Trump Moving Toward Winning Upsets in ... Maine?

The Pine Tree State, Maine has not gone Republican since 1988, when George H. W. Bush rode Ronald Reagan's coattails into the White House.

Maine has been out of reach for Republicans since then.

Once in a while, Republicans would get elected to the governor's mansion, and at one time, both US Senators were Republicans (albeit very liberal).

Now a conservative Republican serves in the Governor's mansion and represents Northern Maine in the Second District.

In that same district, Donald Trump is beating Hillary Clinton by ten points!

This is incredible.

The Maine Republican Party did not let this news sit in the newspaper, either!

The state party's executive director released this latest eblast:

Have you seen the great news!?

A new Colby College-Boston Globe poll is showing that Maine, once a playground for National Democrat special interest groups, is on the verge of delivering at least 1, and maybe 3, electoral votes for Mr. Donald Trump.

This poll was published in the left-leaning Boston Globe!

Not Breitbart, and not Rasmussen!

However, right now we need to make sure we do not take a single thing for granted over the next 7 weeks. As we get closer to Election Day, we need all hands on deck and your support!

The state of Maine has developed a stronger undercurrent of hard-working conservative leaders who don't take crap from liberal, elitist special interests!

Maine Governor Paul LePage has played a large part in bringing the Republican brand into greater force in this New England bastion.

The article from the Boston Globe was more promising for Republicans, especially for Donald Trump:

Maine doles out its four Electoral College votes in an unusual way, awarding two votes to the statewide winner and another for each of its two congressional districts. Trump’s campaign had hoped to pick off a single electoral vote in the more conservative, vast, and rural Second District — something that has never happened in Maine’s political history.

This "usual" process should be more common. Presidential candidates would campaign in more states, and grant more power to otherwise marginalized Democratic and Republican voters in one-party states.

In California, certain Congressional districts can tilt Republican during a general election, even if the Congressional incumbent is a Democrat. A Republican Presidential candidate could count on winning at least 14 electoral votes in the Golden State. A Democratic contender could pick up electoral votes in Texas or even Alabama with the right national campaign.

That is, if more states adopted Congressional representation for their Electoral College allocation.

So, what is happening in Maine?

But the poll shows Trump’s dominance in the Second District — he leads Clinton by 10 points there — is boosting him statewide, as well. In the 1st Congressional District, which includes Portland and points south, Clinton has an 18-point lead, showing just how politically divided the state is geographically.

The Boston Globe article tried to glance over this troubling development for the Democratic nominee.

It's still a YUGE development.

And there's more.

What’s more, politics are shifting in the state once known for electing moderate Republicans like Margaret Chase Smith, who served as a US senator. The state reelected its controversial and highly partisan GOP governor, Paul LePage, in 2014.

They forgot to mention that LePage won by 37% of the vote, but has governed pretty effectively.

He won by a wider margin in 2014, as he competed against three candidates, including the retiring Congressman Mike Michaud of the Second District!

“If Paul LePage’s reelection wasn’t a wake-up call to Maine Democrats, this poll should be,” said Mike Cuzzi, a former Obama campaign staffer and Democratic political consultant based in Maine.

Forty percent of respondents said they had a favorable impression of LePage in the survey, conducted a week after he openly mulled resigning following an inflammatory, expletive-laden voice mail he left for a state lawmaker. LePage is an ardent Trump supporter.

He was an ardent Christie supporter first, though. The article forgets to mention that.

“Democrats here in Maine have struggled to connect with the core of Trump and LePage voters, which is generally white, rural, working-class men,” Cuzzi said. “In more populated states, Democrats can overcompensate for that with diversity in cities, but if you struggle with that group in Maine, you have a real problem.”

The Democratic Party has turned into a hyper-urban elitist political faction out of touch with the pressing concerns of American citizens. In many cases, Democratic policies have targeted and benefited the wealthy and well-connected, while ignoring the well-being and best interests of working class people, not just "white" people.

The ongoing irrelevance of the progressive Democrats should hint at how much they have distanced their once loyal constituents. These are still plenty of Reagan Democrats out there, and many of them are taking one more step to become Republicans!

Governor LePage's policies also contributed to creating a state community of workers, makers, and hard-hitting taskmasters. Men and women cannot come to Maine looking for a handout, either, which has further depressed the Democratic turnout.

Most people forget that a Democratic governor named John Baldacci had served as governor before LePage, and turned Maine into a sanctuary STATE for illegal aliens!

The current governor told all the moochers "Get off of welfare and get a job!"

He was the precursor to the brazen brand of in-your-face politicking so needed in this country, too!

Bruce Poliquin's upset in the Second District during the 2014 election also signaled that New Englanders are getting tired of the destructive Democratic dominance and taking on Republican leadership, all for the better for them!

All of this bodes very well for Donald Trump, who has responded to the deep-set, deeply rooted anxieties of many Americans---not just the white ones!

Governor LePage, Tell the Critics: "Kiss My Butt!"

If conservatives fear that Donald Trump is an enfant terrible, then they haven’t been paying attention to their sprawling, engaged coalition of Republican governors for very long.

I’m not talking about Dem-lite Charlie Baker (who has done some good, but really needs to go, now that he has signed off on allowing men into women’s bathrooms), and I am not talking about Governor-to-be Phil Scott of Vermont.

There’s already a true red conservative in blue New England who gets headlines (sometimes) for the wrong reasons, but deserves credit for substantial reforms on tax cuts, improvement of the state business climate, expansion of Second Amendment rights, and heightened state security.

I am talking about Maine Governor Paul Richard Le Page.

I love this guy. He campaigned on a message of ending bureaucratic entanglements, bringing back jobs, and telling President Obama to “Go to hell!” Once elected, he told off the NAACP when they shamed him for not attending one of their events: “Tell ‘em to kiss my butt!”

LePage won his first term on a slim, five-way plurality. The second time around, he gathered more support. I have been a fan of his since the day he announced his bid for Governor. When I wrote a review on the governor last year (Maine’s Paul LePage: Conservative Kicking Butt), his one-liners alone merited his election. Fellow conservatives in California admitted to ne that they had never heard of him. Yes, this praise is strange coming from a conservative in a cozy, crime-free section of Los Angeles California, but Governor LePage’s commands a bravery—and bravado—which should be celebrated on a national scale.

Even though he has never worked with an entirely Republican legislation in the blue state of Maine, LePage has signed off on tax cuts, welfare reform, and shall-issue for concealed-carry weapons permits.

Then I read the latest headlines that Governor LePage was stepping down.

What?!

Evidently, LePage made it into the news (again) for conspicuous reasons.

He left an obscene voicemail for state assemblyman Drew Gattine (D-Westbrook):

“Mr. Gattine, this is Gov. Paul Richard LePage,” a recording of the governor’s phone message says. “I would like to talk to you about your comments about my being a racist, you (expletive). I want to talk to you. I want you to prove that I’m a racist. I’ve spent my life helping black people and you little son-of-a-bitch, socialist (expletive). You … I need you to, just friggin. I want you to record this and make it public because I am after you. Thank you.”

Of course, the governor let off more steam, admitting the he wished he could challenge Gattine to a duel and shoot him “right between the eyes.”

First of all, a little context.

The lawmaker allegedly asserted that the governor was a racist because of his welfare reform policies.

LePage adopted a black kid. Racist? Really?!

What does welfare reform have to do with racism? That’s a racist assertion, connecting welfare use (and abuse) with certain people.

Gattine has since disputed the claim that he called LePage a racist.

Second of all … LePage’s tirade was offensive.

To his credit, LePage has pushed the limits of political incorrectness, especially on race.

This is a discussion executives need to tackle, especially in New England, where drug dealing has eroded a once vibrant region of the country. Lest we forget, the retiring Governor Peter Shumlin of Vermont spent the greater part of his State of the State speech discussing the heroin epidemic devastating his own state.

Who is doing most of the dealing? If the criminal element is mostly black or Hispanic, then every state government should investigate the underlying reasons. Is it just race, or are class and cultural elements involved—as is often the case?

Most people are not aware of the New England opioid epidemic, which is ravaging Maine, too. Despite some insensitive remarks about the ethnic background of these evil drug pushers, LePage rightly challenged the press for not exposing this deep problem.

No matter how justified his anger, LePage should not have left that abusive message.

The governor lost his temper, and his statements were patently unacceptable.

He has apologized.

But public pressure has mounted for the governor’s resignation.

A recent Townhall.com article suggested he might do just that:

“I’m looking at all options. I think some things I’ve been asked to do are beyond my ability. I’m not going to say that I’m not going to finish it. I’m not saying that I am going to finish it.”

“If I’ve lost my ability to help Maine people, maybe it’s time to move on.”

My response: He has not lost his ability to serve the Maine community.

Look over his Twitter feed.

Jobs are growing in the Pine Tree State. Check this index for proof.

Maine has languished in economic stagnation for years, until recently.

The Cato Institute reports:

Maine has long been one of the freest states in the country personally and one of the least free economically—the opposite of Alabama. Since 2009, however, the state has gradually improved on economic freedom.

LePage was elected in 2010. Correlation perhaps?

The governor has been an asset, not a liability for Maine and for the country.

His bold stance on issues, coupled with his rags-to-riches upbringing, command respect and should inspire emulation.

Within minutes of hearing of a possible resignation, I contacted the Maine Republican Party and told them to stand by their man.

An hour later, LePage informed the public that he’s staying.

Good for him!

LePage needs to watch his mouth. So does the Republican Presidential nominee. Trump delivers careful policy speeches. His polling rises. LePage can follow the same path to future victories.

Republican governors who fight for their constituents need to know that all of us have their backs and will support their efforts. So, I say to Governor Paul LePage, if he has any aggressive detractors who want him gone, he should respond:

“Tell ‘em to kiss my butt!”