Democrats turn to southern Maine for legislative leadership

Nov. 19—The state of Maine encompasses roughly 31,000 square miles — 320 miles long by 210 miles wide — yet all of the incoming Democratic leaders represent towns within 26 miles of Portland, one of the few progressive strongholds in the state.

None of the six Democratic leaders lives in the sprawling 2nd Congressional District, which contains more than 88% of the state’s land area and is the largest district east of the Mississippi.

It’s the first time Democrats have not had at least one legislative leader from the 2nd District since at least 2009.

Conversely, Republicans have traditionally relied more heavily on lawmakers from the 2nd District to fill leadership positions. In the last nine Legislatures, they have not had a southern Maine lawmaker in a leadership position on two occasions.

Sen. Trey Stewart, who was reelected as the Republican Senate minority leader, said it’s telling that Democratic leaders are clustered around Portland, saying it “demonstrates the contrast between Republicans and Democrats before the session even starts.”

Republicans have long sought to tie Democrats statewide to Portland and the more liberal policies it embraces as a progressive city, one with an active chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.

“Our leadership is a cross-section of leaders from around the state from four different counties and different corners of Maine,” Stewart said. “Our priorities are all of Maine’s people, not just our political strongholds.”

Stewart hails from Presque Isle, while incoming Assistant Minority Leader Matthew Harrington is from the southern Maine town of Sanford.

On the House side, Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham, who was reelected as minority leader, lives in Winter Harbor, a coastal community northeast of Bar Harbor, while incoming Assistant Minority Leader Katrina Smith is from Palermo, a small town about 18 miles west of Augusta.

Outgoing Senate President Troy Jackson of Allagash, who was termed out from reelection and whose seat flipped to Republicans on Nov. 5, doesn’t think it matters where Democratic leaders are from. The only thing that matters is what they believe and what they fight for, he said.

“(Democratic leaders) are from southern Maine, but they are fighting for northern Maine, in my opinion, harder than the people who are actually from northern Maine or rural Maine,” Jackson said. “All (Republicans) ever want is income tax cuts for the wealthy, and that is not going to help rural Maine. It never has and it never will.”

In many ways, leadership elections illustrate what has been a growing political polarization along geographical lines. Democrats tend to do better in more urban and coastal areas, while losing ground in northern Maine, which has given Donald Trump one of its four Electoral College votes in each of the last three presidential elections.

Republicans thrive in rural towns and have lost ground in southern Maine, where the margins are so significant, that it can tip a statewide election for Democrats, even if they lose the north.

Jackson was the only Democrat from Aroostook County last session. The incoming 132nd Legislature will have none.

James Melcher, a political science professor at the University of Maine at Farmington, said Trump’s ascent in the Republican party has accelerated geographic polarization that he and other political observers have seen since 2000.

“The map really is quite striking,” Melcher said in an email. “It is a tale as much about Republican decline in coastal and southern Maine as it is Democratic decline in the north. Trump becoming the Republican standard bearer has greatly accelerated these changes as well. There have been big swings in Aroostook County and some mill towns toward the (Republicans) since then, and swings of higher-income, higher-education places in the south to the (Democrats) as well.”

Melcher noted how John Martin, a longtime Democratic House speaker from Aroostook County, was resoundingly defeated this month as he sought a 28th term in the Legislature.

“John Martin losing his race so badly is one heck of a sign of change,” Melcher said.

Martin, who was House speaker from 1975 to 1994 and was referred to as the Earle of Eagle Lake, lost by 30 points, or more than 1,400 votes, against Republican Lucien Daigle, a Fort Kent dentist with no political experience.

Senate Democrats last week selected Mattie Daughtry of Brunswick to serve as president, and Teresa Pierce of Falmouth and Jill Duson of Portland were tabbed as majority and assistant majority leader, respectively.

Brunswick is a heavily Democratic college town about 26 miles north of Portland.

Jackson said it’s difficult for Democrats representing towns in the 2nd Congressional District to become leaders, because they’re always locked in competitive races. Winning leadership positions often involves helping other Democrats get elected by knocking on doors or spending money on their behalf, which is something southern Maine Democrats have more time for.

“The 2nd (District) is more in play,” Jackson said. “Those races are competitive, so those members are out there knocking on doors, doing everything they can to get elected. They don’t have the time that it probably takes to cultivate a leadership race.”

None of the three Democratic House leaders represents a town north of Portland. Democrats selected Ryan Fecteau of Biddeford as speaker of the House, Matt Moonen of Portland as majority leader and Lori Gramlich of Old Orchard Beach assistant House leader.

Rep. Joe Perry, D-Bangor, said he’s not surprised by the leadership selections, Democrats have a shrinking pool of representatives to choose from in the 2nd District.

“I always prefer to see geographical balance with leadership, with the appropriations committee and other committees, but unfortunately the bulk of our representatives are from Bangor and south, so there’s a smaller poll to call from,” Perry said. “I honestly feel like the Democrats do a far better job with our politics representing rural Maine, but I don’t think we ever get that message out clearly and in a way that’s being received. And we’re not getting the support of rural Maine.”

Perry co-chaired the Taxation Committee in the last legislature.

Sen. Joe Baldacci, D-Bangor, downplayed the significance of Democratic leadership being consolidated in southern Maine. What’s important to him is that Democrats find the right people, regardless of where they come from.

“It has to be based on personal qualifications, which they are very qualified,” he said of his caucus leaders.

Beyond leadership positions, lawmakers have considerable influence as chairs of the legislature’s 20 standing committees.

“A number of us from the 2nd District are working to chair important committees, like we have in the past, and those will be almost as important if not more important than the leadership positions,” said Baldacci, who was co-chair of the Health and Human Services Committee last session.

Jackson agreed.

“As a committee chair, they’re going to have as much power pushing agendas that work for the people,” he said.

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