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I can tell you why @SaraGideon lost against Collins but it will be hard to read+ take in. My Bona Fides: I’m from Bangor, Maine. Heart of District 2. Did a TON of politics in high school/college. (FYI I read NYT article about the race and I sort of agreed w it)
...but it missed the main point. Mainers are a unique sort. No nonsense, centrist to a fault, help your neighbors but stay out of their business, shovel the damn driveway even though you have a snowblower. Tough AF. Work hard. Family first. No frills. Ever. Everyone is the same.
More than anything else, we have a saying. If you weren’t born in Maine and grew up there, you are “from away.” It means, you don’t belong here. You are not one of us and never will be. It’s a far, far deeper cut vs “bless your heart.” It’s Hades level shade.
District 2 people even thinks people from Portland semi qualify as “from away.” We don’t hold much regard for fancy hipster city folks. This has changed w younger gen but 50+, no way. You have to have grown up in the woods to be truly from Maine.
Not saying this is good. Just telling you the truth. And, Sara Gideon was from away. She didn’t understand Maine values. No fancy DC money. In Maine we seek common ground+ show how we can help our neighbors. We don’t attack our own, ever.
If she had run a campaign like Billy Cohen (from Bangor!) did in the 1970s and walked across the state, connecting with everyday people, showing how she was humble (a main Maine trait), it would have worked. Focus on what she could do for her neighbors.
Like her or not, Collins is from The County (northern Maine). Grew up on a potato farm. She never picked a damn tater in her life but it doesn’t matter. She’s Maine to her core. One of us, as much as I hate to be associated with her.
Mainers will trust a sketchy local over a clean cut out of stater any day. Even an ethical hard working bright caring decent human like Sara Gideon versus the spineless bootlicker fascist apologist. Again- I said this would be hard to read. It’s the truth.
Come for a vacation in Acadia National Park. Then go home. We love your tourist $, but not your non Maine values. (I’m not saying me, I’m speaking generally).
This is why Gideon lost. The real reason. She didn’t convince District 2 why she belonged here+ why she should represent us. Why we should make an exception for her (we do make exceptions. See Angus King. Who is lovely BTW). It’s why Golden won and Gideon lost District 2.
It’s why Gideon won Portland overwhelmingly (Portland is far more diverse and overlooks from away). If Gideon had been from Bangor or District 2 she would have cleaned house. She wasn’t. I worried deeply that she would lose in the end.
Maine is *weird* politically. Pundits not from there truly don’t understand. Out of every state in the US most people you meet are really middle of the road centrist. They can be convinced with logic and a personal touch. Not negative ads blasting the other person running.
Also not a personal attack on Gideon- a really decent human, she was a very non charismatic candidate. She never popped. She wasn’t memorable. There was no there there. We like superstars on the basketball court. We like pizazz, as long as it helps us. That is allowed.
Angus King is from away, however he started a huge business and always put the people of Maine first. Lots of zip. We’ve adopted him as one of our own. He metaphorically shoveled a lot of our driveways.
All this to say: Maine has serious issues with racism and sexism and bigotry. It’s an aging, super white state. It has to get over itself. Until we stop seeing folks as from away, we’ll keep electing duds like Collins. We have to put forward better candidates until then.
Y’all, I live in Alabama and voted for Doug Jones. I would have voted for Gideon, a bit reluctantly- against Collins, not for her. I didn’t like her as a candidate. She wasn’t Olympia Snowe (yes she was a R but today she’d classify as a D). Yes I know her. Wonderful human.
(I know Olympia not Sara). Anyways I wanted to give my 2 cents worth since no one has really talked about this. Thank you for reading.
