Vice President Kamala Harris has received a tsunami of financial support since replacing President Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket, including in Maine, where she has raised 19 times more money than former President Donald Trump since she entered the race.
Harris raised nearly $1.8 million in Maine between July 21 and Aug. 31, according to finance reports posted this week by the Federal Elections Commission. That’s an average of $42,900 a day and accounts for more than half of the $3.4 million raised by both Biden and Harris in Maine over the past two years.
Those totals dwarf former President Donald Trump’s numbers, even though the former president has strong support in much of the state. Trump has twice before captured one of Maine’s four Electoral College votes by winning the 2nd Congressional District. The Republican nominee has raised only $800,000 in Maine leading up to the November election, including $93,200 since Harris became his opponent.
“In just a short time, Vice President Harris’ candidacy has galvanized a history-making, broad, and diverse coalition – with the type of enthusiasm, energy, and grit that wins close elections,” Harris-Walz 2024 Campaign Manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a news release this month.
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The Trump campaign did not respond to questions about his fundraising here.
The Democratic ticket’s fundraising has already surpassed the $2.8 million Biden raised here in 2020, when Trump raised $1.3 million. Through the end of August, she had raised $669 million nationwide to Trump’s $306.8 million.
Harris’ fundraising has been strong ever since she entered the race, leading to concern among Republicans that they will not have enough money to defend against attacks or fund a strong ground game. In August, Harris’ campaign raised four times the amount taken in by Trump.
However, the Trump campaign has the support of well-funded political action committees, or super PACs, which can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money. The outside groups are still raking in money from wealthy donors and are expected to play a big role, especially in the half dozen or so swing states expected to decide the election, the New York Times reported.
“Make no mistake: This election will be hard-fought and hard-won,” Chavez Rodriguez said. “But with the undeniable, organic support we are seeing, we are making sure we are doing everything possible to mobilize our coalition to defeat Donald Trump once and for all.”
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Ronald Schmidt Jr., a professor and chair of the political science department at the University of Southern Maine, cautioned against reading too much into the fundraising totals here when trying predict the outcome of the election.
In 2016, for example, Hillary Clinton outspent Trump – $564 million to $333 million – and still lost the election. And despite raising $286,000 in Maine, compared to Clinton’s $1.7 million, Trump made history in Maine by winning one of the state’s four electoral votes. It was the first time the state had split its votes.
“The Clinton campaign spent more than the Trump campaign did back in 2016, so it’s not like the more money, the more guaranteed you are of a victory,” Schmidt said. “But campaign finance is incredibly important.”
Schmidt said the surge of donations since Harris took over the campaign may reflect the doubts that some donors had about Biden and a renewed enthusiasm for Harris, who could become the first female and first woman of color to become president.
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“There is a way that money follows the impression of victory,” Schmidt said. “So that (surge) tells me there are people who are either pro-Democratic Party or anti-Trump or anti-GOP who maybe were wavering about giving before because they thought it would be – you might call it – a bad investment but now see a real path to victory with Harris.”
About three-quarters of Harris’ funding is coming from coastal counties in the more progressive 1st Congressional District. More than half of Harris’ donations through August, or $1.76 million, came from Cumberland County alone. Trump’s fundraising is basically split between the congressional districts, but he has outraised Harris in interior northern counties.
Harris’ campaign says 13 of its 24 field offices are located in the 2nd Congressional District, which could represent a key electoral vote in an extremely tight election. Though unlikely, analysts say, if Trump wins the swing states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia, a win in Maine’s 2nd District could get him to 270 Electoral College votes, the minimum needed to become president.
A poll by the University of New Hampshire in Augusta surprised many, showing that Harris is running even with Trump in the 2nd District. But a subsequent poll released by Pan Atlantic Research this month showed Trump up by 7 points.
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Harris’ campaign appears to have capitalized on key campaign events, raising $172,000 in Maine on the day she took over Biden’s campaign coffers and $85,600 the following day. That was up significantly from Biden’s final day as a candidate, when he received only $6,385.
On July 25, when second gentleman Doug Emhoff held a fundraiser in Falmouth only days after Biden endorsed Harris, the campaign brought in $56,000. It’s unclear how much of that is attributed to that event.
Her campaign also cashed in after announcing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, bringing in $127,000 from Maine donors on Aug. 6 alone.
Maine Democrats were certainly feeling the joy – a central theme of the Harris campaign – during the Democratic convention in Chicago, raising nearly $155,000 from Aug. 19-22.
And Harris saw another surge in donations on Aug. 25, receiving more than $136,500 on the same day she announced that she had raised an eye-popping $540 million nationally in the first month of her candidacy.
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Mark Brewer, professor and chair of the political science department at the University of Maine Orono, said the fundraising totals reflect an enthusiasm gap among donors.
“I think this tells us two big things,” Brewer said in an email. “Harris has generated a lot of enthusiasm among donors in Maine; (and) Democratic donors are much more motivated than Republican donors in Maine this cycle.”
Trump, meanwhile, has struggled to raise money here, though he received a small surge of donations after narrowly surviving an assassination attempt in July when he was shot in the ear at a rally in Pennsylvania. From July 13-20, Trump outraised Biden in Maine, $50,000 to $46,000.
Trump also had a relatively strong surge after his debate victory over Biden, raising nearly $64,000 from June 27 to July 13. That was still less than the nearly $200,000 raised by Biden during that period, however.
Trump did not see any influx of campaign donations in Maine after announcing Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate or after the Republican National Convention.
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Schmidt said Harris probably needs the campaign money more than the former president, in part because she is still introducing herself to some voters.
“Trump of course can count on a huge amount of free advertising,” Schmidt said of the Republican’s ability to dominate the news cycle. “Everyone in the nation knows him already. There are people who say they are still undecided about how to vote, but there are very few people who say they don’t know who Trump is or what to expect from him.”
Keon Johnson had 21 points and 10 rebounds as the Maine Celtics defeated the Windy City Bulls 122-87 in an NBA G League game on Sunday afternoon at the Portland Expo.
Hason Ward scored 16 points and Jalen Bridges 14 for Maine (13-15), which had seven players score in double digits. Bridges drained four 3-pointers for the Celtics, who shot 13 for 28 (46.4%) from beyond the arc.
Max Shulga dished out 11 assists and scored nine points.
Maine led 33-18 after one quarter 72-36 at halftime.
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Keyshawn Bryant scored a game-high 25 points for Windy City (12-12).
AUGUSTA, Maine (WABI) – An emotional day from Fairfield to Augusta, but felt throughout Maine and beyond, as state officials, community members and loved ones honored the lives of two Department of Transportation workers who tragically died in the field.
Maine DOT Commissioner Dale Doughty described the accident as “the nightmare that commissioners worry about.”
While working on Interstate 95 in January, Maine DOT workers James “Jimmy” Brown, 60, and Dwayne Campbell, 51, died after a driver failed to brake at a stop sign and crashed into a tractor-trailer traveling on the highway.
To honor the men’s commitment to public service and their legacy as fathers, outdoorsmen and Mainers, a procession including DOT officials, family members and more traveled to the Augusta Civic Center Saturday for a memorial service.
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Among those in attendance was Gov. Janet Mills, who remarked on who Brown and Campbell were and their dedication to their profession.
“Jimmy, as you know, worked for the Maine Department of Transportation for 12 years. Dwayne for more than 23 years,” Mills described. “We could count on Jimmy and Dwayne just as we could count on the 1,600 Maine dot workers who keep our roads and bridges safe every day.”
Brown was known for his humor and love of fishing, cars and his children.
Campbell got his start in the DOT by following in his father’s footsteps. Mills said at the service that Campbell loved his daughters and time spent outdoors.
For Commissioner Doughty, losses like this hit hard because of the closely bonded “family business” that DOT is.
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That family expands past state lines, as departments of transportation from New Hampshire and Vermont were present to show their support.
New Hampshire DOT State Maintenance Engineer Alan Hanscom said he called Maine DOT just hours after hearing of the accident to see what his crews could do to help.
“My employees are impacted or subject to the same dangers that Maine and every other state is,” Hanscom said of the importance of his attendance. “I have an employee that was killed in a motor vehicle crash some years ago, so it kind of hits home.”
Saturday’s event served not only as a commemoration but also as a call to action. Despite DOT’s training, Doughty says it is rendered useless if motorists put right-of-way employees in danger through reckless or distracted driving.
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Hanscom expanded: “People don’t realize that this is our office. You’re driving through our office space. We’d like you to give us some consideration and slow down and be mindful of where we are. Give us a little respect.”
Doughty mentioned that these dangers extend beyond DOT workers to everyone who does roadside work. Because of this, he says, agencies must join forces to develop solutions.
“I really think it’s time, and we have a meeting coming up in April, where we pull all agencies and all companies that work in the right-of-way, contractors, utilities, everyone to start to talk about that message,” Doughty said.
On the podium, Doughty told audiences: “Please help us carry forward their memory, not only with tears, but with action.”
On Thursday, the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation authorized the Maine Turnpike Authority to conduct a pilot program for speed enforcement in work zones. The legislation is now headed to the House and Senate.
Despite retaliation from their employer, nurses affirm their commitment to their patients and their union
Over two years since Northern Maine Medical Center (NMMC) first formed their union and began bargaining in good faith for a first contract, nurses remain committed to the patients they serve, and to making their hospital the best place it can be for everyone. Union nurses at NMMC signed the letter they released today, which says in part:
“Over the past two years, you have no doubt heard about the conflict that has grown between the hospital and us.
We want you to know that we never asked for this fight. The initiative to organize our union was to protect ourselves and our patients, not to punish any individuals or the hospital as a whole.”
The nurses’ letter goes on to say that their immediate goals as a union include: winning safe staffing for nurses and patients, promoting transparency and accountability at NMMC, retaining our local providers and staff, and making their hospital sustainable for the long term.
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Terry Caron, RN and member of the nurses’ bargaining team said: “Two years ago, we decided to have a voice for ourselves and our patients by forming our union. The NMMC administration could have met us halfway, but it did not. It has only fought us and tried to punish us for speaking up. But we are as committed to our goals as ever. We will never stop fighting for our patients.”
NMMC nurses were joined today by Maine Senate President Mattie Daughtry, gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson, and U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner. They echoed the nurses’ call for NMMC CEO Jeff Zewe to stop his retaliation against the nurses and to finalize the union contract for which the nurses have been bargaining for most of the past two years.
Maine State Nurses Association is part of National Nurses Organizing Committee, representing 4,000 nurses and other caregivers from Portland to Fort Kent. NNOC is an affiliate of National Nurses United, the largest and fastest-growing labor union of registered nurses in the United States with nearly 225,000 members nationwide.
