Maine
Kamala Harris ahead in district Donald Trump won by 7 points: New poll
![Kamala Harris ahead in district Donald Trump won by 7 points: New poll Kamala Harris ahead in district Donald Trump won by 7 points: New poll](https://d.newsweek.com/en/full/2455321/kamala-harris-leading-maine-second-district-poll.jpg)
Vice President Kamala Harris is leading Donald Trump in the latest poll of Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, which backed the former president by more than 7 percentage points in 2020.
Harris quickly improved her standing in polls when she took over the top of the Democratic ticket following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race in July. But she still faces a close race against Trump in key battleground states.
Maine, holder of four electoral votes, is traditionally viewed as Democratic-leaning but gives Republicans an opportunity to pick up one Electoral College vote, as it is one of two states to divide its votes in presidential elections.
Harris is favored to win Maine’s two statewide votes, as well as its 1st Congressional District, which includes more Democratic-leaning areas in the southern part of the state such as Portland, as well as more tourism-heavy beach towns.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, however, is viewed as more Republican. It contains the vast, rural areas in the northern part of the state, though it does have some cities like Augusta, Bangor and Lewiston that keep it competitive down ballot.
The University of New Hampshire (UNH) on Wednesday released a new poll of Maine, surveying 999 registered voters in the Pine Tree State from August 15 to August 19. The poll found that Harris holds a 5-point lead in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District over Trump (49 percent to 44 percent).
Statewide, Harris held a 17-point lead over Trump (55 percent to 38 percent), with other candidates receiving 4 percent of the vote. An additional 2 percent of voters said they were still undecided.
Harris held a 29-point lead in the 1st Congressional District (62 percent to 33 percent).
Newsweek reached out to the Harris and Trump campaigns for comment via email on Wednesday.
An earlier UNH poll found Harris leading statewide by 8 points (48 percent to 40 percent), while Trump led the 2nd Congressional District by 4 points (44 percent to 40 percent). That poll was conducted among 1,502 registered voters, from July 23 to July 25.
In 2020, Biden won Maine by about 9 percentage points (53 percent to 44 percent), while Trump carried the 2nd District by a 7-point margin (53 percent to 46 percent).
The state was closer in 2016, when former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won by only 2.9 percentage points while Trump won the 2nd District by about 10 points.
The Cook Political Report classifies Maine as “Likely Democrat” and the 2nd Congressional District as “Likely Republican.” This means the races are “not considered competitive at this point but have the potential to become engaged.”
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Maine
Cornel West remains on Maine ballot after review of signatures
![Cornel West remains on Maine ballot after review of signatures Cornel West remains on Maine ballot after review of signatures](https://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/08/Election_2024_DNC_31955_60815f-1724255990.jpg?w=1000)
Cornel West’s name will remain on Maine’s presidential ballot despite concerns raised during a public hearing last week that voters were tricked into signing nomination papers for the former Harvard University professor.
![Election 2024 DNC](https://w2pcms.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/Election_2024_DNC_31955_60815f.jpg?w=250&h=250&crop=1)
Cornel West. Alex Brandon/Associated Press
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said in a decision released Tuesday night that some signatures were gathered fraudulently and were discarded, but it was not enough to disqualify West from the ballot as an independent candidate.
“The bad actions of one should not impugn the valid First Amendment rights of the many,” Bellows said in a written statement.
West’s candidacy was challenged by three voters: Nathan Berger of Portland, Anne Gass of Gray and Sandra Marquis of Lewiston. They argued that West should not appear on Maine’s ballot for a variety of reasons, including submitting too many signatures in violation of state law and other issues that they said should invalidate thousands of other signatures, which would put him below the 4,000 needed to qualify.
Gass and Marquis also accused those circulating West’s petitions of deceiving people by claiming the petition was to prohibit federal officials from trading stocks and not mentioning West. Three voters testified in support of that accusation at a hearing last week and eight other signed written statements.
“While other states across the country may direct election officials to exclude voters from duly participating in our elections processes on the basis of scrivener’s quibbles, Maine does not,” Bellows said. “Our election laws are grounded in encouraging full and fair voter participation, and the registrars acted appropriately in certifying signatures for voters that they could verify regardless of whether a voter signed with a nickname or dated the petition with the day and month only.”
The challengers also argued that Maine law sets a 5,000 limit on the maximum number of signatures that can be submitted to the state for verification, and circulators exceeded that limit by submitting 5,983 signatures. But Bellows interpreted the state law as limiting the number that election officials must review, not how many can be turned in.
“As a result, the Elections Division properly declined to count the additional petitions … once it determined that the West Campaign had reached approximately 5,000 valid signatures,” Bellows said. “No further consequences to the Campaign are required or permitted.”
The challengers can appeal Bellows’ decision to Superior Court. Attorneys representing the challengers did not immediately respond to questions about whether they would appeal.
Nobody accused the West campaign of directing the petition effort. Campaign officials said they didn’t have enough money to hire signature-gathers and instead have been using a grassroots, decentralized campaign, making petitions available for downloading on their website, allowing anyone to collect signatures on behalf of the campaign. That made it difficult for the campaign to control what was happening on the ground.
At least one petition circulator said they were paid by an outside group not affiliated with the campaign to collect signatures. State Rep. Grayson Lookner, D-Portland, said he supports West and worked to put him on the ballot because Maine’s system of ranked choice voting would prohibit West from being a spoiler to Harris.
Nevertheless, Lookner stopped collecting signatures when he learned that similar efforts to get West on the ballots in other states were linked to Republicans trying to erode support for the Democratic presidential nominee.
The challenges aimed at disqualifying West appear to be part of a nationwide effort by Clear Choice Action, a group led by allies of President Biden, to prevent a third-party spoiler in what is expected to be a very tight presidential race. The Washington Post reported that the group planned to “develop research and push storylines in the media” to discourage people from voting for third-party candidates.
A similar challenge was filed against Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., but it was withdrawn shortly before last week’s hearing.
Maine
An App, a Phrase, and A Little Luck Will Score You Post Malone Tickets
![An App, a Phrase, and A Little Luck Will Score You Post Malone Tickets An App, a Phrase, and A Little Luck Will Score You Post Malone Tickets](https://townsquare.media/site/494/files/2024/08/attachment-Untitled-design-16.jpg?w=1200&q=75&format=natural)
First and foremost, congratulations to Emily who was our first winner of Post Malone tickets from David and Cindy in the morning on Q106.5. In case you have been living under a lighthouse, Post Malone is coming to Maine Savings Amphitheater in Bangor on Monday, September 16th.
David and Cindy Q106.5
How To Win Tickets Like Emily to See Post Malone in Maine
Similar to Emily, all you have to do is show up to our pre-party at Urban Pizza for the Luke Combs concert Thursday, August 22nd, between 5pm and 7pm, and show us that you have the Q106.5 app downloaded to your phone. You will also need to tell us the ‘special phrase’ that is located somewhere within this article.
Post Malone Ticket Giveaway
Let’s recap. Show up this Thursday to Urban Pizza in Bangor which is across the street from Maine Savings Amphitheater for the Luke Combs concert pre-party. Show David or Cindy that the Q106.5 app is downloaded to your smart phone AND say the ‘special phrase’ that is randomly located within this article.
Follow Those Steps and You Can Enter into the Special Drawing for Post Malone Tickets
It’s that simple! We will do the drawing the following morning (Friday) and hopefully call your name on-air!
Post Malone Ticket Giveaway
You might be asking, “But when will you ever reveal the ‘special phrase,’ and why are you making us share a ‘special phrase’ in order for us to enter the contest?” That is an excellent question. I am weak and insecure and seek power wherever I can find it. I also want to make sure every single one of my delicately typed words are read and appreciated. I may even submit you to scroll through a few irrelevant photos of flowers from my trip to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens (which was fabulous) before I FINALLY share the ‘special phrase.’
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Photos from Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Gallery Credit: David Bugenske/TSM Maine
The special phrase is “I love David & Cindy.” See you Thursday and GOOD LUCK!
Chick Hill Hiking Trail in Maine
Chick Hill Hiking Trail in Maine
Gallery Credit: David
Maine
Maine mass shooting report says Army, law enforcement missed chances to avert attacks
![Maine mass shooting report says Army, law enforcement missed chances to avert attacks Maine mass shooting report says Army, law enforcement missed chances to avert attacks](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/08/21/USAT/74882358007-usatsi-21770678.jpg?auto=webp&crop=2399,1351,x0,y124&format=pjpg&width=1200)
The independent commission added in its final report that police officers should have undergone steps to seize Robert Card’s firearms through Maine’s yellow flag law.
Maine governor: Lewiston ‘did not deserve this terrible assault’
Two deadly shootings in Lewiston, Maine, killed at least 18 people and left the community shocked.
PORSMOUTH, N.H. — Army Reserve and law enforcement officials failed to take several opportunities that could have prevented the Lewiston, Maine, mass shootings last year, an independent commission tasked with investigating the tragedy said in its final report Tuesday.
The commission, formed last year by Maine Gov. Janet Mills, was comprised of several attorneys, a forensic psychologist, and a psychiatrist who released its final report Tuesday about the October 2023 mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, that left 18 people dead. In the report, the commission said that while the actions of the shooter, Robert Card, were his own, his Army reserve unit and local law enforcement missed opportunities to intervene after several concerns about Card’s behavior were raised.
Daniel Wathen, a retired Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and the commission’s chair, spoke on behalf of the group during the news conference Tuesday. He said the commission was only tasked with investigating the facts of the shootings, not making recommendations, adding that it is impossible to know whether the shootings would have been prevented if officials had properly intervened.
The report said authorities “failed to undertake necessary steps to reduce the threat he posed to the public.” The independent commission added in its final report that police officers should have undergone steps to seize Card’s firearms through Maine’s yellow flag law.
Maine’s yellow flag law allows anyone who suspects a gun owner is a threat to report them to the police, who then must determine whether that person should be taken into protective custody, evaluated by a mental health professional, or apply for a court order to seize their firearms. Several people who knew Card, including his son and former wife, notified law enforcement about concerns about his behaviors in the months leading up to the shooting, the report said.
As a result, local police officers had reason to utilize their power under the state’s yellow flag laws before the shooting, the report said, reiterating a previous finding in the commission’s interim report from this year. The report said that police officers who testified in front of the commission said the yellow flag law is “cumbersome, inefficient and unduly restrictive.”
Report: Army Reserve officers did not tell police about all of Robert Card’s threatening behavior
The report also said officers in the Army Reserve, which Card was active in, failed to take steps to reduce the threat he posed to the public. The report found that Army Reserve officers were aware of Card’s concerning behavior, including hallucinations, aggressiveness, and ominous comments but did not notify local police officers about the full extent of the behavior.
According to the report, several of Card’s family members, friends, and fellow reservists alerted Army Reserve officials about concerning behavior. “Despite their knowledge, they ignored the strong recommendations of Card’s Army mental health providers to stay engaged with his care and ‘mak[e] sure that steps are taken to remove weapons’ from his home,’” the report added.
The commission said that if Army Reserve officers had notified police officers of the extent of Card’s behavior, they may have acted “more assertively.”
What happened in Lewiston
On Oct. 25, the 40-year-old Army reservist opened fire at a bar and bowling alley in Lewiston, killing 18 people and wounding 13. Days later, after an intense search that kept residents across the city locked in their homes, authorities found Card dead of a gunshot wound.
A post-mortem analysis of Robert Card’s brain by Boston University’s CTE Center, completed at the request of the Maine Chief Medical Examiner’s Office, revealed “significant evidence of traumatic brain injuries at the time of the shootings.” Card’s family made the findings public and declined to comment.
Among the injuries recorded by researchers were damage to the fibers that allow communication between areas of the brain, inflammation and a small blood vessel injury, according to the report signed by Dr. Ann McKee, director of the lab at Boston University, and released Wednesday. She said there was no evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease often found in athletes and military veterans who have suffered repetitive head trauma.
“While I cannot say with certainty that these pathological findings underlie Mr. Card’s behavioral changes in the last 10 months of life, based on our previous work, brain injury likely played a role in his symptoms,” said Dr. Ann McKee, director of the lab at Boston University, earlier this year.
Contributing: Christopher Cann, Minnah Arshad, and Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY
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