By Michael Shepherd - June 3, 2022
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Good morning from Augusta. There are 11 days until Maine's June 14 primaries.

What we're watching today

Democrats locked in tight races are taking different paths in talking about the economy, the most perilous issue facing them. If there is one issue that is particularly dangerous for Democrats leading Augusta and Washington ahead of the November election, it is economic strife. The pandemic has created a strange set of issues, with a strong May jobs report but pessimism about the economy driven by rising costs of fuel and other essentials.

None of these problems are confined to Maine or even the U.S., which still has lower gas prices than the world average. But President Joe Biden's approval rating has dropped further in the past month to less than 41 percent. Democrats hold the levers of power and it is a tough midterm year for them.

These issues are trickling down to the states, where rising costs have been the biggest attack line on Gov. Janet Mills and other Democrats. Republicans erected "Biden Mills Gas Hike" signs outside the state Democratic convention last month. Jason Savage, the executive director of the Maine Republican Party, admonished reporters in a missive this week, saying he thinks they are buying a line that Democrats cannot directly affect gas prices.

He mentions some specifics. Those include a 2019 carbon tax bill backed by dozens of Democrats that was promptly killed amid resistance from Mills and a report from the Mills administration noting that Maine could increase the gas tax to fund electric vehicle initiatives. But neither of those things have been enacted. Savage hit Mills for not heeding Republican calls for suspending the gas tax, including one from former Gov. Paul LePage, her 2022 opponent, that was opposed by some groups normally aligned with Republicans on top issues.

While state solutions are limited, governors still need to propose solutions to big problems. The carbon tax bill could be a liability for the Democrats who sponsored it initially, including Rep. Nicole Grohoski, D-Ellsworth, who is facing former Sen. Brian Langley, R-Ellsworth, for an open Maine Senate seat. Given those realities, the two Democrats are addressing costs in different ways.

Mills' key response to inflation has been the $850 relief checks approved by lawmakers in April. Maine has also seen better in-migration trends during the pandemic and the governor has used a wave of federal aid to back many initiatives conceived in her 10-year economic plan issued in 2019. She has discussed the cost issue recently by saying governors cannot control international issues, but they can do something.

"What this governor can do in a small state like ours is at least provide some relief directly to Maine people while we build a strong, resilient economy," she told a Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce breakfast on Thursday.

Grohoski has massaged the issue in another way. A radio ad for her campaign on Wednesday noted high costs while saying the Democrat has held power companies accountable in Augusta. She is a key utility critic and a backer of the initiative to replace Maine's two biggest utilities with a consumer-owned one. But the formation of such a utility could be tied up for years in court. A study also found it would likely lead to short-term rate increases before costs fall. Like it or not, it is not a solution to short-term energy problems.

We will get a preview of how these narratives are playing out in the Grohoski-Langley race on June 14, which could show us how far down the ballot voters will go in punishing the party of an unpopular president during a time of economic strife. If Republicans win despite being outspent handily by Democrats, it would be a big warning to Mills and her party.

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What we're reading

— There are high stakes for Corinth in a June election over whether alcohol sales will continue to be barred in the Bangor-area town. Dozens of Maine communities remain dry in a nod to the legacy of prohibition here.

— Competition for funding and supply chain issues could stunt the state's progress in delivering high-speed internet access to those who lack it.

— U.S. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine's 2nd District outpaced former Rep. Bruce Poliquin in fundraising again in April and May, but the Republican challenger had slightly more in his war chest ahead of his June primary against longshot Liz Caruso. Golden is unopposed in the Democratic primary.

— A new University of Maine System engineering college that is supposed to make it easier to teach a range of courses at all campuses has University of Southern Maine professors worried that the bigger and more decorated engineering program at the University of Maine may subsume theirs.

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News and notes

— Biden called for strict new gun control laws in a Thursday address, saying "enough" in response to a recent spate of mass shootings, including the one last week at a Texas elementary school. A group of senators including Republican Susan Collins of Maine has agreed to a bipartisan framework for gun legislation, NBC News reported. It could contain a small background check expansion and incentives for states to adopt "red flag" laws and school security funding, but it will not have strict new gun limits.

— Embattled University of Maine System Chancellor Dannel Malloy will face questions from the Legislature's education panel on June 16, the Franklin Journal reported. Malloy is under fire after a bungled search for the next president of the University of Maine at Augusta and faculty cuts.

— Mills is in Lewiston today for an 11 a.m. news conference announce more than $12 million in grants to support apprenticeship programs. Later in the day, she will meet with the mayors of Lewiston and Auburn to discuss economic development and affordable housing.

— Sen. Angus King is in Portland to lead a 9 a.m. discussion on how the war in Ukraine is changing Arctic relations. The independent who caucuses with Democrats co-chairs the Senate Arctic Caucus.

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Photo of the day

Three wild horses (from left) Silver, Annie and Phoebe, stand in a paddock at the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals in Windham, where they have lived since being rescued in July. All will soon be sent out west to roam free. (Courtesy of the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals)

📷 Lead photo: Gov. Janet Mills chats with Dom's Barber Shop owner Patti Burnett during a walking tour in Hallowell on May 25, 2022. (AP Photo by Robert F. Bukaty)

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