A few dozen local elected leaders and supporters gathered in Portland today for the launch of a new group aimed at mobilizing Black voters for Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Black Mainers for Harris-Walz plans to canvass, phonebank, and turnout voters of all backgrounds to support Democratic candidates up and down the ballot.
Maine's house speaker, Rachel Talbot Ross, helped create the group. At the press conference in Portland, she said the group is open to Mainers of all identities, but seeks to create a political home for Black voters.
"Black Mainers for Harris creates a space for dialogue, organizing, and action, where Black Mainers can engage directly with a campaign that values us, that sees us, that hears us," she said.
Talbot Ross said volunteers will focus much of their energy on Maine's highly competitive second congressional district, where a congressional seat and an electoral college vote are up for grabs.
Democratic congresswoman Joyce Beatty of Ohio, a Harris campaign surrogate, said even though Maine has a relatively small Black population, the campaign is bracing for close elections across the country.
"Every vote is important. Every population," Beatty said. "Some places - and people - win elections by one vote. Maine is on the table, and not off the table."
