Demi Kouzounas, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, addresses delegates Saturday during the second day of the Maine Republican Party convention at the Augusta Civic Center. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

AUGUSTA — Maine Republicans, in a fighting mood a little more than six months before state and federal elections, on Saturday approved a platform that rounds the bases on conservative issues such as news coverage, foreign policy, abortion and school curriculum.

The meeting, which drew 1,400 delegates, was dominated by supporters of former President Donald Trump, the party’s presumptive presidential nominee. T-shirts, buttons and signs promoting his candidacy blanketed the Augusta Civic Center and several vehicles in the parking lot. Trump won Maine’s GOP primary on March 5, trouncing former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley with nearly 73% of the vote.

Republican chairman Joel Stetkis set the tone of the second day of the party’s convention in a speech blasting Democrats.

“They want us to believe that Bidenomics and the economy is booming,” he said. “They want us to believe the southern border has never been more secure and that taking our guns away makes us more safe. This is as ridiculous as telling us there are 107 different genders.”

The platform prohibits public school curriculum in pre-K through grade 12 from promoting subject matter related to hormone replacement therapy or surgical gender reassignment practices. It prohibits the teaching or promotion of biological genders other than those of male and female, “while accepting those who exhibit physical intersex traits from birth.”

The platform also calls for a requirement that voters prove they are U.S. citizens and ending taxpayer-funded abortion.

Among a dozen amendments voted on over more than two hours, four were approved. One adopted proposal calls on the Legislature to prohibit the National Guard from fighting in foreign wars without a declaration of war by Congress, as required by the Constitution. Despite U.S. military involvement in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, the last time Congress declared war was after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

The states are in charge of National Guard troops at times of domestic emergencies, Sen. Eric Brakey of Androscoggin said. Congress can call on state national guards to suppress insurrections, repel invasions or enforce laws, he said.

Delegates applaud Saturday during a speech by Maine Republican Party Chair Joel Stetkis during Maine Republican Party convention at the Augusta Civic Center. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Maine Guardsmen “have been sent overseas into wars that never end with no mission and no end in sight,” he said.

Several states are signing on to the initiative, known as “Defend the Guard,” which criticizes “broadly worded” Authorizations to Use Military Force passed by Congress after the Sept. 11 attacks. Advocates say the authorizations are not the same as a declaration of war by Congress.

Republicans also call for a “comprehensive and thoughtful energy policy that minimizes adverse environmental and fiscal impacts.” The party platform demands an end to a 100-megawatt cap on hydropower – a policy that dates to 2012, when then-Gov. Paul LePage unsuccessfully sought legislation to remove a limit on renewable energy credits for hydropower. He said the move would draw cheap and plentiful power from Quebec.

The convention approved an amendment to the platform that defends the right to a free press without censorship or “undue bias.” The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, National Public Radio and media generally were accused of bias. Trump and many other Republicans accuse the media of favoring liberal politicians and policymakers.

Delegates who opposed the measure said it was vague and could violate the First Amendment.

By a narrow margin, delegates rejected a proposal to return the U.S. to the gold standard, an issue that animated the 1896 presidential campaign and was settled in 1933 when U.S. currency was no longer linked to gold. Backers sought to add the amendment to the platform, arguing it would prevent “manipulation of the currency” and help resist inflation.

“This is a huge overreach,” one delegate told the convention. “It’s an incredibly complex issue. It doesn’t belong in our platform and I think it would make us look stupid.”

Delegates applaud Saturday during the Maine Republican Party convention at the Augusta Civic Center. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Republicans’ skepticism of government factored in the defeat of a platform amendment calling for restoration of the death penalty “for certain egregious crimes.” Capital punishment was last used in Maine in the 19th century. Critics overwhelmed supporters, arguing that government has wrongly convicted some suspects, with one delegate saying capital punishment could be abused.

“Do they think they can put Donald Trump to death if they can get away with it?” he asked.

Arthur Langley, an alternate delegate from Harrington, said the platform is “not that critical.” Wearing a bright red Trump T-shirt, a “Make America Great Again” hat, and a button and a pin declaring his presidential preference, Langley said the Republican platform would have more clout if Republicans controlled the state Legislature.

Republicans last enjoyed a majority in the House and Senate and occupied the Blaine House in 2011 and 2012. The trifecta of state power has been in Democratic hands since 2019.

“You can’t implement a platform unless you have a majority,” Langley said. “I have no objections to platforms. I have objections to Democratic majorities in the Legislature.”

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The Republican candidates for the 2nd Congressional District mixed it up in Augusta Saturday as both men work to gain momentum ahead of the June 11 primary.

Rep. Mike Soboleski of Phillips and Rep. Austin Theriault of Fort Kent are competing for the right to face Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden in November.

The Saturday debate — the first between the two men — kicked off the second day of the Maine Republican Party Convention, where more than 1,000 delegates and others gathered to gear up for a big political year.

And while Theriault and Soboleski largely agreed on border security and support for veterans, they offered different visions for their first action if elected to Washington.

Soboleski, a retired Marine and small businessman, said he would work with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to find a way to punish Dr. Anthony Fauci, who led the country’s COVID-19 response.

“It would be to put in any kind of legislation I can to help Rand Paul bring Anthony Fauci to justice,” he said. “To hold that man accountable.”

Theriault, a former NASCAR driver, said his first act would be to “fund the completion of Trump’s border wall.”

“That’s by far the No. 1 issue if you’re talking to Republicans, Democrats or independents right now,” Theriault said.

Trump endorsed Theriault in the race and recent fundraising reports show Theriault with a large financial lead. Theriault has raised more than $1 million, while Soboleski has brought in just over $100,000, according to Federal Election Commission reports.

Soboleski worked to draw contrasts, criticizing Theriault for a vote in the Legislature to create safe injection sites for those with substance use disorder.

“I was against that, Rep. Theriault you voted in favor of those safe injection sites,” Soboleski said.

Theriault shot back: “How dare you stand on the grave of dead kids Mike.”

Theriault said he has family members who suffer from addiction and that stigmatizing their illness will not help them recover.

“As a Christian we need to reach these people and we need to bring them into recovery,” he said.

When asked if they support embattled House Speaker Mike Johnson, Theriault said he “wouldn’t comment on whether I would support him or not.”

He said he opposes the aid to Ukraine recently approved, which drew applause from the audience.

Soboleski said he doesn’t approve of Johnson and that he also opposes the foreign aid package because it provides aid to Gaza and Israel. He said he’s firmly in support of Israel.

“How many people are going to die just because we funded both sides of the fight?” he said.

The candidates emphasized different reasons they believe they can defeat Golden in November.

Theriault said he’s got the financial backing and the ground game to get the votes needed to win.

“Our campaign, I’m proud to say, has not only blew past the million-dollar threshold of money raised primarily from Maine but we’re going to continue to work hard to get people on board who are not consistently involved in the political process,” he said.

Soboleski highlighted his military experience, saying he’s ready to take on Golden, a fellow veteran.

“Sending another veteran up against a veteran, that’s what’s going to win that CD2,” Soboleski said.

When the Legislature left town last week, it did so among confusion and a bevy of bills not acted on.

The sun was up by Thursday’s 5:30 a.m. adjournment. Legislators were exhausted and many were unhappy about the way the end-of-session crunch was handled.

This outcome may have been inevitable when a late budget amendment filed by House Appropriations Chair Melanie Sachs (D-Freeport) blew up a contentious but relatively quiet struggle over election year spending.

The now-notorious amendment took back half of the highway funding garnished from the General Fund and reduced a pension exemption for state workers. It roused immediate concern from Gov. Janet Mills, who also vowed to veto a storm relief package if it contained $100 million in additional spending.

In the end, lawmakers got some of what they wanted. The storm relief, some $50 million, was amended to add $10 million for small business.

And lawmakers quietly rejected a $108 million savings account proposed by Mills and instead allocated it to additional spending. The “savings” made little sense since Mills had also proposed withdrawing the storm relief money from the existing “rainy day” fund.

Because the budget debate extended through the final day, only a handful of enacted bills “on the table” at Appropriations were funded, leaving more than 100 to die.

One pleasant surprise: a real bond package for the first time since 2019. It’s a mini-package of $65 million, with $30 million for trails, $25 million for research and development, and $10 million for community historic preservation.

The relevant bills were proposed by current and former Appropriations members, who have the perseverance to overcome long odds. The preservation bond is a tribute to retiring Rep. Sawin Millett, now 86, whose legislative service began in 1967.

Traditionally, Maine governors propose robust biennial bond packages, but Mills has not. Her predecessor, Paul LePage, blocked any bond he could, sometimes extra-legally, so one must go back to Gov. John Baldacci (2003-11) to find significant investments subject to voter approval.

A similar package today would have a current value of $400-$500 million. We could use one since even property-wealthy communities like Scarborough and Cumberland are turning down locally funded school bonds. School construction was once a shared responsibility between local districts and the state, but no more.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment was the lack of a vote on a “red flag” law that could have prevented the Lewiston massacre last Oct. 25, when 18 Mainers were senselessly murdered and another 13 maimed.

Police and Army officers are still feuding over who should have triggered the substitute “yellow flag” law offered by Mills in 2019. If, under “red flag,” family members could have petitioned a judge the shootings might not have happened.

Still, lawmakers enacted meaningful gun safety laws, including a 72-hour waiting period that could prevent many suicides. Mills was still considering those bills as of this writing.

Another notable bill moved Maine toward a public defender system for indigent criminal defendants after smaller steps were taken previously.

The Portland Sea Dogs should be able to stay put after the House reversed its opposition to the inevitable tax break all professional sports stadiums seem to demand.

The House also switched its stance so a sand dune created by human intervention won’t block construction of a wind turbine port on Sears Island – a project still facing many obstacles before construction can begin.

A typical “short session” – four months rather than six – rarely produces any signature changes in state law.

Even columnists have their favorites, though.

One measure I’ve long advocated, as readers may have noticed, is the National Popular Vote Compact that became law on the seventh try.

First introduced by former House Speaker John Martin in 2007 – joined by two other speakers, Libby Mitchell and Hannah Pingree – it passed by a one-vote margin in the House.

It will have no effect on the 2024 presidential election, since Michigan is the only other state still seriously considering it. If Michigan adds 15 electoral votes to Maine’s four, plus 10 provided by Minnesota last year, there will be 224 of the 270 needed to effectively choose a president by popular vote.

If that day comes, it will mark a sea change. No more swing states deciding elections; each vote will count exactly the same.

Perhaps after more than two centuries of allowing states to substitute for the voters, Americans could actually elect their president directly. Now that would be revolutionary.   

Douglas Rooks has been a Maine editor, columnist and reporter since 1984. He is the author of four books, most recently a biography of U.S. Chief Justice Melville Fuller, and welcomes comment at drooks@tds.net