Maine's Political Pulse

The Maine Political Pulse features news and analysis of politics and government by correspondents Steve Mistler and Kevin Miller. Both have extensive experience covering the Maine Legislature, U.S. Congress and state elections for newspapers like the Portland Press Herald and now for Maine Public. The Pulse is offered as a podcast and a newsletter and is excerpted for broadcast segments during All Things Considered and Morning Edition. You can subscribe to the newsletter here and you can find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other streaming services.

Nov. 14, 2025: Angus King broke ranks to help end the government shutdown. The backlash has been withering

The longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history is over. But with little to show for it, the mostly Democratic politicians who ended the standoff now face intense backlash.

11-14
07:23

Nov. 5, 2025: Maine voters reject elections overhauls, enact red-flag gun bill

The results from Tuesday’s referendum election highlighted new challenges for conservative activists hoping to use Maine’s citizens’ initiative process to implement long-sought changes to election law, while also challenging the supremacy gun rights groups have historically had over firearms laws.

11-05
08:31

Oct. 31, 2025: Here's your last-minute guide to Questions 1 and 2 on Tuesday's ballot

On Tuesday, Maine voters will settle long-running policy debates over voter ID and guns during an off-year election that has been overshadowed by events in DC and primary contests that won't be decided until next year.

10-31
08:24

Oct. 24, 2025: Will Graham Platner's commanding polling lead falter amid stream of opposition research releases?

For nearly two months, Graham Platner’s bid for the U.S. Senate was marked by momentum and bravado as the political newcomer drew big crowds to his town halls and he channeled Democratic voters’ hopes for a newer, brasher kind of candidate. During an interview in late September, he said, “I’ll just say, it’s been very surreal.” Reality has arrived over the past week. Now comes a test of Democratic primary voters' risk aversion.

10-24
08:58

Oct. 15, 2025: What Janet Mills' entrance means for the Senate race in Maine

State House correspondent Kevin Miller spoke with political science professor Jim Melcher from the University of Maine-Farmington about Gov. Janet Mills' bid for the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins next fall.

10-16
15:00

Oct. 15, 2025: With Question 2, voters will weigh in on whether Maine's current gun-confiscation law is sufficient

Proponents of Question 2 argue that the existing law — often referred to as Maine’s yellow flag law — is a failed experiment that was not used to stop a gunman in Lewiston from killing 18 people and injuring and traumatizing countless others in 2023 despite warnings about his deteriorating mental health.

10-15
06:17

Oct. 6, 2025: Does Maine's Question 1 call for commonsense voter ID changes or will it undermine absentee voting?

The competing narratives about Question 1’s true objectives and potential impacts are perhaps best epitomized by the names of the groups leading the fight on either side: Voter ID for ME and the Save Maine Absentee Voting Coalition.

10-06
09:23

Sept. 11, 2025: Maine's Democratic Senate primary is taking early shape

There’s a bonafide primary contest among Democrats in the Maine race for the U.S. Senate. And one of the leading contestants, Gov. Janet Mills, isn't even an official candidate yet.

09-11
08:35

Aug. 21, 2025: Who is Graham Platner and why is he everywhere right now?

Defeating Susan Collins is Graham Platner’s primary goal, but he and his campaign also signaled that they’re gearing up for a potential fight against power brokers in the Democratic National Committee.

08-21
07:00

Aug. 14, 2025: GOP gubernatorial hopeful takes aim at one of Maine's Somali-American lawmakers

The 2026 gubernatorial election is 16 months away, yet Republican hopeful Bobby Charles has already managed to break through the mostly routine campaign rollouts by the rest of the ever-growing field of candidates.

08-14
10:58

June 20, 2025: Wrapping up the legislative session

The Maine Legislature wrapped up this year’s session on Wednesday night. Here's what they got done and still have left to do.

06-20
10:02

June 6, 2025: Maine lawmakers spar over 'red flag' proposal

This week we’re gonna catch up on the latest from the State House where the Legislature is racing toward the end of the session. There’s a lot going on. But we’re going to focus on a few highlights, starting with a conflict between Democrats and Republicans over a "red flag" bill that will appear as a ballot measure in November.

06-06
09:31

May 16, 2025: Rewriting Jan. 6, a possible primary challenge for Jared Golden

Nearly one year after President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in the hopes of stopping certification of the 2020 election, the Maine House of Representatives debated a resolution commemorating the assault on Congress that ultimately led to the conviction of more than 1,270 rioters.

05-16
10:06

April 14, 2025: Where Maine's federal lawmakers stand on Donald Trump's tariff policy

Some members of Congress, including most of Maine's delegation, are increasingly uneasy with President Donald Trump's tariffs — but efforts to curtail his power are likely going nowhere.

04-14
06:51

April 4, 2025: Title IX, tariffs and the other stories driving Maine's political frenzy

Welcome to April and a political news cycle that never stops. This week we’re going to focus on a few developments with the goal of providing a little clarity and context that isn’t always achievable when news breaks and deadlines loom.

04-04
09:54

March 14, 2025: As Trump makes the trade war about Canada's sovereignty, Maine hopes it won't pay the price

Trump has said repeatedly he wants Canada to become the 51st state. It's a statement sometimes laughed off in the U.S., but viewed as deadly serious in Canada.

03-14
08:27

Feb. 21, 2025: Maine’s new 3-day waiting period law could become test case in new legal landscape on guns

Maine’s new, three-day waiting period on gun purchases passed the Legislature by the slimmest possible margin last year and narrowly averted a veto from Democratic Gov. Janet Mills. Now, gun rights advocates think the law could become the vehicle to erase waiting period laws in Maine and roughly a dozen other states.

02-21
11:11

Feb. 7, 2025: For years, RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine rhetoric has found receptive ears in Maine

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has continued to push the long debunked claim that childhood vaccines cause autism. He has also argued that the COVID-19 vaccine was part of an elite plot to prolong the pandemic and shun other unproven or debunked remedies.

02-07
08:27

Jan. 31, 2025: Trump’s funding freeze and the clarion call for Maine, national Dems

Democrats’ response this week to President Donald Trump’s attempt to freeze all federal grants and loans already approved by Congress was a rare moment of swift, unified and urgent condemnation.

01-31
09:49

Jan. 17, 2025: Janet Mills' plan to fill Maine's first budget hole in over a decade

The tax and fee changes that Gov. Janet Mills put forward last week in her budget only add up to about $150 million in a two-year state spending plan that tops $11.6 billion. But new taxes and fees are always controversial, even when they are narrowly “targeted,” as Mills argues in this case.

01-18
12:24

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