Monthly Archives: June 2018

No political litmus tests for next Supreme Court nominee

Will God save the honorable court? With Wednesday’s surprise announcement that Justice Anthony Kennedy submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump, the political world whirled. It did not help matters that two significant decisions were handed down by 5-4 majorities at nearly the same time. The problem is aggravated by political lawfare. It seems every […]

Mills won the Democratic primary, but did ranked-choice voting work?

The winner of the Democratic gubernatorial primary, by technical knockout in the fourth round, is Janet Mills. Why a TKO over her six opponents, rather than a Balboa-esqe KO? We’ve got to go to the tape. If you look closely, 131,330 Maine Democrats cast ballots. Mills won with 62,959 votes in Round 4. So, out […]

Interesting times in the 1st Congressional District

Did you miss it? With all our attention on the primary, there was some other big political news in Maine over the past few weeks. The gubernatorial race is shaping up as a contest between Shawn Moody, Alan Caron, Terry Hayes, and a Democrat to be named later. Those on the left are salivating at […]

Want to bet on what Tuesday’s election will bring?

It’s prediction time. While the Supreme Court invalidated federal laws preventing gambling on sports a few weeks back, placing a wager on elections remains illegal in most American jurisdictions. So there is no money on the line as I try to predict the outcomes of next week’s election, just bragging rights (or a lack thereof). […]

Hanging chad type problems could come to Maine with ranked-choice voting

Remember the “hanging chad” guy? During the 2000 presidential election, his picture was made famous, lifting his glasses and staring intently a ballot to try and divine the voter’s intent. I’m a little concerned we may have a Down East version this June. I’ll save my “your-guess-is-as-good-as-mine” predictions as to the election’s outcomes for next […]