There was little surprise in the outcomes of Maine’s presidential primary on Tuesday. Former President Donald Trump won the Republican primary and 20 delegates, while President Joe Biden won the Democratic primary.
The results were called just half an hour after polls closed at 8 p.m.
This was Maine’s first semi-open primary in which independent voters could choose to vote in either party’s primary. Nearly a third of Maine’s voters are independents.
Some Maine Republican voters expressed relief that their selection of Trump on the ballot would count, following a ruling Monday by the Supreme Court on a Colorado case.
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows ruled late last year that Trump’s name could not appear on Maine’s GOP primary ballot because she believed he engaged in insurrection during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
However, she stayed her ruling in anticipation of a legal challenge, so when voting began in Maine 30 days prior to Tuesday’s primary, Trump’s name appeared on ballots.
On Monday, within hours of the Supreme Court decision, she reversed course and announced that votes for Trump would be counted.
“I was going to write him in or do what I could to get him back on the ballot myself, so I’m super happy that he did get back on the ballot,” said Tracy Shaw of Portland.
Portland election officials said they saw a slower than usual primary day. Some voters said the steady cold rain throughout the day may have lowered turnout as well as a lack of enthusiasm for the top two presidential candidates.
“I’m feeling that there’s not a lot of enthusiasm for Biden right now too, I think there’s a lot more air play for the Republican side, too,” Portland Democrat Ray Saba, who voted for Biden, said. “But it just seems that in my opinion, the world is kind of on fire politically and I just wish that there would be some settlement on some key issues.”
GAZA PROTEST VOTES
The Maine Coalition for Palestine ran a campaign for Democrats to write “ceasefire” on their ballots to protest Biden’s support for Israel’s campaign in Gaza.
The war began in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people. More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, according to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled health ministry.
“We want President Biden to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire,” Abby Full, a member of the coalition’s steering committee and chair of Maine Voices for Palestinian Rights, said. “We’re sending a message to him that if he doesn’t do that, then he cannot count on our vote in November.”
A similar campaign in the Michigan Democratic primary saw more than 100,000 votes of “uncommitted.”
Maine does not allow uncommitted votes, but instead has a space for write-ins. However, write-in ballots for unregistered candidates are officially counted as “blank,” so there is no way to know how many of those blanks were “ceasefire.”
The Maine Coalition for Palestine launched an online pledge to tally how many people voted “ceasefire.” As of Tuesday evening, Fuller said the pledge had 2,200 signatures.
Not all Democrats supported the campaign.
“I think people shoot themselves in the foot,” Democrat Laurie Goldstein of Portland said. “They’re welcome to do whatever they want, obviously, but that’s not going to really advance their particular agenda and it does compromise what we’re all trying to do here, which is elect a president.”
Even some ceasefire voters said in a likely contest between Trump and Biden, they had only one choice.
“Unfortunately, Biden,” said Portland voter Jay Stonerook.
The recent rain in Maine is easing the drought that parts of the state have been experiencing since the fall.
Scott Dean, a Spectrum meteorologist, said much of Maine has been at least “dry” for several months. Parts of the state, including Portland, Bangor and Bar Harbor, are under a “moderate” drought.
Much of the country is also experiencing a drought, Dean added. The Southeast is seeing extreme levels of drought, and the West coast has been under a drought for years. There are many factors that go into this, including climate change, weather patterns like El Niño and La Niña and other factors.
And, when an area does experience drought, it can become a feedback loop. With less moisture in the ground and atmosphere, the drought can “feed upon itself,” Dean said.
“It takes a while to get into a drought and it also takes a while to get out of one,” Dean said.
But, the rainy days in Maine have been alleviating the drought, Dean said. And, the trend is likely to continue — the forecast is predicting above average levels of precipitation for the next three to four weeks.
“Hopefully, we are continuing to head in the right direction as the drought has eased in these areas,” Dean said.
In fact, if these rains do continue, Maine could come out of the drought sometime this summer.
Craig Joseph Ahlemeyer
STANDISH – Craig J. Ahlemeyer, 48 of Standish, passed away unexpectedly, Saturday, June 13, 2026.A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, June 27 th at Standish Congregational Church, 25 Oak Hill Road in Standish. A reception will follow.To see Craig’s full obituary, share a memory or leave the family an online condolence, please visit http://www.athutchins.com.
“Do you ever think we could find some woods to walk in?” my outdoorsy 12-year-old asks me, every now and again. As a kid growing up in New York City, Anton appreciates all the skate parks and bagel shops, but he also really craves nature, like in his bones.
So, when school got out, I offered to take him for a weekend in Maine, a place with not only woods but also lakes and rocks and periwinkles that come out of their shells when you hum. We were both really excited.
The first night, we were lucky enough to snag a room at Aragosta, a beautiful small hotel in Deer Isle that Alison had recommended.
The chef-owner, Devin Finigan, is famous for her seasonal tasting menus, but we focused on the breakfast that came with the room, including these Maine blueberry pancakes. I don’t even usually like pancakes and these blew my mind.
We also played a LOT of chess on our little travel board.
After breakfast, we set out to hike up Blue Hill Mountain.
Here’s the summit!
In the afternoon, we explored the charming fishing village of Stonington…
…then joined my friend Julie (of Rudy Jude fame) and her family for dinner at the Burnt Cove Boil.
Basically, a crab gets plonked down in front of you, followed by a corn on the cob, then a lobster, then a classic ice-cream sandwich. Julie and her husband Anthony taught us how to get all the meat out. (Their kids were already pros.)
Afterward, the four boys scrambled around on the rocks, while the adults chatted. It’s always such a treat to hang out with people who live in the place you’re visiting, don’t you think? Julie and Anthony described how they brought their recently hatched chicks into their home to keep them warm, and all the peeping was sooooo loud — and then a cricket got into the house and added to the noise and no one could find it and everyone was going nuts, haha. Very different from city life!
The next day, Anton and I stayed at the lovely Asticou Hotel near Acadia National Park.
We drove to a couple trailheads but they were PACKED — you had to stand in a long line, just to start the hike! Luckily, we found a quieter area and took a long walk around Jordan Pond, playing Would You Rather and Categories along the way. Do you have any favorite travel games?
Finally, we skimmed stones on our last afternoon before heading back to Brooklyn.
Epic travel buddy
Oh, Maine, what a magical place! Not pictured, of course: traffic, grumpy preteen moments, locking our keys in the rental car, etc., but all that’s to be expected.
Have you been to Maine? Do you live there? What parts do you love? Any pro tips? I’d love to hear. xoxo
P.S. Our Maine trip — and another amazing hotel — when the boys were much younger, and a Maine home with a bedroom looking over water.
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