Maine
Mills to join Maine Senate race
Maine Gov. Janet Mills is set to launch a campaign today against Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) in what will be a blockbuster midterm race.
Mills’ bid gives Senate Democratic leadership yet another recruitment success. But it also cements a messy intra-party brawl. Mills’ entrance in the race isn’t scaring off any of the current Democratic primary contenders.
We’ll start by listing the obvious: On paper, Mills is by far the most formidable Democrat running to unseat Collins. Mills is a popular, sitting two-term governor and her pitch will certainly lean on electability.
The other three main candidates — Graham Platner, Jordan Wood and Dan Kleban — have never held any elected office. So far, all three are pledging to continue their campaigns, even with Mills jumping in.
The Age Argument. If the 77-year-old Mills wins, she would be sworn in as a senator at the age of 79. Her younger opponents are using this against her.
Wood, who has reported raising over $3 million, said it’s time for a new generation of Democratic leaders.
“Janet Mills was my district attorney the year that I was born in Androscoggin County,” Wood told us. “This is going to be a very real primary, even if Chuck Schumer does not want it to be.”
Leaders We Deserve, a group co-founded by David Hogg to elect young progressives, and other Democratic youth organizations all jointly endorsed Platner Tuesday.
Platner has the most resources to really challenge Mills. His campaign has hauled in over $4 million and his populist messaging won him Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) endorsement. But Mills’ supporters can point to Sanders, 84, as a way to sidestep the age argument.
The big question now is whether Mills will pledge to only serve one term and whether such a promise would neutralize the age argument.
Yet Mills has proven she’s willing to fight and won praise from the left when she publicly challenged Trump over his attempt to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports.
Meanwhile, Republicans are enjoying the prospect of a contested Democratic primary.
“While Democrats fight among themselves, Senator Collins will keep doing what she’s always done — delivering for Maine families,” Alex Latcham, the leader of the Senate Leadership Fund, said in a statement.
We should note that Collins hasn’t officially launched her reelection campaign, but has said publicly she intends to seek reelection and is actively raising money.
PORTLAND (WGME) — Driving this time of year, when winter weather hits, can be tricky, especially in Maine.
Fortunately, the Maine Turnpike Authority has above-ground weather sensors to keep them informed.
The above ground weather sensors help determine several different factors about the road conditions. (WGME)
“What they do is they capture a bunch of atmospheric and pavement data, temperature data and conditions. They take that information and take it to our vendor, Vaisala, and they process that data and put it here on the screen for us to use in our winter maintenance operations,” Maine Turnpike Authority Project Manager Brian Taddeo said.
These sensors can also tell the turnpike authority how well tires are gripping the road.
“So the grip factor is the measure of friction between the tire and the roadway. That’s really important for us because it tells us the pavement is dry, mobility is not impacted by weather, because there is none,” Taddeo said.
The above ground weather sensors help determine several different factors about the road conditions. (WGME)
The highest the grip factor goes to is 0.82, which would be on a dry road.
As the roads become icy, that number will drop.
“This system is also a predictive system, so it can actually show us what’s going to happen 12 hours from now, 24 hours from now, 72 hours from now,” Taddeo said.
This allows the Maine Turnpike Authority to plan in advance of an upcoming storm.
That’s important as they cover a stretch of interstate from Kittery all the way up to Augusta.
The MTA has cameras set up along the Turnpike to see what road conditions look like. (WGME)
“We have 109 miles of road to cover, and this gives us the chance to see everything all at once, so we can dispatch our crews to whatever zones need to be handled,” Taddeo said.
The MTA also has underground sensors that are used to collect road data.
PORTLAND (WGME) — Mild temperatures and lots of clouds will rule the sky on Wednesday before some light rain and snow showers overnight.
Enjoy the mild temperatures while they last as it is turning cold by week’s end.
Lots of clouds will rule the sky for the next few days in Maine. High temps will also sit in the low-to-mid 40s for the day.
Wednesday evening.{ }(WGME)
The next chance for some precipitation will move in Wednesday evening through the nighttime hours as mostly rain with some mountain snow.
Look for some fog and areas of drizzle overnight too.
Thursday morning.{ }(WGME)
Rain will head out early Thursday morning followed by lots of cold, Canadian air.
Highs will still run in the low 40s ahead of a cold front shifting through early Thursday evening.
Once that front exits, expect to not leave the mid 20s on Friday.
Wind chills will be in the negatives and single digits to start Friday morning.
Weekend forecast.{ }(WGME)
The weekend looks calmer, with a round of snow and rain likely Saturday night through Sunday morning.
Temperatures will be back in the 30s after a cold end to the work and school week.
Incoming cold air.{ }(WGME)
Lots of cold air is set to enter the United States next week in waves.
Temperature outlook.{ }(WGME)
The next 8 to 14 days showcase below-normal temperatures around New England.
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