Collins, King vote against Senate bid to defund Planned Parenthood
The U.S. Senate voted to defund Planned Parenthood in a symbolic effort Thursday, but Republicans didn’t get any help from Maine’s two senators. Sen. Susan Collins was one of two Republicans to vote...
View ArticleMaine Clean Election battle could heat up this week
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....
View ArticleWill LePage’s drug antidote and solar bill vetoes stand?
Good morning from Augusta, where lawmakers will return on Friday to handle a parade of vetoes from Gov. Paul LePage. It’ll be a long day at the State House, with 33 vetoes up for consideration in the...
View ArticleWhy legislating mining in Maine is so hard, in one survey
Good morning from Augusta, where a University of Maine student has informed the simmering debate on proposed mineral mining legislation with some of the only detailed survey data that we’ve seen on the...
View ArticleA chicken in a video highlights Mark Eves’‘family man’ campaign theme
Former Maine House Speaker Mark Eves announced Thursday morning that he will announce Thursday night his intention to run for governor in 2018. Eves, a Democrat, teased the announcement of his entrance...
View ArticleMaine Republicans are already lining up to fill key Senate vacancies in 2018
Good morning from Augusta, where it’s already been a busy week for legislative Republicans looking for promotions in 2018. Assistant House Minority Leader Ellie Espling said she’s considering a Senate...
View ArticleThe battle for control of Maine’s next Legislature is heating up
Good morning from Augusta, where Maine Democratic and Republican party operatives have accelerated efforts to recruit candidates for what will be a bruising battle to gain control of the 129th...
View ArticleA very early look at what could be Maine’s most interesting legislative races
Good morning from Augusta. We have just under a month for candidates to declare for Maine’s June primary elections and a flood of legislative candidates have come into the race in recent weeks. There...
View ArticleMaine GOP leader’s ‘news’ website propels ethics watchdogs into uncharted...
Good morning from Augusta. Thursday will begin with a Maine Ethics Commission hearing on the once-anonymous “news” website run by a top state Republican Party official who is trying to claim that he...
View ArticleThe four most interesting potential Maine legislative primaries
Good morning from Augusta. Seven Democrats and five Republicans made it into the June primary election to replace the term-limited Gov. Paul LePage by Thursday’s qualifying deadline, but there are some...
View ArticleTraps, ‘trickery’ and other things Maine lawmakers do in the middle of the night
Good morning from Augusta, where the dust is settling after some midnight procedural maneuvering by House Democrats that left Republicans seething, questions unanswered and business unfinished. The...
View ArticleReturning to Augusta reminds budget panel members how deeply they disagree
Good morning from Augusta, where even though there was incremental progress Wednesday on the Legislature’s unresolved business, lawmakers on the Appropriations Committee disbanded on a sour note....
View ArticleEarly fundraising previews heated battle for control of Maine’s next Legislature
Good morning from Augusta. There are eight days until the June 12 primary election and the 11 Republican and Democratic candidates spent nearly 90 percent of the money that they have raised as of...
View ArticleFormer cop makes new push to repeal Maine’s legal marijuana law
Good morning from Augusta, where a potential attempt to repeal Maine’s recreational marijuana law has already sparked some pushback. Nothing formal has happened yet but the possibility was being...
View ArticleMaine lawmakers still cannot agree on bonds, campaign finance fix
Good morning from Augusta. We expected the Maine Legislature to run late on Thursday night, but lawmakers left anticlimactically just after 6:30 p.m. after sending bills to Gov. Paul LePage and spiking...
View ArticleTardy Maine lawmakers finally passed a school aid bill but 53 skipped out...
Good morning from Augusta, where just hours ago and five days before the deadline, lawmakers finally decided to enact a bill that funds Maine public schools for the fiscal year that begins Sunday....
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