Maine Politics & News
The Daily Signal reports on Maine politics with coverage of state government, ranked-choice voting battles, and the balance between rural traditions and urban progressive policies in the Pine Tree State.
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opinion
Maine Required Childless Adults to Work to Get Food Stamps. Here’s What Happened.
One trillion dollars—that’s how much the government spent last year on means-tested welfare aid, providing cash, food, housing, medical care, and social services to poor and low-income individuals. The food stamp program is the nation’s second largest welfare program. The number of food stamp recipients has risen dramatically, from 17.2 million in 2000 to 45.8… -
news
Maine Doubles Down on Welfare Reform Despite Media Backlash
Mary Mayhew, commissioner of Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services, knows her politics aren’t always popular. “I can’t stress enough what an attack campaign it has been from the media for four and a half years,” Mayhew said Thursday at an anti-poverty forum in Washington, D.C., hosted by The Heritage Foundation. Then there are the… -
news
Maine Sign Language Interpreter Has to Pay Nearly $1K in Fees Each Year to Legally Work
Arricka Nowland is no stranger to fees. Fees to renew her certification as an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter in the state of Maine, fees to renew her national certification with the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), fees to take required continuing education courses–she’s seen and paid them all. It’s all a part… -
news
Maine Becomes Latest State to Allow Concealed Guns Without a Permit
Maine passed a measure Wednesday permitting gun owners in the state to carry concealed handguns without a permit, becoming the sixth state in the U.S. with such a policy. Republican Gov. Paul LePage signed the bill into law, confirming a victory for gun-rights advocates who argue the permits do not prevent lawbreakers from carrying weapons…. -
news
Maine Senator in Spat With ‘Fox & Friends’ Hosts Over Obamacare: ‘Don’t Lecture Me’
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and the hosts of “Fox & Friends” engaged in a contentious debate about Obamacare yesterday as comments from the law’s architect reverberated on Capitol Hill. As previously reported on The Daily Signal, Jonathan Gruber credited the Affordable Care Act’s passage to “a lack of transparency” and “the stupidity of the American… -
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Independent Voters Hold Key in Maine Governor’s Race
AUGUSTA, Maine—Outspoken and under fire, Republican Gov. Paul LePage is in danger of losing his re-election bid. One of the most conservative governors in the country, LePage triangulated his way to victory in 2010 with 38 percent of the vote. Independent candidate Eliot Cutler, who siphoned enough Democratic support to give LePage the victory, is…