Maine Democratic Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairperson | Charlie Dingman |
| Governor | Janet Mills |
| Senate President | Mattie Daughtry |
| House Speaker | Ryan Fecteau |
| Headquarters | Augusta, Maine |
| Membership(2024) |  341,925[1] |
| National affiliation | Democratic Party |
| Colors | Blue |
| US Senate (Maine seats) | 0 / 2 |
| US House (Maine seats) | 2 / 2 |
| Seats in theMaine Senate | 20 / 35 |
| Seats in theMaine House | 82 / 151 |
| Nonvoting Seats in theMaine House | 1 / 3 |
| Executive Offices[a] | 4 / 4 |
| Election symbol | |
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| Website | |
| www | |
TheMaine Democratic Party is the affiliate of theDemocratic Party in theU.S. state ofMaine.
After the Civil War, Democrats were a minor player in a political scene dominated by theRepublican Party. However, during the 1950s,Edmund Muskie led an expansive political insurgency culminating in his election asGovernor of Maine and successive Democratic elections to both state and national offices.[2]
It is currently the state's favored party, controlling both houses of thestate legislature,governorship, and both of Maine'sU.S. House seats. One of Maine'sU.S. Senate seats is currently held byAngus King, anIndependent who caucuses with the Democrats.
Maine'sU.S. Senate Class I seat has been held byIndependentAngus King since2012 (though King does caucus with the Senate Democrats) while the Class II seat has been held byRepublicanSusan Collins since1996. Senate Majority LeaderGeorge J. Mitchell was the last Democrat to represent Maine in the U.S. Senate, leaving office at the conclusion of his term on January 3, 1995. Mitchell had been appointed to the seat in May 1980 to fill the vacancy left byEdmund Muskie after Muskie's appointment as theU.S. Secretary of State. Mitchell was subsequently elected to a full term in1982. After winning a second term in1988, Mitchell opted to retire instead of seeking a third term. CongressmanThomas Andrews ran as the Democratic nominee in the1994 election and was subsequently defeated by Republican challengerOlympia Snowe.
Out of the 2 seats Maine is apportioned in theU.S. House of Representatives, both are held by Democrats:
| District | Member | Photo |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Chellie Pingree | .jpg) |
| 2nd | Jared Golden | .jpeg) |
Democrats control the Governor's office, as well as the three statewide offices filled by theMaine Legislature:
Democrats have controlled the Maine House of Representatives since 2012, and the Maine Senate since 2018. As Maine has no office of lieutenant governor, the Senate President is first in line to become governor in the event of a vacancy.
The Democratic Party has history dating back to the 1800s. Maine entered the Union in 1820 as anAnti-Federalist state. Soon after, in 1834, the Anti-Federalists adopted the Democratic Party name.[2]
The Democrats had limited success for nearly a hundred years, in part due to slavery. The Northeast was predominantly anti-slavery whereas the South was pro-slavery. When theWhig party split in 1856, most of its northern wing formed theRepublican Party, which dominated Maine due to its anti-slavery stance. Maine was predominantly Republican until 1954.[2][3]
In 1954, in agubernatorial election, Democratic state representativeEdmund Muskie became only the fourth Democrat to win the governorship in the 20th century. He won the state over in part due to his stance on economic growth through industrial development, accessible politics on television and being acceptable to diverse population growth. Between 1954 and 1974, the number of registered Democrats more than doubled from 99,000 to 212,000.[3][4][5]
In more recent years, Maine has been roughly evenly split between Democrats, Republicans, and independents. For instance in 1990, independent registered voters constituted 37% of the electorate, Democrats 33%, and Republicans 30%. This is a great contrast to the first hundred years of Maine politics.[6][7]
From 2012 to 2019, despite having a Republican governor inPaul LePage, theparty remained strong, holding key offices in the state government and the U.S. Congress and maintaining a majority in theMaine House of Representatives for six of LePage's eight years in office.
DemocratJanet Mills was electedGovernor of Maine in the2018 gubernatorial election.[8] Democrats have held agovernment trifecta in Maine since the 2018 election.
Maine Democrats promote economic opportunity, ethical government, freedom, safety, and national security. They also promote voting rights, environmental protection, strong public education, access to health care, civil rights, transportation infrastructure, and help for those in serious poverty.[6]
The party advocates economic security through strong support ofSocial Security,Medicare, andMedicaid.
Maine Democrats believe in fair workplace opportunities and support Maine workers' right to form unions through the Employee Free Choice Act, which gives employees the chance to strike without being punished by employers and also keeps the workplace free of hazards, harassment, and discrimination.
The platform also supports environmental protection through an energy plan to curb pollution and increase productivity.[9]
governorship of edmund muskie.
... a man many deemed to be the single-most influential figure in Maine
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