By Michael Shepherd - June 29, 2022 Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up.
What we're watching today
The two Republicans leading Maine's 2022 ticket still will not say which abortion limits they would support. The fallout from the Supreme Court's Friday decision to overturn Roe v. Wade continues to filter down to Maine's biggest 2022 races. At Wednesday news conferences, we did not learn much more about where Gov. Paul LePage and former Rep. Bruce Poliquin would stand on limits if their parties gained more control of Augusta or Washington.
Both have long identified strongly as anti-abortion. LePage spoke at annual rallies on the subject during his Blaine House tenure, saying in 2014 that he opposes "killing babies as a form of contraception." Poliquin took votes in line with both his party and that stance during his four years in office.
Republicans have tried to downplay the issue so far in a pro-abortion rights state. Without federal abortion protections in place, their stances could have much more effect if their party makes gains in November. At Wednesday news conferences in Windham and Bangor, respectively, reporters grilled both LePage and Poliquin on the issue, getting only a little more out of them than they have said on the subject so far.
"I don’t have time for abortion," LePage said after rattling off a list of issues that he is prioritizing including the economy, adding those policy areas affect "all Mainers" while abortion affects "few." Democrats jumped on those remarks.
Poliquin, in Bangor for a fundraiser with House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, pivoted to his opponent, Rep. Jared Golden, by saying the incumbent and fellow Democrats have not done enough to rein in late-term abortions generally defined as falling after 21 weeks and representing only 1 percent of U.S. abortions, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The former congressman referred a question on whether he would support a 15-week ban being supported by leaders to Scalise, who did not rule out such a measure but cited a less-stringent bill as the party's major priority. A Poliquin adviser then stopped short of saying his boss would back that bill. Golden, who was also in Bangor on Tuesday, noted Poliquin's answers on a 2014 questionnaire indicating support for a constitutional ban on most abortions.
No federal abortion limits are likely to pass with President Joe Biden in office for at least the next two years. It would take a Republican wave to put enough of them in the Legislature alongside LePage to pass new abortion limits. The end of Roe has made it easier to do that, but it has also made the questions much harder for Maine Republicans. These are two good examples.
🗞 The Daily Brief is made possible by Bangor Daily News subscribers. Support the work of our politics team and enjoy unlimited access to everything the BDN has to offer by subscribing here.
What we're reading
— Poliquin said he would have opposed a bipartisan gun, mental health and school safety bill backed by Golden and negotiated in part by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
— LePage opposes a wind farm 30 miles off the Maine coast that is the subject of a federal application from Gov. Janet Mills, Maine Public reports.
— After his March arrest on child pornography charges, former gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutlersold his Portland townhouse to a Texas couple for $1.8 million, far above the $1.25 million that he paid for it in early 2021.
— Portland's November referendum may be brought to you by the Democratic Socialists of America, whose local chapter says it secured enough signatures to get progressive minimum wage, rent and tourism questions on the ballot.
— Collins called Russian sanctions against her and other notable political figures "a badge of honor."
📱Want daily texts from me tipping you to political stories before they break? Get Pocket Politics. It is free for 14 days and $3.99 per month if you like it.
News and notes
— Keep an eye on this hot issue in regional politics: Former Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn, who is trying to regain his seat and is floating a tax credit for Maine Turnpike tolls collected each year. The issue is fraught in the area because Interstate 95 from Lewiston to Portland is a toll road, while a comparable stretch between Brunswick and Portland is not. Lewiston-Auburn lawmakers in both parties have hammered toll increases over the years. Brakey faces former Rep. Bettyann Sheats, D-Auburn, in the November election.
— There have been no endorsement surprises in former LePage's race with Mills so far. LePage locked down his first outside endorsement of the 2022 campaign on Wednesday from the Associated Builders and Contractors of Maine, marking the third straight election for LePage in which the contractors group backed him. Mills was backed by the reliably liberal Maine Service Employees Association last week.
— Mills will be at Hollander & de Koning, a Trenton mussel-growing company, on Wednesday to roll out $15 million in federal funding for seafood dealers and processors. Her news conference is set for 12:15 p.m. She will tour The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor later in the day.
Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine's 2nd District, smiles at his 1-year-old daughter, Rosemary, after taking a tour at Husson University in Bangor on Tuesday. (BDN photo by Linda Coan O'Kresik)
📷Lead photo: Former U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin of Maine's 2nd District listens to House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, speak at a news conference at the Bangor Waterfront on Tuesday before a fundraiser for Poliquin's campaign. (BDN photo by Linda Coan O'Kresik)
