"Thank God you're running as an independent. This place is deeply broken and it needs fixing." The people closest to the machinery, he says, know best how failed it is.
This episode of the Independent Voter Podcast dives into the chaos surrounding the Maine Senate race after Graham Platner's withdrawal amid allegations and vetting failures.
As Democrats scramble to replace Graham Platner, the former logger and Maine Senate president offers a rare mix of progressive politics, labor credibility, and proven appeal in Republican-leaning areas.
Prediction markets are already pricing in a post-Platner race—and the name that is closing the gap with Collins before any announcement has been made may help the party avoid a full Joe Biden situation.
Buried in Title 21-A, section 374-A of Maine's election statutes is a provision built for exactly this kind of situation: a primary winner who becomes, in the party's estimation, more liability than asset before the general election arrives.
Election officials are now tabulating ranked-choice results in five races, the ninth time the state has used the system in a statewide contest, with results expected before the Juneteenth holiday on Friday.
Ranked Choice Voting will be used statewide in Maine on June 9, 2026, and voters don't need to join a party to get a say in these taxpayer-funded primaries.
Showing an independent streak in keeping with Maine’s political tradition, Sen. Rick Bennett (R–Oxford) broke ranks with his party this week to join 91 Democrats in supporting a bill that would finally fulfill the will of Maine voters: implementing ranked choice voting (RCV) in all state general ele
On May 20, the Maine House of Representatives voted 76–71 to withdraw the state from the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), reversing course just over a year after Maine became the 17th jurisdiction to join the agreement.
In a significant early endorsement in Maine’s 2026 governor’s race, US Senator Bernie Sanders has thrown his support behind Troy Jackson, the former Maine Senate President and longtime champion of working-class issues and political reform.
Matt Shinners
Independent Voter Podcast
Shawn Griffiths
Cara Brown McCormick
