Maine

Jared Golden joins group of lawmakers focused on national debt reduction

Published

2 years ago

January 19, 2024

Jared Golden joins group of lawmakers focused on national debt reduction

Maine U.S. Rep. Jared Golden is joining a bipartisan group of lawmakers who support creating a special commission to try to tackle the growing national debt.

Golden participated in a press conference on Thursday led by the Republican chairman of the House Budget Committee, where members discussed several bills pertaining to the federal debt. The highest-profile measure would create a bipartisan commission to recommend ways to reduce the nation’s estimated $34 trillion debt and balance the federal budget over time.

A second bill co-sponsored by Golden would require the president’s budget to include a ratio of public debt to the gross domestic product.

Golden is a moderate Democrat representing Maine’s increasingly conservative 2nd District. He said Republicans and Democrats must work together to find ways to keep the promises that Congress made regarding Social Security, Medicare and support for low-income families.

“Many say we need to cut, cut, cut no matter how much the cuts hurt. Others will say that we can achieve fiscal health simply by raising taxes. Courage dictates that we tell the truth. Cuts, savings or new revenue alone won’t get our fiscal house in order. We need a comprehensive approach.”

But some leading Democrats are already skeptical of the commission — Democrats like Senate Finance Committee chairman Ron Wyden of Oregon, who called the bill a Republican scheme aimed at fast-tracking cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

All of this was happening on the same day that Congress was rushing to pass a temporary spending bill to avoid a government shutdown.

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Maine

Car catches fire on Maine Turnpike in Kennebunk

Published

7 hours ago

May 31, 2026

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Car catches fire on Maine Turnpike in Kennebunk

KENNEBUNK, Maine (WGME) — A car caught on fire on the Maine turnpike Saturday.

It happened in Kennebunk in the southbound lanes of the turnpike.

A car caught on fire on the Maine turnpike Saturday. (Courtesy of Kennebunk Fire Rescue)

You can see a large cloud of black smoke coming from the scene.

Nobody was hurt.

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Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames.

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Maine

In Maine governor’s race, connection is preferable to cronyism | Letter

Published

17 hours ago

May 31, 2026

Press Room

In Maine governor’s race, connection is preferable to cronyism | Letter

After Maine’s first Democratic gubernatorial debate, I commented that the candidates seemed to be vying with each other to be agreeable. Would it last? Back then, I thought I’d be happy with any of them as Maine’s next governor.

Not so now, as I observe the cronyism of Shenna Bellows, Troy Jackson and Hannah Pingree, whose plan to rank each other when they vote provides a blueprint for gaming the ranked-choice voting system in the primary. The political insiders are forming an alliance against the outsiders, Nirav Shah and Angus King III.

Shah’s campaign responded that it would stay focused on winning voters’ support, a more principled approach, in my estimation.

I prefer a governor who listens and learns from his constituents over one experienced at alliances and deal-making. I want integrity and leadership, not manipulation and exclusion.

I no longer believe that Bellows, Jackson or Pingree would make a good governor.

Moriah Freeman
Brunswick

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Maine

WSJ: Maine Senate candidate’s wife says she found explicit texts on his phone

Published

1 day ago

May 30, 2026

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WSJ: Maine Senate candidate’s wife says she found explicit texts on his phone

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – A Wall Street Journal article reports that Amy Gertner, the wife of Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, told campaign aides she found sexually explicit text messages on Platner’s phone after he launched his bid for office last year.

According to the report, Gertner disclosed the messages while aides were conducting opposition research, and she asked a campaign aide to review what Platner had sent—reportedly to several women—to determine whether it could become a liability for his campaign.

The Wall Street Journal reports Gertner believed she was confiding in someone she considered a friend.

The article also states the couple discussed the messages in marriage counseling.

In a statement from Gertner provided by the Platner campaign, she wrote that they have gone through counseling and that their marriage today “is stronger than ever before.”

Amy Gertner provided a statement through the Platner campaign.

“I confided deeply personal details about my marriage to someone I considered a friend. In the months since, I have had to watch as she spread malicious gossip to anyone who would take her call. I trusted this person with the most private chapter of our lives – the early days of our marriage before any campaign was on our mind – and I am deeply hurt by her betrayal and the invasion of our privacy.

“It is no secret that Graham and I have struggled on our fertility journey. We did the hard work that marriage requires. We went to counseling. We were honest with each other in ways that weren’t easy. And we came through it, not in spite of how much we’ve been through, but because of how much we love each other and the life we’ve built. Our marriage today is stronger than ever before.

“I know who Graham is. I know the man I married and the husband he has been to me on the best and the worst days of my life. That hasn’t changed, and it won’t.” – Amy Gertner

Platner and Gertner married in 2024, according to the report.

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