Good morning from Augusta, where controversy around a tense issue for the Legislature in 2018 might have been diffused, or at least put off for five years. The Pine Tree Development Zone program will end in 2018 unless it is extended or altered. The program was implemented in 2003 under Democratic Gov. John Baldacci to […]
Good morning from Portland, where I’m recovering from two days of presidential politics in Maine: We got a day of the Donald Trump experience on Thursday and a visit from Democratic underdog Bernie Sanders on Wednesday. And the theater isn’t over: Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, one of three remaining Trump rivals, will be at the University […]
Good morning from Portland, where I figured I’d write something today on what Gov. Paul LePage’s Friday endorsement of Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump really means. But it doesn’t mean all that much by itself, honestly: The governor’s a bombastic guy with a business background who uses the word “politician” as a slur against his perceived enemies and so is Trump. […]
Less than a week before endorsing him, Gov. Paul LePage urged fellow Republican governors in a closed-door meeting to condemn presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, the New York Times reported Saturday. It’s a schizophrenic twist made public just after LePage’s Friday endorsement of Trump, the billionaire businessman who the governor has criticized in the past, and a potential example of the campaign horse-trading […]
Good morning from Augusta, where Gov. Paul LePage and his attorney continue to claim “absolute immunity” for the governor regarding the lawsuit against him by House Speaker Mark Eves, D-North Berwick. In a legal argument filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, LePage attorney Patrick Strawbridge rebuffs Eves’ claims on several fronts, many of them centered […]
Good morning from Augusta, where an already contentious election-year legislative session may get more complicated with wrangling over funding the campaign finance referendum that passed in November. You’ll likely recall that Question 1 contained a host of election reforms. They included new disclosure requirements and increased penalties for violations. But the most important and controversial change was that it […]
Good morning from Augusta, where nothing should surprise us anymore. But yesterday, Gov. Paul LePage surprised me in two acts and for different reasons. In one conversation with reporters, the Republican said he’d pick a legal fight with the Kennebec County Democratic Committee — later announcing the appointment of Ken Mason as interim sheriff over the committee’s […]
Good morning from a sleepy Augusta, where state offices are closed for Presidents Day. But American politics were upended with the Saturday death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. President Barack Obama, a Democrat, said he’ll nominate a successor to the conservative judge, but Republican leaders and presidential candidates have said the replacement should be picked by the […]
Good morning from Augusta, which should be reasonably quiet today, with three legislative committees set to do work today. This week, the Maine Legislature’s biggest topic of discussion will likely be conformity with federal income tax changes, an issue that has consisted mostly of partisan posturing so far between Gov. Paul LePage and Democrats. Two […]
Good morning from Augusta, where a large group of Republican legislators and activists is set to endorse presidential hopeful Ted Cruz on Thursday. Between 40 and 50 legislators will hold a noon news conference at the State House to announce support for the Texas senator, who won the Iowa caucuses on Monday, finishing ahead of runner-up Donald […]
