Just when you thought a young Mainer might be catching a break, The Establishment struck back with a new poll showing Governor Janet Mills with what appears to be a ten point lead in the primary race between her and Sullivan oyster farmer Graham Platner for the Democrat Party nomination to take on U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) next fall.
Platner led Mills in a couple other polls, but this one – conducted by a firm headed by former state Democrat Party chair Victoria Murphy – weighted its sample with enough old people to give the 77-year-old, two-term governor the edge. Given Maine’s greying demographic, that might not be pure chicanery.
In the Pan-Atlantic poll, Mills trailed Platner with all Democrat voters under 55 years of age. With the youngest voters, between 18-34 years of age, the 41-year-old Platner held a 41-point lead, and with those between 35-55 years under their belts, he still bested Mills by 20 points.
It is only when the Mills-friendly pollsters get to those eying their AARP benefit cards that the table is flipped and the governor seizes her commanding 48-point advantage. Sorry, kid, this is Maine, home to America’s highest per capita density of senior citizens.
If that trend continues, Maine will also lead America in our cumulative number of graveyards as well (the tiny town of Phippsburg already has over 100!)
No sooner did the pre-cooked result get released yesterday than the Mills campaign began crowing about the news with boasts “We’re just getting started.” Oh how that canned enthusiasm bubbles with the same energy as the spontaneous laughter that erupted in the White House press room not so long ago when Joe Biden cracked a joke.
Mainers, and particularly the Democrats who strut about the parapets of power in Augusta with an air of permanence, have a choice to make. Will this always be a state that young people flee the moment they’re able?
If there is a political decision to officially turn the Pine Tree State into a retirement community, so be it. Just don’t get wistful about where all the young people have gone while you slurp your creamed vegetables for supper at 4:30 p.m.
When Barack Obama’s team decided to make “Yes, We Can” their slogan in 2008, it was for a very targeted reason. They were running against a cranky old man in John McCain who, his colleagues in the Senate knew well, might as well have been known as Mr. No You Can’t. Maine’s current governor gives off a similar vibe even without having spent seven years locked in a tiger’s cage.
Sometimes it takes an adult to say ‘no,’ one might argue. Fair enough. We’ve all been stuck behind that Subaru doing 54 MPH on state roads or 64 MPH on the racy Interstate.
At such times, we often lament on how the health care system we cannot really afford keeps people alive longer than the dear Lord might have intended, and might even drift into thinking about how the “Me Generation” that gave us our current crop of political ‘leaders’ is also the first in our nation’s history to leave its successors poorer than the country they inherited.
But going the speed limit does save lives, right?
One should be respectful of our seniors, and I try. But there are also limits. During my brief tenure as a Senate aide, I nearly tripped over Strom Thurmond’s wheelchair leaving a committee room. I remember the pair of ambulances always parked outside the Capitol’s East entrance, just waiting.
And we all remember how Dianne Feinstein looked at the end. So Janet Mills has her constituency, no question. But whether or not it need continue being the determinative one in our state is everyone’s choice really.
The same poll included some other head-scratching findings. Angus King III leads the Democrat field for governor. Huh? Unless people are mistaking him for his father (I once polled shoppers in a Hannafords when Jim Longley, Jr. was running for Congress, and every senior I spoke to said ‘I thought he was dead, but I guess I’ll vote for him’) it’s difficult to see quite why this is.
Oh yeah, and Nirav Shah leads Democrats in intensity of support for the same field. It’s like these are people who like being told no, in fact many of them still wear masks simply out of nostalgia for a certain leftist authoritarianism they believe might counter Trump.
One aging commenter on Facebook clucked about the pro-Mills finding: “Platner should run for Golden’s seat and when Janet’s done her one term then he can prove he’s ready.” He should wait his turn, in other words, like Hillary did. This same commenter was the first I saw to start spreading negative articles when Reddit-gate broke in October. Janet has her support base, all right.
But do they speak for Maine’s future, or its past?
Personally, I agree with very little of what Platner says about policy but liked him before he got into politics and have a soft spot for insurgents. As a candidate, I’d like him better if he’d start going after Mills’ record in office. As a socialist, he wouldn’t touch the over-spending, I’d imagine, but the corruption and cronyism are fair game.
Even if the Pan-Atlantic poll is the right gauge of the Maine electorate, it’s a long time until the June 2026 primary. Statistics hold that some percentage of Mills’ core electorate might not still be around then – Shenna Bellows had best get them their ballots early.
