Oddbean new post about login | logout @f884fa2b @d9417feb Like Vermont, Maine is a predominantly white state. 98%+/- Native Americans & POC make up the other 2%+/-. We had the Koch Brothers Tea-Party supplied, "America's Craziest Governor" for 8 years. He was renowned for racially biased pronouncements. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/01/paul-lepage-maine-governor-crazy-101923/
@af82bac8 @d9417feb Yes, I remember LePage, and how I so often wondered how someone of his ilk got elected in Maine. I recall his wild allegations that nearby states were busing "outsiders" into Maine to vote — and the thinly veiled racism of those allegations and his anti-drug rants. Maine is interesting in that it can produce someone of the caliber of Heather Cox Richardson — then vote hatefully to yank away the right of same-sex marriage.
@f884fa2b @d9417feb Simple answer, "Third Party Spoliers" kiboshed two elections in Pauly LePew's favor. One such Spoiler received GOP funds, coincidentally. Maine fixed that with instituting RCV, Rank Choice Voting. https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2022-04-01/eliot-cutler-fallout-obscures-his-novel-effect-on-maine-politics