This purple swath of Maine could determine control of Congress

[mahatmakanejeeves]

NATIONAL
This purple swath of Maine could determine control of Congress
The 2nd District sports a Democratic House member but voted Republican in the 2020 presidential contest.

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{I’m all out.}


Susan Surabian, left, and Michelle Robbins canvass voters on the streets of Skowhegan, Maine, for the Harris campaign. (Photo by Joanna Slater/TWP)

By Joanna Slater
October 26, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EDT

WILTON, Maine — Jon Bubier is the kind of voter who is turning next month’s election in this swath of Maine into a brawl unlike any other in New England.

A self-described conservative Republican, Bubier voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020. Yet he also voted repeatedly to send a Democrat to Congress. “I like somebody who votes with their constituents, not their frickin’ party,” Bubier said.

As he sipped a beer in a low-ceilinged bar, Bubier, 62, said he was done with Trump. The former president has “acted like a fifth-grade bully,” Bubier said. “I can’t do it again.” This time, Vice President Kamala Harris has his vote.

How many voters feel the same way could have profound consequences in Maine — and well beyond.

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{I’m all out.}

By Joanna Slater
Joanna Slater is a national correspondent for The Washington Post focusing on the Northeast. Previously she served as the India bureau chief based in New Delhi. Prior to joining The Post, she was a foreign correspondent for the Globe & Mail and a reporter at the Wall Street Journal. Her postings include assignments in Mumbai, Hong Kong and Berlin. follow on X @jslaternyc

[Easterncedar]

1. Wish me luck

I am canvassing in central Maine this morning. Never done this before, and I will admit to being a bit nervous.

[GPV]

2. Good luck!

[Easterncedar]

7. Thank you!

I saw a part of this area I didn’t know existed. I hope it helped….

[Bumbles]

3. Good luck and thank you for doing the canvassing. You'll be fine. Will you be with another canvasser?

I wrote postcards this year - a bit safer, maybe, and at 82 a bit easier on my back. I first canvassed for Mcgovern in 1972. It was fun.

[Easterncedar]

8. Two of us opted to go together.

The young people arranging the volunteer effort seemed good and earnest, and the very small group of mostly older folks volunteering were great, but the general organization seemed a bit haphazard. The canvassing software was interesting and speedy, but the rural area we were sent to was just too sparsely populated to make it feel like a good use of resources.

[Easterncedar]

9. Thanks for the good wishes!

I wish I had done more postcards. That felt worthwhile.

[Bumbles]

10. Let us know how it went. Even one vote for Kamala will be a win.

[GPV]

4. That's my district. Fierce sign wars going on. Harris and local repub signs were out first, but Trump has gained

recently. However, I think in places like Ellsworth, the independently wealthy conservative John Linnehan has backed a massive sweep of signs and huge banners, so I really am trying to look at home signage. Then, too, there maybe a lot of others who worry about putting out anything, so I don't really feel that signage is a good indicator of the district at large, but rather the level of enthusiasm of the most dedicated voters.

[Easterncedar]

6. I think you are right. We ran into some polite hostility

But there were a couple of very enthusiastic blues, fun to talk with. Mostly folks weren’t home or weren’t answering. None on our list had signs.

It was an experience.

[Squeaky41]

5. Memories

Wilton is my home town.

Graduated from Wilton Academy in 1959.

Now retired in California.