Maine
This Democrat is at the center of Maine’s debate over transgender athletes
Politics
Our political journalists are based in the Maine State House and have deep source networks across the partisan spectrum in communities all over the state. Their coverage aims to cut through major debates and probe how officials make decisions. Read more Politics coverage here.
A slate of Republican-led bills aimed at undoing Maine’s policies allowing transgender girls to play in sports aligned with their gender identity are heading for votes after the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee effectively deadlocked on three of them late Tuesday.
The key player was first-term Rep. Dani O’Halloran, D-Brewer, who voted with Republicans on two bills that would bar schools that receive state funding from allowing transgender girls to play alongside girls. She also endorsed a version of a similar bill from Rep. Liz Caruso, R-Caratunk, that would take out language allowing people to sue schools for violations.
Democrats who control Augusta otherwise united on the issue that has led to Gov. Janet Mills’ fight with President Donald Trump over Maine’s federal funding. These Republican-led bills still have an uphill path to passage in the Legislature, but O’Halloran’s stance has injected uncertainty around how the votes will land in the closely divided House.
Mills has defended Maine’s laws on the subject but has not said how she feels about changing the policies, saying in March that it was “worthy of a debate.” A University of New Hampshire poll of Maine that month found two-thirds of Mainers think transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete in women’s and girls’ sports.
It’s no surprise that O’Halloran was the one to break with her party. She was one of two Democrats to vote with Republicans in April against enshrining existing civil rights protections — including those for gender identity — in the Maine Constitution.
She was one of the most vocal members during Tuesday’s committee session, questioning Mary Bonauto, a prominent LGBTQ+ rights lawyer from Portland, about whether transgender participation in girls sports erodes opportunities for those who were born girls. The lawmaker returned to that point before the committee started taking votes.
“You have not only transgender girls on girls teams, you have girls on girls teams, and then there are some transgender boys that are playing on girls teams,” she said. “So that leaves me sitting here wondering, where does that leave girls?”
Other Democrats stuck together in voting against the bills. Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, worried about the real-world effects of Caruso’s bill that would bar transgender girls from girls sports but allow schools to create co-ed teams to accommodate those students.
“If the school does not have the resources or can’t put a regional team together, then we have de facto just discriminated against those students because we have not given them choice — choices,” she said.
Rep. Rachel Henderson of Rumford, summed up the Republican perspective on the committee, saying her faith teaches her to love everyone but that it is “hard science” that there are only two biological sexes. (The American Medical Association recognizes a “medical spectrum” of gender.)
“With that love has to come a truth, and this is the truth I’m standing on,” she said. “But please know that my desire is to always wrap that truth in love.”
Maine
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Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates will be interviewed by members of the House Oversight Committee today as part of their investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his associates.
The interview will take place behind closed doors and will be transcribed, the committee’s chairman, James Comer, R-Ky., said in a letter in March requesting the billionaire philanthropist’s testimony. Gates has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
A spokesperson for Gates told NBC News last night that “Gates welcomes the opportunity to appear before the Committee.”
“While he never witnessed or participated in any of Epstein’s illegal conduct, he is looking forward to answering all the committee’s questions to support their important work,” the spokesperson added.
Gates, whose name was mentioned in the Epstein files, has said that he “regrets every minute” he spent with the late convicted sex offender, whom he met in 2011. In the files, Epstein appeared to suggest in an email he sent to himself that Gates was having extramarital affairs and seeking drugs. Gates called the contents of the unsent email “false” and said he was “foolish” to have spent time with him. A Gates spokesperson also denied the allegations, calling them “absolutely absurd and completely false.”
Gates said he had “a number of dinners” with Epstein, and the focus of their conversations was on finding philanthropic contributions to global health initiatives. He said he never traveled to Epstein’s private island.
Gates later told Gates Foundation staffers that he previously had two affairs, but they did not involve women around Epstein, The Wall Street Journal reported in February, citing a recording of a town hall during which he also apologized for his ties to Epstein.
Gates maintained that he “did nothing illicit” and “saw nothing illicit,” the Journal reported.
“To be clear, I never spent any time with victims, the women around him,” he said, according to the Journal.
PORTLAND (WGME) – The race to represent the Democratic Party in the quest for the Blaine House remains incredibly close as the votes roll in Tuesday night.
Dr. Nirav Shah holds a slight lead over the rest of the field, but he may not stay there.
If no one gets to 50 percent of the vote, plus one vote, the race will go to ranked choice, and polls have suggested that former House Speaker Hannah Pingree could be a strong contender there.
Democratic candidate for governor Hannah Pingree (WGME)
She says she feels that way after going to hundreds of town halls and forums across the state and listening to the concerns of Maine families who are struggling in this economy.
She spoke to supporters at her watch party Tuesday night.
“Maine people are worried about what’s happening in this state and in this country. They’re worried about the rights that they might lose. And they want a governor who is tough,” Pingree said. “People are struggling right now. With the cost of housing, healthcare, childcare, energy, property taxes, you all know these things.”
“I think it’s going to be a huge year for Democrats,” Maine Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Shenna Bellows said. “We saw Democrats running out of primary ballots in Yarmouth, in Portland, multiple times. Clerks having to rush new ballots into the polling place. That’s a great sign when you see a record turnout like that.”
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (WGME)
Shah, members of his team, and voters celebrated what they call a successful campaign Tuesday night.
He thanked the hundred or so supporters in attendance who have helped him get to Tuesday.
Shah says there are several pressing issues facing Maine, including affordability, the housing crisis and healthcare.
He hopes to be the man to tackle these issues head-on.
Shah told voters not to expect a final result Tuesday night.
While Shah expects the election to come down to rank choice voting, he insists this is only the beginning of his campaign.
“People in Maine have seen me show up, particularly during difficult times, and that is more relevant now than it ever has been,” Shah said. “This campaign is just getting started, and we are not going to stop until Election Day.”
Shah’s campaign says if he’s elected as governor in November, he would be first South Asian Democratic governor in United States history.
It is doubtful that any of the Democrats or Republicans running for governor will get more than 50 percent of the vote Tuesday night.
Mainers likely won’t know who will win the primary in the governor’s race until sometime next week.
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