Want to get ready for Maine 2020, Swing Left Greater Boston? 2020 starts in 2019.

Want to be on a key-state team? Contact slabandibar@swingleft.org.

Why Maine?

  • Presidential: Trump won Maine by one electoral vote and by 4.5%. Rated tossup
  • Senate: Susan Collins is vulnerable. Rated lean Republican
  • House:  ME-02 is competitive and rated toss-up
  • Prior SLGB and Trip to Flip in-state experience


Action Paths (in progress)

Presidential Race

  • 4 electoral college votes
  • Rating:
    • Cook Political Report: Lean Republican
  • 2016 Election Margin: Clinton +2.7%

Senate Race

House Races (source: 2018 Swing Left District Resources)

ME-02

ME-02 district map maine 2020

ME-02

  • Cook Political Report: Tossup
  • Population Centers: Lewiston, 36,540; Bangor, 32,900; Auburn, 23,040; Presque Isle, 9,570
  • Geography: district 2 is expansive, covering the northern four-fifths of the state. It includes the  cities of Bangor and Lewiston-Auburn, but 72% of the population lives in rural areas.  Geographically diverse, the district encompasses a long stretch of coastline (the  “midcoast” and “downeast” regions), the Western lakes and mountains, the wooded  and wild “Maine Highlands,” and the agricultural reaches of Aroostook County.
  • Citizenry: with an aging population and the lowest median income of any New England district,  this is an economically stressed area, and wealth tends to concentrate along the  coast. The dichotomy of “Mainers” and those “from away” is important to some  citizens. Those born in Maine to non-native-Mainer parents may even be labeled as  “from away.” Demographically, the district mirrors the state at about 95% white.  However, pockets of diversity exist, with Lewiston being home to a prominent Somali  community, a small population of Hispanic farmworkers in Washington County, and  all five of Maine’s federally recognized Indian tribes being within the district. Initially,  growing immigrant populations led to tension between long-term and newer  residents, but it has decreased in recent years.
  • Economy: the shrinking workforce is a critical concern for rural District 2 communities, and the  need to attract skilled, working-age people to the district is a front-and-center issue.  Formerly reliant on paper mills and shoe manufacturing, the district now looks to  healthcare and tourism as major sources of employment. Five of the top 10  employers in the district are hospital networks, and a sixth, Jackson Laboratory,  performs medical research. Agriculture and fishing remain important industries.  Union participation is down, though the Maine Education Association, at 23,578  members, remains one of the largest unions in the U.S.
  • Learn more at ME-02