John Jenkins is a former mayor of Lewiston and Auburn, an ex-state senator, a motivational speaker, a teacher and a member of the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame. Now he’s eyeing the state’s top job. Jenkins said Friday he’s preparing to run for governor as an independent “provided that things fall in place,” mostly […]
election 2018
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Candidates generally skeptical of expanding U.S. effort in Afghanistan
Political challengers who hope to represent Maine in the nation’s capital are divided about how best to deal with the nation’s longest-ever war. Though several are skeptical of President Donald Trump’s overhaul of American policy toward Afghanistan, one Democratic congressional contender said it might be the best option available. Trump’s recent shift in strategy offers […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
New poll finds wide support for Susan Collins, touble for Bruce Poliquin
A new poll from a Democratic polling firm shows Mainers overwhelmingly agree that U.S. Sen. Susan Collins did the right thing when she cast a decisive vote against a Republican health care proposal last month. The Public Policy Polling survey this week for a group called Our Lives on the Line found that 65 percent […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Democrats tell Lewiston progressives they will bring change to Maine
LEWISTON — There wasn’t a hint of romance in the air during a speed dating event Wednesday in a venue featuring the requisite exposed ducts, wooden columns and pizza. Ten Democrats tried to woo about 100 progressives brought together there by the Maine People’s Alliance during 150-minute tour through an acoustically challenged room in an old […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Bar Harbor Democrat Tim Rich seeks U.S. House seat
Democratic congressional hopeful Tim Rich, a Bar Harbor coffee shop owner, said the rise of Donald Trump in the Republican presidential primary campaign was “a big awakening for me.” He credited one moment last year for shifting his despair into a desire to combat what he saw as “a dangerous threat” to American democracy. On […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Audio: In private, Bruce Poliquin criticizes budget office he voted to preserve
Throughout the debate on health care this year, politicians on both sides have depended on the Congressional Budget Office to serve as an impartial umpire to provide the facts and figures on the changes each bill might cause. Created in 1974, the nonpartisan agency has issued scores of reports annually that analyze issues related to […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Advice from Paul LePage: Susan Collins should run as independent for governor
If U.S. Sen. Susan Collins wants to be Maine’s next governor, she may decide to drop her lifelong Republican affiliation. Gov. Paul LePage said Collins ought to run as an independent if she wants the office he is leaving next year after two terms because she’s “highly unlikely to win a Republican primary.” “I do […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Behind closed doors, Bruce Poliquin says talking to press could cost him his seat
Bruce Poliquin Speaking behind closed doors this week at a Bangor cocktail reception hosted by a conservation foundation, U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin said he deliberately avoids talking to the press because he doesn’t want to provide “them and everyone else the ammunition they need and we lose this seat.” A secret recording obtained by the […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
As Jared Golden enters congressional race, GOP bashes him
LEWISTON — On a sunny morning at the corner of Kennedy Park on Thursday, state Rep. Jared Golden formally declared his intention to run for Congress in a short speech and then hopped into the shotgun seat of a green GMC Sierra pickup truck to head north to faraway Eagle Lake. Golden, 35, said he […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Jared Golden calls himself a veteran who still wants to serve
For a time, congressional hopeful Jared Golden hoped to become a high school history teacher. Then came the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that leveled the World Trade Center, charred the Pentagon and seared a nation. Golden, a student at the University of Maine then, grappled with a growing desire to join the military like […]