A new online poll released late last week suggests Democrat Janet Mills is leading in the race to be Maine’s next governor with about an 8-point advantage over Republican Shawn Moody. The poll, of 500 likely voters statewide, by the Portland-based Pan Atlantic Research was conducted the first week in October suggested that 44.4 percent would […]
politics
Posted inNews, sj-web
Transportation bond seeks to tap debt to make repairs
Maine voters will be asked next month to borrow $106 million for the state’s transportation infrastructure, adding to hundreds of millions of dollars in debt the state has taken on in recent years to prop up its underfunded highway budget. If passed, Question 3 on the November ballot will authorize state government to sell general […]
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Posted inPerspective, sj-web
Nate Silver will make one firm prediction about the midterms that journalists won't want to hear
After the roller-coaster ride of 2016’s election night, have journalists and political junkies learned not to let conventional wisdom substitute for hard knowledge? Nate Silver — the closest thing there is to a celebrity in the arcane field of statistical journalism — is not wildly optimistic about that. “Media understanding about probability, margin of error […]
Posted inPerspective, sj-web
Maine has a rich history of tweaking its ballots
One of the more durable political figures in Maine’s 20th century is Lewiston mayor and eleven term state senator Jean Charles Boucher. It is unlikely his longevity record for consecutive terms of service in the Maine senate will ever be surpassed. Though not a household name today, this Quebec born general contractor and father of […]
Posted inPerspective, sj-web
How the media encourages — and sustains — political warfare
Since his inauguration, President Donald Trump has been waging war against the American press by dismissing unfavorable reports as “fake news” and calling the media “the enemy of the American people.” As a countermeasure, The Washington Post has publicly fact-checked every claim that Trump has labeled as fake. In August, The Boston Globe coordinated editorials […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
The DA's race: Seth Carey
Controversial candidate says helping the underdog is behind his desire to be DA. On the Nov. 6 ballot, he’s S. Thomas Carey, champion of the little guy. But until this year’s campaign, he’s always gone by Seth Carey, a colorful Rumford native with a love of sports, 1980s rock ‘n’ roll and, sometimes, the law. […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
The DA's race: Andrew Robinson
Prosecuting domestic violence cases set career path for veteran prosecutor LEWISTON — As the son of a chief master sergeant in the Air Force, Andrew Robinson didn’t have much chance to put down roots. As a self-identified military brat, Robinson remembers moving every two or three years throughout his childhood, constantly getting uprooted and moving […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
DA contender Seth Carey’s checkered past the key issue in race
UPDATE: Judge signs protection order against DA candidate Seth Carey Despite a judge’s finding that Seth Carey engaged in three unwanted sexual advances on a woman he invited to live in a spare room in his Rumford home — charges that led to the ongoing suspension of Carey’s ability to practice law — Carey still aims […]
Posted inMaine
Eric Brakey, Zak Ringelstein aim to beat Angus King in first ranked choice voting race
PORTLAND (AP) — Two challengers from opposite ends of the political spectrum are looking at an uphill battle to knock off a popular incumbent in the first U.S. Senate race to use a ranked-choice style of voting. Independent Sen. Angus King, first elected in 2012, has enjoyed high approval ratings in his state and is […]
Posted inMaine
Paul LePage says his health is excellent after ‘cardiac issue’ in August
Gov. Paul LePage said publicly for the first time on Thursday that he was admitted to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor in late August after experiencing what he described as a “cardiac issue.”