As
Maine Goes— So Goes the Nation
A Democratic Sweep
DNC Chairman
Howard Dean came to Portland and canvassed on Munjoy Hill with candidates.
by Ramona du Houx
There have never been
truer words — with the results of the recent election.
Democrats swept the
nation. Last count there was a 34-seat gain in the US House, one up in the US Senate, and
28 Democratic governors elected around the country.
Maine led the way, with
29 Democratic seats in the state House, one up in the state Senate, and Governor
Baldacci’s reelection victory. Congressmen Tom Allen and Mike Michaud easily won
their races.
"I will continue to
fight for more accessible and affordable health care, a cleaner environment, good paying
jobs, quality education for all our children, honest and open government, fiscal
responsibility, and an end to the Iraq occupation. These are the values held by Mainers
and middle-class Americans across the nation. And in January these values will finally be
given full voice in the US House of Representatives," said Congressman Allen in a
statement after the election results. "The American people have rejected the failed,
‘stay the course’ ideology and rhetoric of this administration and replaced it
with a Democratic agenda that puts the common good of all Americans ahead of serving the
privileged few. I am excited to help create this new direction for America. I remain
dedicated to providing greater opportunity and security for all, along with real
accountability in government."
"Now that the
Democratic Party has been returned to the majority, we will immediately go to work to
raise the minimum wage, extend tax breaks for higher education, fund stem cell research,
and eliminate huge tax giveaways to oil corporations," said Congressman Michaud.
"And most importantly, we will begin a public debate that has been lacking in
Congress on a new strategy in Iraq that brings stability to that country and our troops
home to their loved ones."
Progress is what people
in Maine and across the nation are looking for, and Democrats in Maine vow to deliver.
"The first order of
business will be permanent property tax relief; that’s what the citizens deserve, and
that’s what we will deliver," said Governor Baldacci on election night.
Governor John
Elias Baldacci announces his win with his family
"Maine is a
tremendous responsibility. We’ve got to pull together. I’ve got to reach out to
people, businesses, industry, labor — to the far reaches of the state and pull
together everyone’s ideas, so we can all work together for the best interests of the
state of Maine. That’s my mission for the next four years. We will confront the tough
issues in a nonpartisan way — based on what works well for Maine."
"Maine Democrats
are committed to working together and to putting common sense ahead of extremism and
ideology, and that is something Maine voters supported," said the new House of
Representatives speaker, Glen Cummings. "The challenges before us are great, and our
first priority will be to bring both parties together to focus on lowering local property
taxes and increasing tax relief to better protect Maine homeowners. Now is the time for
all legislators to work in a bipartisan spirit to bring real and positive change for the
people of Maine."
"Creating more jobs
by investing in R&D, higher education, and better roads and bridges will be some of
our top economic priorities. We will also be looking closely at how best to protect the
heritage of our state, by strengthening our communities, fighting sprawl, and protecting
access to clean woods and healthy waters for future generations," concluded Cummings.
Democrats in Maine now
hold a solid majority in the House with 89 seats to 60 Republicans — a dramatic shift
from the makeup of the previous Legislature where Democrats had a one-seat advantage.
From left:
Elected to the State Senate, Lisa Marrache (district 25), to the House, Rep. Pamela
Trinward (district 77), and Rep. Marilyn Canavan (district 76) talk with Congressman Mike
Michaud at the polls on election day in Waterville.
The return of women to
hold public office is also mirrored nationally. Nancy Pelosi is destined to become the
first woman speaker of the US House of Representatives in history.
President of the Maine
Senate Beth Edmonds easily won reelection. "I’m looking forward to the
challenges of the next two years," stated Edmonds. "Working with Governor
Baldacci, we will invest in research and development to grow Maine’s economy, expand
access to higher education, and address the escalating cost of health care. The state must
fairly reimburse health-care providers for their services, which requires funding the
hospital settlement and increasing reimbursements for nursing facilities."
State Sen. Elizabeth
Mitchell was reelected and will become the Senate majority leader. Mitchell was also the
first woman to serve as Maine’s House speaker.
Overall, 57 of 186 state
legislators are women, 33 being Democrats.
In the Maine Senate, 12
women won seats, 7 being Democrats.
Maine Democrats went all
out to recruit women. The new majority leader of the House, Rep. Hannah Pingree, and Rep.
Emily Cain set up a political action committee, Maine Women’s Leadership, to support
women running for office.
"We feel great
about the increase of women in our party in the House," said Pingree. "While
each election is a testament to the hard work of an individual candidate, I believe the
increase of women in the House is due to a focused effort to recruit, train, and support
women. We have made some good progress, and I hope we can continue to see this kind of
progress for many elections to come."
"Even when
you’re a member of the majority party, if you’re a woman, you’re part of a
minority," said Cain. "It’s hard to put together a critical mass around
women’s issues when there are so few elected women. Now, with so many more women
— and so many dynamic women — we may not have to work as hard toward that
critical mass."
The student vote also
made a difference in Maine and in the nation.
Elected Rep.
Anne Rand campaigned with US Rep. Allen
The majority of Governor
Baldacci’s campaign staff were young adults under 30. "I wanted them to have the
experience," said the governor. "All these young people working together at the
Maine Democratic Party, the campaign, and the college Democrats throughout the state of
Maine are the future. Seeing them involved makes me feel I’m passing the torch to the
next generation."
About 24 percent of
Americans under the age of 30, or at least 10 million young voters, cast ballots on
November 7, 2006 — up four percent from the last midterm elections in 2002.
"This looks like
the highest young-voter turn out in 20 years,’’ said Mark Lopez, research
director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.
Rock the Vote, a youth
group, said young voters favored Democrats by a 22-point margin, enough to decide tight
races. In the 435-member US House of Representatives, 22 were won by less than two percent
of the vote and 18 were won by just 5,000 votes or less.
In Maine key races in
Lewiston, mid-coast Maine, and in the Bangor area hung in the balance. Students voting the
Democratic ticket there made the difference.
"The
get-out-the-vote effort this year had more challenges, given the competitive races around
the country. A lot of students wanted to vote in their home states, for the congressional
races," said Charlie Ticotsky, president of the Bowdoin College Democrats. "We
were fortunate that on Election Day students were allowed to register at the polls, so
that’s where we got the majority of voters. In the end we managed a 30 percent
turnout of students."
On a city council race
in Brunswick, a councilor won by the amount of votes Bowdoin College Democrats
represented. "The Bowdoin College Democrats did a great job of getting out the vote
this year. Prior to election day, we walked David Webb [a candidate for an at-large Town
Council seat] and Charlie Priest [a state Legislature candidate] around to various dorms
to help them forge personal connections with students at Bowdoin, which we hoped would
encourage the students to go out and vote on election day," said Catie English of the
Bowdoin College Democrats. "Our strategy worked. David Webb and Charlie Priest were
both elected to office, thanks in part to our efforts."
"Young people are
the future of Maine — not just in terms of politically but also economically and
socially. We want to make sure that social progress drives economic development not the
other way around. A lot of young people here are committed to that goal," said Ben
Chin, a Bates student who got over 500 students, working with the League of Young Voters,
to the polls on election day to vote down TABOR and to vote for Democrats.
"The governor is one of the most
progressive governors in the country. He’s leading the way," said Chin.
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