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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news
Maine Is ‘Too Progressive’ to Allow Men in Women’s Sports, Girl Dad Leader Says as He Fights to Keep Initiative on the Ballot
Maine fathers are standing up for their daughters, challenging the secretary of state’s decision to invalidate their ballot initiative that aims to protect women’s sports from men claiming to be transgender. “Maine is far too progressive to continue allowing sexist, regressive, and illegal sex-based discrimination in our schools, and the daily violation of the civil… -
analysis
Fellow Democrats and Ex-Lovers Speak out Against Platner Campaign
Graham Platner’s candidacy as the Democrat nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine continues to draw headlines, including over new criticisms from fellow Maine Democrats. Paige Loud, who ran in the Democrat primary to represent Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, had strong words for Platner’s strategist, especially since she’s no longer a candidate. In addition, a woman… -
opinion
‘Shut This White House Down’: Graham Platner’s Maine Win Tests Democrats’ Strategy
Mehek Cooke, the Daily Signal’s senior national security and legal analyst, explains the fallout from Senate candidate Graham Platner’s win in the Maine Democrat primary. This transcript has been slightly edited for clarity. Graham Platner just revealed the Democratic Party’s emerging midterm agenda: permanent resistance. Platner won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in… -
opinion
Graham Platner, the Modern Democratic Party’s Fresh Aryan Face
It would have been bad enough if Graham Platner had sported a swastika tattoo for 18 years, perhaps due to twisted respect for the tank-combat tactics of Nazi general Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps or maybe irrational exuberance for the propaganda of Nazi cineaste Leni Riefenstahl. Either rationale should sink any Senate bid. However, the Totenkopf tattoo on… -
opinion
Democrats’ Maine Senate Gamble Raises Questions About Standards
The Democratic Party’s approach to Maine’s Senate race has sparked a debate that extends well beyond the state’s borders. At the center of the controversy is Democrat Senate candidate Graham Platner, whose campaign has been dogged by a series of damaging allegations and personal scandals. Reports have highlighted Platner’s past online activity, including the presence… -
news
‘I Couldn’t Stay Silent’: NYT Reports Explosive Allegations Against Maine Senate Candidate Graham Platner
The hits keep coming against embattled Democrat candidate Graham Platner in the U.S. Senate race for Maine. The New York Times released a report Thursday in which former girlfriends of Platner described a disdain for women, with one alleging physical intimidation and mistreatment. Platner also allegedly made bizarre comments about how he would rape someone… -
analysis
Panic Meeting Over Platner Reveals Dems’ Need to Change the Narrative
As the news cycle heats up with the U.S. Senate race in Maine and Democrat candidate Graham Platner, the party is searching for the right narrative. Over the weekend, The New York Times published an article detailing sexually explicit messages the candidate reportedly sent to women other than his wife while he was married. Also,… -
analysis
Democrats’ New Golden Boy Is Already Imploding
Democrats thought they found their next political golden boy in Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, but they realized his campaign follows the same pattern as disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell—with an even worse résumé. Mehek Cooke, a national security and political analyst with the Daily Signal, joined Harris Faulkner on Fox News’ “The Faulkner… -
news
Platner’s Sex Scandal Rocks Maine Senate Campaign
Democrat Graham Platner’s Maine Senate campaign has hit a major obstacle with a sexting scandal, threatening Democrats’ efforts to regain control of the chamber. On Saturday, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported that Platner’s wife had previously flagged as a potential liability to campaign staff that she had learned her husband… -
news
House Democrat Opposes Party’s Maine Senate Candidate
A House Democrat called his party’s presumptive Maine Senate nominee Graham Platner’s personal history “disqualifying” on Monday, highlighting the difficulties Democrats may face in a race that could determine the balance of power in Washington. “I think it would be a mistake for the Democratic Party to think that Graham Platner’s brand of the Democratic… -
opinion
The Maine Election Scam: Noncitizens, Radical Elites, and the Death of Democracy
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of a segment from today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words” from Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to Victor Davis Hanson’s own YouTube channel to watch past episodes. Jack Fowler: So, let’s start off with corruption in Maine. And here’s this—Steve Robinson posted this on X the other… -
opinion
Nazi Tattoo? Hamas Defender? No Problem, Says Chuck Schumer
Maine Gov. Janet Mills has suspended her Senate campaign after failing to raise enough money to compete with socialist Graham Platner, who will now almost certainly face the perpetual centrist Republican Susan Collins in the general. Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairwoman Kirsten Gillibrand immediately backed Platner, proving that there’s virtually nothing a… -
news
Mills Drops Out of Maine Senate Race as Dems’ Left Wing Ascends
In a victory for the Democratic Party’s left flank, Maine Democrat Gov. Janet Mills has dropped out of the state’s Senate race, effectively ceding the party’s nomination to Graham Platner to take on Republican incumbent Susan Collins. The 78-year-old governor’s departure, which she says is due to lack of campaign funds, comes after months of… -
news
Maine Mamdani? Hard-Left Senate Candidate Surges in New Poll
Graham Platner, a hard-left Democrat who has accused Israel of “genocide” and called for “Medicare for All,” leads every candidate in a new poll for Maine’s 2026 Senate race. Republican Sen. Susan Collins is seeking reelection and has two major challengers in the Democrat Senate primary: Platner and Gov. Janet Mills. In new polling from… -
news
As ICE Begins Crackdown in Maine, Where Might the Next Target Be?
The Department of Homeland Security announced “Operation Catch of the Day” on Wednesday, with federal immigration agents arriving in Maine to find and arrest criminal illegal aliens. The agency noted that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has already arrested criminal illegal aliens convicted of endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated assault. “We have launched… -
news
Maine Poised to Become First State to Withdraw From Popular Vote Compact
Just last year, Maine—one of only two states that apportions its Electoral College votes—opted to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. But the New England state is now poised to exit the compact, which would kick in only if enough states voted to reach the magic 270 electoral votes required to elect a president. While… -
opinion
Supreme Court Allows a Maine Legislator to Legislate
Most injunction stories seem to favor the Left—but here’s one they may not like as much. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court voted 7-2 to grant an injunction requiring the clerk of the Maine House of Representatives to count votes cast by state Rep. Laurel Libby, who had been effectively suspended for her views on gender… -
opinion
Maine Gov. Janet Mills Doesn’t Know It Yet, But She’s an ‘Insurrectionist’
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s video from Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of his videos. Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for The Daily Signal. I want to wade into a very controversial topic. I want to be very careful. It’s… -
news
DOJ Announces Lawsuit Against Maine for Failing to Protect Women’s Sports
The Department of Justice launched a civil lawsuit against the Maine Department of Education for failing to protect women in women’s sports, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wednesday. “The Department of Justice will not sit by when women are discriminated against in sports,” Bondi said. “This is about sports. This is also about these young… -
opinion
Maine Insists on Standoff With Trump Over Men in Women’s Sports. Who’s Winning This One?
Maine is putting it all on the line in the name of “transgender rights.” The state has gone so far as to risk federal funding for education and to strip some Maine residents of representation in the state capital. The ongoing dispute between the state and the federal government over Title IX violations is set…