By Michael Shepherd - Aug. 22, 2023 Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up.
📷 Former Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, left, talks with former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, as they arrive to attend a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington on July 7, 2022. (AP photo by Susan Walsh)
What we're watching today
Maine is at the center of a centrist group's uphill battle to play in the 2024 election. Maine has long been known as a relative haven for independent politicians, with two governors over the last 50 years who did not belong to a party. But there is now somewhat of a showdown involving a long-standing group that is vying to be a factor in next year's high-stakes elections. The group is No Labels, which is trying to go from being a centrist advocacy group to a loosely defined political party. It is trying to gain ballot access ahead of the 2024 election. It would allow No Labels to put up an alternative to President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump if they emerge from the Democratic and Republican primaries, as they are on track to do now. No Labels has met these requirements in 10 states to date, not including Maine, where it is trying to organize now. In May, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, sent a cease-and-desist letter to No Labels after her office got complaints that people who enrolled in the nascent party thought they were simply signing a petition. Bellows' office also mailed notices to the 6,000 or so newly minted No Labels members to ensure they meant to join the party, something that would prohibit them from participating in the state's 2024 Republican and Democratic presidential primaries that will be newly open to unenrolled voters. No Labels has rejected any assertion that it misled voters and said circulators made clear that it was a party initiative. It has targeted Bellows by saying the notices were unprecedented. Last week, it began running social media ads targeted to Maine in which former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the group's chair, hit "partisan Maine officials" for "trying to suppress the No Labels movement." Democrats are suspicious of No Labels, citing past contributions from Harlan Crow, a Republican megadonor who has recently made headlines for funding expensive trips for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The risk they see is that a No Labels candidate could tilt the race against Biden, although some polling has contradicted the idea that it would move the needle. Maine has had these kins of debates before, most famously after the 2010 and 2014 plurality elections of former Gov. Paul LePage in a multi-candidate field. They prompted the state to become the first to introduce ranked-choice voting that also now applies to presidential elections. The method did not do much to drive support toward the lesser-known candidates here in 2020. Before No Labels makes a difference, it needs to find a longshot candidate. This is looking difficult right now. One potential hopeful, Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minnesota, ruled out a 2024 run on Monday. Centrist Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, has not ruled a campaign out in a move that has fueled speculation that he could head up a ticket. History tells us that it is probably a longshot that No Labels comes up with a candidate who could affect the outcome of next year's race. But Maine has a unique view of the nascent effort to become a party given Bellows' actions so far, and the response to No Labels here could be a good preview of how their national push will or will not play.
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News and notes
📷 A woman gets off the bus in front of Northern Light Mercy Hospital in Portland on Sept. 8, 2022, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony unveiling a new, artistic bus shelter design. (BDN photo by Troy R. Bennett)
🚌 Maine wants feedback on proposed bus routes between its largest cities. ◉ It is the last day for members of the public to comment on an analysis done for the Maine Department of Transportation on potential bus routes between Portland and Lewiston. The transit study was done after the Legislature directed the state to study rail and other forms of transit linking bigger cities. ◉ Rail has its supporters in both Lewiston and Bangor, but the state has effectively ruled out commuter rail expansion as too costly and inflexible. However, bus expansion seems likely. The state plans to pilot bus service between Portland and Lewiston in the first half of next year. ◉ The department has revolved around three routes, including an express route that would provide service from downtown Portland to downtown Lewiston in an hour and another longer route that would allow for stops in Westbrook and Gray. ◉ Comments on the study are being taken through the end of the study. File feedback.
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