Your Vote 2020

Morning Edition's Irwin Gratz spoke with Maine Public's Chief Political Correspondent Steve Mistler and Senior Political Reporter Mal Leary ahead of Maine's state primary Tuesday.

Two years ago, the race for Maine's 2nd Congressional District seat generated millions of dollars in spending to influence voters. The source of a good chunk of that money was secret, thanks in part to loopholes in federal election law that are routinely exploited by both conservative and liberal groups. Now, the winner of that election, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, wants to close those loopholes.

Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon, the presumed frontrunner in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, used Monday’s Maine Public debate to tout her policy goals if she’s able to knock off incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in November.

Next week, Maine voters will decide whether to borrow $120 million between two infrastructure bond questions. But with the pandemic underway, and its resulting economic recession, it’s not yet clear how many of them will cast a ballot.

This week, Maine Public’s Irwin Gratz speaks with Senior Political Correspondent Mal Leary and Statehouse Bureau Chief Steve Mistler about the Republican Primary in the 2nd Congressional District.

Historically, the district has leaned conservative, and it did vote for Donald Trump in 2016. But it was represented for years by a Democrat, Mike Michaud, and Democrat Jared Golden won the seat back from the GOP in 2018.

The race to challenge Golden has drawn three Republican contenders.

In the wake of this week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling on an abortion case, Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins has come under renewed attack for her vote to confirm U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh two years ago. Collins continues to defend her support of Kavanaugh, and she says she believes that she will be reelected in November.

As part of Maine Public's coverage of election issues throughout the year, we feature this Your Vote 2020 interview with candidates who will be on the ballot during the primary election on July 14.

We speak with two primary candidates to learn about their views on current events, the issues they are prioritizing, and what they feel voters need to know about them.

As part of Maine Public's coverage of election issues throughout the year, we feature this Your Vote 2020 interview with candidates who will be on the ballot during the primary election on July 14.

We speak with two Republican primary candidates for election to the U.S. House to represent Maine's 2nd Congressional District. They'll discuss their views on current events, the issues they are prioritizing, and what they feel voters need to know about them.

As part of Maine Public's coverage of election issues throughout the year, we feature this Your Vote 2020 interview with candidates who will be on the ballot during the primary election on July 14.

Two Democratic primary candidates for U.S. Senate will be interviewed to learn about their views on current events, the issues they are prioritizing, and what they feel voters need to know about them.