LePage v. Bernie Sanders? Partisan rancor raises stakes in Lewiston's mayoral race
December 12, 2017 10:08 am
Excerpt:
This snowy Tuesday brings the last high-profile Maine election of 2017 in Lewiston, where Democrat Ben Chin and Republican Shane Bouchard are in a runoff for the city’s open mayoral seat that could be a tiny preview of races to come next year.
A Chin win would put the city under firm Democratic control; a Bouchard win would continue a recent and partial Republican trend. Lewiston is a historic Democratic stronghold and still looks that way on paper, with 6,100 more registered Democrats than Republicans. But Gov. Paul LePage won his home city in 2010 and 20,14 and Mayor Robert Macdonald has used similar messaging around welfare en route to his three victories.
Maine’s two biggest political parties are involved and the race has attracted big-name endorsements. The Maine Republican Party and Maine Democratic Party have been doing organizing work in Lewiston.
Democrats spent $2,200 on Chin’s behalf between the November election and Nov. 28. Meanwhile, Bouchard got a Monday endorsement from U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, following an endorsement from LePage last week. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the runner-up for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, cut an endorsement video for Chin on Friday.
http://bangordailynews.com/2017/12/12/politics/lepage-v-bernie-sanders-partisan-rancor-raises-stakes-in-lewistons-mayoral-race/
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“I’ve never seen that at any election . . . that’s huge,” said City Clerk Kathy Montejo. “There was a little bit of a party going on in the hallway. It was fantastic.”
And despite the storm that blanketed the area with snow and sleet Tuesday morning, turnout remained strong through the morning. By 10:30 a.m., Montejo estimated that well over 1,000 people had voted.
Another five to 10 voters filed in every minute.
http://www.sunjournal.com/lewiston-voters-turn-out-in-droves-despite-storm/