Politics Get Interesting In Maine

Our northernmost New England state, the beautiful state of Maine, is not normally a place that grabs the political attention of the rest of the United States very often. But that may change this election year. Things are starting to get very interesting there.

First is the vote Maine will be having on whether to legalize same-sex marriage in the state. Proponents got enough signatures to put the measure on the November ballot. The measure failed in a quickly held vote a couple of years ago, but things are looking up this year. A recent Public Policy Polling survey shows that 54% of the states residents think same-sex marriage should be legal, while only 41% want it to stay illegal.

The percentages among Republicans has stayed about the same as it was a couple of years ago, but approval of same-sex marriage has gone up among Democrats and has gone up even more among Independents. It looks like the chances are very good that the people of Maine will legalize equality in that state.

The other interesting issue is the replacement of Republican Senator Olympia Snowe, who is not running for re-election this year. It was originally thought that the odds of her replacement being a Democrat were very good, and most observers were putting their money on either Chellie Pingree or Mike Michaud. But then a wild card entered the race.

Ex-governor Angus King, an Independent, has tossed his hat into the ring. King is very popular in the state, and the same PPP survey shows him with an approval rating of 62% (with only 24% disapproval). When King entered the race, Pingree decided not to run (they are friends). Michaud will probably now be the Democratic nominee, and he is also very popular with an approval rating of 53% (and a disapproval of only 27%).

This means there will probably be a three-way race between Independent King, Democrat Michaud, and most likely, a teabagger Republican. Can King or Michaud win? Will they split the vote and let a Republican slip through to win? At this point, it's anybody's guess. It'll be a race worth watching though.

There are two excellent progressive blogs in Maine, and I'll be counting on them to keep us abreast of what's going on in both the senate race and the same-sex marriage vote. They are Greed.Oppression.Piety and A Sane Break From The Insanity.