Conservative activist Nicholas Blanchard, known to many online Mainers as “Corn Pop”, is pushing ahead with a bid for the Augusta School Committee even as he challenges his recent arrest and the sudden suspension of his Facebook account.
Blanchard has become a prominent figure in local education battles, frequently confronting Augusta school officials over parental-rights issues and student-policy decisions. His organizing efforts have included a petition to remove the Cony Middle and High School principal and regular appearances at school board meetings where he has pressed administrators on transparency and accountability.
“Corn Pop from Maine”‘s profile grew further after an October 2025 incident in which Augusta police detained him at a counter-protest near a “No Kings” rally. Police moved in after receiving a report that he was carrying a firearm. Blanchard has said he was holding a non-lethal launcher that fires chemical-irritant projectiles. He was released without charges.
Since then, he has filed FOAA requests for body-camera footage and lodged a formal complaint against the responding officer while preparing legal action against the department
As he continued mobilizing supporters for a school-committee run, Blanchard’s online activity was hit with a new setback this week when his Facebook account was disabled. In a notice he posted to X, Facebook informed him that his account had been removed from public view while the company determines whether it violated the platform’s community standards. Blanchard has submitted an appeal, and the platform said the account will either be restored or permanently disabled after review.
The Facebook suspension comes at a critical moment for Blanchard, who has used social media as a primary channel for campaign messaging, videos, and updates related to his arrest claim. His “Corn Pop from Maine” posts have drawn widespread attention in the wake of the incident and have fueled broader debate about the treatment of conservative activists in local government and online platforms.
Blanchard was “not aware of the account suspension until he started hearing from followers asking why he deleted them as friends.”
[RELATED: ‘Corn Pop’ Takes on Augusta Schools: Blanchard Enters Board Race Amid Mounting Controversy]
Blanchard has publicly stated his intent to seek a seat on the Augusta School Committee, though his candidacy has not yet appeared on the finalized municipal list. His run is expected to center on challenges to school administration, student-policy direction, and what he argues is a lack of responsiveness to parents.
The combination of a disputed arrest, a social-media takedown, and a high-visibility campaign has positioned Blanchard as one of the most contentious emerging figures in Augusta politics and his candidacy is already shaping debates over transparency, law-enforcement conduct, and the direction of the Augusta schools.
