PORTLAND (WGME) – With just two months left until Election Day, campaigns in Maine and across the country are in full swing.
Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are making their pitches to voters. In Maine, Congressman Jared Golden and Republican challenger Austin Theriault are preparing for a handful of debates.
But do these late-game campaign events actually matter when it comes to influencing voters?
One local political scientist says this close to the election, the events themselves likely have little impact in races where many have already made up their minds.
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“You’re right, it’s unlikely to change a lot of minds,” USM Political Science Professor Ron Schmidt said. “And that there are probably not many undecided voters there. But right now, this election looks so close that it doesn’t take many votes for any action to become consequential. So it could wind up mattering in this context.”
Schmidt went on to say while debates rarely change voters’ minds, they can have an impact on morale and have some effect on voter turnout.
Harris and Trump will debate on September 10, while Golden and Theriault will debate on CBS13 on October 3.
Those sinful-looking blueberry pancakes, and that nice, noisy foamy latte – would you believe they are rescuing journalism, in and around Camden, Maine, at least?
Here in lobster country, at the Villager Cafe, customers can have their breakfast or lunch with a side of news, a weekly newspaper called the Midcoast Villager. “I was just reading about the SNAP benefits and different food pantries in the area,” said one cafe customer.
The cafe subsidizes the paper; the newsroom is one floor up. Throw in the rent from all the other tenants in the building, along with revenue from the Inn at Camden Place next door (same ownership), and it all helps.
The Villager Cafe opened in April. Revenue helps support the local weekly newspaper, the Midcoast Villager.
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“From the business standpoint, it achieves a sustainability,” said Reade Brower. At one time, Brower owned almost all of Maine’s newspapers, before selling most of them off. In September 2024, he merged four weeklies into the Midcoast Villager. The cafe opened this past April, but not just to make money.
“The accountability issues and local sports and all that stuff is important to a lot of people,” he said. “I don’t think that’s enough to sell and keep newspapers alive right now. I think it has to revolve around community. And what better way to serve community than to invite people here for food and to mix all this stuff together?”
How often do you see the owner of a newspaper, and members of his staff, hanging out with readers over breakfast?
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Kathleen Capetta helps Brower run what they both see as an experiment in rebuilding trust in news. “We’re present, we’re visible, we’re real,” she said. “We’re not behind a screen.”
And would that experiment work if the food weren’t good? “Absolutely not, no!” Capetta laughed.
“It’s good, classic diner food, but a little bit elevated, which is I think kind of like our paper,” said deputy editor Alex Seitz-Wald. He is the face of the newspaper when he parks himself in the cafe on Friday mornings, to hear complaints, story tips, whatever. “Having a place where people can vent, or can say something, and have it be heard, I think is really valuable,” he said.
Midcoast Villager deputy editor Alex Seitz-Wald meets with the paper’s readers at the Villager Cafe.
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Seitz-Wald was an NBC politics reporter in Washington, D.C., for a decade before taking a chance – and a pay cut – to work for the Midcoast Villager, a start-up in a field where two newspapers die every week.
How’s the Villager doing? Circulation revenue, we’re told, is 40% above what all four papers it replaced took in – so, promising.
“I’m quite glad that I still have a newspaper to work for,” said Glenn Billington. A local news lifer, he’s the optimistic ad salesman and columnist for the Midcoast Villager, just as he was for one of its now-defunct predecessors.
The mascot on the paper’s masthead is Vern, who is the epitome of Midcoast Maine. “He sure is,” said Billington. “Look at his sou’wester. He’s got the hat that you wear when the wind blows from the southwest and it brings rain. And he’s got the telescope. Vern’s looking at the future of newspapers.”
What one sees at the Villager Cafe is old-fashioned – people sitting down at tables, eating and talking and looking at each other eye-to-eye. Or as Brower put it, “You’re picking up what we’re putting down.”
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Vern, the Midcoast Villager’s mascot, is spotted at the Villager Cafe in Camden, Me.
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RECIPE: Maine Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Compote, from the Villager Cafe
RECIPE: Haddock Hash, from the Villager Cafe
RECIPE: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup, from The Villager Cafe
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Maine Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Compote, from the Villager Cafe in Camden, Me.
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For more menu suggestions check out the “Sunday Morning” 2025 “Food Issue” recipe index
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Story produced by Jack Weingart. Editor: Ed Givnish.
Maine fell behind by 20 points in the first half and couldn’t recover, losing to New Hampshire 33-27 in a Coastal Athletic Association football game on Saturday in Durham, New Hampshire.
The Black Bears end the season 6-6 overall, 5-3 in the conference. They started the season with four straight losses, then won six straight before losing their final two.
New Hampshire improves to 8-4 overall, 6-2 in the conference. The Wildcats are in the mix for an at-large bid in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
The Wildcats won the battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket, and have dominated the rivarly, winning 13th time of the last 15 games. New Hampshire extends its lead in the series to 60-46-8.
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Nick Reed kicked four field goals in the first half for New Hampshire, including a 55-yarder. Quarterback Matt Vezza completed 16 of 27 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown.
Maine’s Carter Peevy completed 15 of 27 passes for 180 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. He also rushed eight times for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
The Maine Celtics returned to the Portland Expo for a two-game series against the Delaware Blue Coats. Both teams started strong, with Kendal Brown hitting a three-pointer to put the Celtics up by three. Igor Milicic responded with a long-range shot to tie the game for the Blue Coats. Celtics guard Max Shulga contributed significantly, scoring 17 points, including a crucial three-pointer. Ron Harper Jr. led the game with an impressive 46 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Celtics secured a narrow 113-111 win. The two teams will face off again Sunday afternoon at the Expo.
