Last evening was the first of three debates in Maine, where Sara Gideon is the forntrunner to unseat Susan Collins. Ok ok ok I did not watch the debate, only snippets. I was dying to read the analysis and I eagerly turned to DailyKos of course. If somebody else already wrote one I didn’t see it. SO I thought I would share what I gleaned from the intertubes.
Slate
The first summary was from Slate
slate.com/…
Collins attempted to land a blow on Gideon several times, but nothing she did quite stuck. She asked Gideon whether she’d return the $6 million she’s allegedly received from organizations that support defunding police forces, but Gideon had already said, emphatically, “I do not support defunding the police.” She faulted Gideon of having unpaid interns, an allegation raised by a newspaper columnist last month. Gideon simply ignored that claim. Collins also accused Gideon of running the majority of campaign advertisements in the state. So?
In terms of the horserace, Slate wrote this:
The only time Collins got Gideon to stumble was when Brett Kavanaugh came up. Gideon didn’t even mention the justice by name as she answered the moderator’s question about judicial appointments; she told me in an interview a few months ago that she doesn’t spend a lot of time talking about Kavanaugh on the trail because he’s not a main concern for the Mainers she needs to sway. Instead, she pointed out that Collins has voted to install 170 Trump-appointed judges to the federal judiciary, including one who was rated unqualified by the American Bar Association. Still, Collins’ vote for Kavanaugh was a major turning point for many of her constituents, particularly those who are now passionately working to unseat her. At the debate, the senator spun that vote as an example of her consistency: She’s voted to confirm every single Supreme Court justice nominated during her tenure, including those put forth by Barack Obama.
The video highlight of the evening was this gem, which has taken Twitter by storm:
This guy is a retired Financial Advisor now living in Bar Harbor. There has been a soap opera as to whether he would be in the race, or not.
Max Linn
I did a web search on Max Linn, and of course, he was profiled in — Daily KOS more than a year ago. Under “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” (shout to RepublicInsanity). Naturally the headlines involving him said things like: ‘Request Denied’: Independent Candidate Goes Off the Rails in Maine Sen. Debate, Ignores Moderator Questions. (As an aside, it seems like he moved to Maine from Florida, and I would suggest that a more accurate headline should have said “#FloridaMan disrupts Maine Senate Debate”).
RCV = Ranked Choice Voting
At first blush, serious political junkies would find it easy to dismiss this guy. I would point out that Linn has been working the RWNJ talk radio circuit, is an avowed Trump supporter, and far to the right of Collins. Because of Maine’s Ranked Choice Voting system, he may be a threat to Collins, siphoning off votes that would otherwise go to her in the first round.
Maine Map
For those unfamiliar with the Pine Tree State, these two maps are helpful. There are two Congressional Districts, so the population is divided in half. The geography does not match; The second district is more northerly and is described as “rural” which borders on being a misnomer. Much of the rural part is flat-out uninhabited — “The Great North Woods.” Bangor and Lewiston are the two biggest cities, providing the bulk of population. Presque Isle is also bigger than average, at the very northern tip. Maine awards it’s Electoral College votes partly by district, and in 2016 CD-2 went for Trump, who still sports a slim margin there.
Odds and Ends
Health Care
Naturally there is this:
Finally, if you want to watch the whole debate:
