Collins voted "no." It failed and Mainers were grateful that Collins had the balls Poliquin lacks.

Trump rubber stamp Bruce Poliquin wants to take away Mainers' healthcare... and pretend it's the DemocratsThis morning I was on the phone with Mike Siegel, the Blue America-endorsed candidate in a gerrymandered Texas district (TX-10) that goes from north Austin all the way through Weimar, Brenham, Columbus and Prairie View into Cypress and Tomball in the exurbs northwest of Houston. He had just gotten back his new polling and it was the best yet.

My friend John is from Lewiston in Maine's second district, aka- the other Maine district. The first district-- Portland, Augusta, Kennebunkport and the wealthy towns in York and Cumberland counties-- is thriving. But huge, sparely populated, rural ME-02 isn't. The Republican congressman in ME-02, Bruce Poliquin, is a Trump enabler and a Wall Street puppet. He's thriving.