In a viral video, a Maine school board member confronted the board after he learned students could be suspended for referring to their classmates by their biological sex rather than their chosen gender identity.
Josh Tabor, who was elected as a write-in candidate for the North Berwick section of the <a href="https://www.rsu60.org/board-budget">Maine School Administrative District</a> following his two-week campaign, had the following exchange with members of the school board:
Tabor: Just for clarification, is this the policy that’s used: if a student misuses a pronoun, they are suspended?
School board member: An intentional, yeah, that’s part of the definition of bullying.
Tabor: So if I raise my daughters to, if the person is a female, appears to be a female, to use she pronouns, and that student says, “no, I want to be something else” will my child be suspended for that?
School board member: Oh, yeah. That would be harassment.
Tabor: When I heard that students are being suspended because they are using the wrong pronoun, I was aghast. I didn’t realize that. … One is biological facts, it’s actually XX chromosome, XY chromosomes. Those are facts. We can’t change those. It doesn’t matter what our opinion is. We can’t change those things.  Those are immutable facts. And I’m wondering…my question is, are we suspending students for immutable facts? That’s what I’m asking.
School board member: Not for making a genuine mistake. If someone is doing sort of what you’re sort of doing here, and sort of trying to attack somebody because you don’t agree with it, that’s very different and I think that’s what they’re talking about is, I’m going to keep saying it, because I know it bothers you, then yes, this policy should apply.
Tabor: I think that you are out of line by assuming that I am attacking anybody.
School board member: Then I don’t know what you mean.
Tabor: I’m asking a general question.
School board member: I think it’s been answered. I think if you accidentally do it, and somebody corrects you, fine, it’s not an issue.
Another board member:  I mean, think about the other kids. So what is your goal here? That they’re allowed to be dead-named?
Tabor: I do not believe it is harmful to speak the truth.
School board member: You don’t think it’s harmful to be called something you don’t identify with?
Tabor:  I don’t think it’s harmful to speak the truth.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Students are being suspended in Maine schools for not using preferred pronouns
Berwick and Lebanon Maine Schools confirm the suspension policy
“Just for clarification, is this the policy that&#39;s used if a student misuses a pronoun, they are suspended?”
“An intentional, yeah”… <a href="https://t.co/m5ThmvsnWl">pic.twitter.com/m5ThmvsnWl</a>
&mdash; Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) <a href="https://twitter.com/WallStreetApes/status/2006557661886820467?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This is concerning. <a href="https://twitter.com/CivilRights?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CivilRights</a> has been investigating similar policies in other jurisdictions as well. <a href="https://t.co/Wp6pkqzn9q">https://t.co/Wp6pkqzn9q</a>
&mdash; AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) <a href="https://twitter.com/AAGDhillon/status/2006732483057037766?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
Tabor explained in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/61572848167987/videos/josh-tabor-how-he-won-his-school-board-seatmsad-60berwick-lebanon-as-a-write-in-/685803680579781/">another forum</a> what prompted him to run for the board:
<blockquote>
I had a conversation with my dad. He said, “Are you going back into education?’ I said, “Hell, no. That place is a viper pit. All they do is ruin everything they touch.” I firmly believe that, and I’m in it still.
This is what my father said to me; wise words from a very wise man. He said, “Josh, you’re a firecracker; you’ve been a firecracker your whole life. I want you to think about the effect a firecracker has on the outside of a box: It makes a loud bang and a little small mark; you can have an effect from the outside. But I want you to think about the what a firecracker does if it’s on the inside of the box.”
“And I went, ‘Damn, Dad.’ Because he was right.
</blockquote>

JetBlue To Open First Lounge At New York’s JFK Amid Premium Push

Viral Clash: Maine School Board Member Questions Policy Treating ‘Misgendering’ As Bullying

Maine

Transgender

Editor’s note: This week, we’re reprinting some of our best stories from the past year. In this piece, originally published in October, Maine legislator Laurel Libby recounts her decision to no longer remain silent about boys participating in girls&#8217; sports.
* * *
There may be no state legislator more popular at The Daily Wire than Laurel Libby.
She took a bold stand for girls’ sports in Maine and refused to budge. But it wasn’t always that way.
As Libby explains, she once failed to stand strong for what was right. Never again. — The Daily Wire
* * *
America’s founders appropriately recognized freedom of speech as the most fundamental right for a flourishing republic. But in today’s America, telling the truth carries a cost.
From social media bans to government censorship to silencing dissent inside our statehouses, the message is clear: if you dare to speak the truth, you will pay a price.
I witnessed this firsthand in Maine’s Democrat-controlled state House, where I was stripped of my right to speak for the people of Maine as their elected representative simply for highlighting biological differences between boys and girls in a state competition.
And the problem is getting worse, not better. Without a renewed commitment to our founding ideals, our society may become free in theory, but authoritarian in practice.
My experience in Maine began in February with a viral social media post. A biological male, who had placed fifth in the boys’ competition the year prior, won the girls’ state pole vault championship. Seeing his female competitor relegated to second place broke my heart.
I could not remain silent.
I posted two publicly available photos side by side. One showed the athlete finishing fifth in the boys’ competition one year; the other showed him taking gold in the girls’ competition the next. Official results had already been available for all to see, but this picture made the unfairness of the situation crystal clear.
Girls in Maine, and across the country, were being forced to compete on unequal terms – not only to justify a political cause, but to signal obedience to an ideology that punishes anyone who questions it.
And punished I was. 
The Maine House Speaker demanded I delete my post. When I refused, I was stripped of my right to speak or vote in the Legislature. Unless and until I issued a formal apology, I would remain barred from representing the nearly 9,000 constituents who elected me.
This wasn’t the first time legislative leadership in Maine used procedural tools to suppress dissent. In May of 2021, the Democratic legislative leadership issued a mask mandate, solely for the State House, after Governor Janet Mills had lifted the state mask mandate.
As a result, Mainers were denied their First Amendment right to assemble, to petition their government, and to speak freely, unless they traded a piece of their liberty. 
I knew it was wrong, and alongside five colleagues, I walked in without a mask.
In response, the Speaker stripped us of our committee assignments and barred us from voting. I agonized over what to do, but in the end, I put a face shield back on, telling myself it was my duty to vote for my constituents.
But the truth is I failed to stand strong in defense of the First Amendment. And that failure taught me that when you give in to fear and intimidation, it only encourages more of both.
This year, I chose not to make the same mistake.
Now, in February, I was confronted with a choice again: to give in or keep fighting. For Maine, for our girls, and for our First Amendment, I chose to fight. 
I filed suit against the Legislature after they barred me for exercising my right to speak truthfully about protecting girls’ sports. And the Supreme Court ruled in my favor and restored my vote!
It was, by any normal standard, the right outcome. But it should never have been necessary. An elected official was forced to file a lawsuit to fulfill her duty to the people of Maine, all because she took a stand for women and girls.
These are the things of totalitarian governments, not the United States.
We still talk about the First Amendment as though it protects us in practice as well as in theory. But in much of American life, the real barriers to speech are procedural, reputational and cultural. They come from norms that shift depending on the issue at hand and the politics of the speaker.
When Charlie Kirk was assassinated, I was in Washington, DC. I called home to tell my older children, and my teenager’s first question stopped me in my tracks: “Mom, are you going to stop speaking up?” Without hesitation, I answered: “No. Absolutely not.”
If we stay silent now, we surrender the foundation of liberty. If we bow to intimidation, we hand our children a future where truth is unwelcome and freedom is conditional.
This is not someone else’s fight. It is ours. Parents, teachers, students, pastors, lawmakers, citizens – every one of us has a role to play in protecting the space to speak truthfully, even when it costs us.
This moment is where we stand to lose, or gain, the most. The only way we lose is if we make the choice to silence ourselves.
We cannot be silent. We must speak. We must stand. There is too much at stake to do otherwise.
 * * * 
Laurel Libby is a member of the House of Representatives in Maine.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Untitled design (13)

Best Of 2025: Silenced In Maine: How Standing Up For Girls’ Sports Cost Me My Voice

Best Of 2025: Silenced In Maine: How Standing Up For Girl's Sports Cost Me My Voice

Democrats

Gender

Leftists

Opinion

Transgender Athletes

Maine will be limiting how its state and local authorities interact with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, further amplifying how immigration is becoming a key issue in northeastern races in the 2026 midterm elections.
Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat running for Senate, announced on Tuesday that she would allow LD 1971 to go into effect next month. The proposal allows for authorities to comply with federal immigration officials only for an additional criminal probe, not just for immigration reasons, according to <a href="https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/12/15/politics/state-politics/janet-mills-maine-ice-limited-cooperation-becomes-law/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bangor Daily News</a>.
“As a former District Attorney and Attorney General and now as Governor, I carefully considered this bill. I&#8217;ve weighed my concerns that it imposes confusing restraints on law enforcement about when they can and can&#8217;t interact with Federal authorities against the extraordinary and horrifying actions of a Federal agency that has been weaponized by the President to undermine the rights of us all. And I also agree with the bill&#8217;s aim of ensuring that Maine law enforcement are enforcing Maine laws, not Federal immigration law,&#8221; Mills wrote in a <a href="https://www.pressherald.com/2025/12/15/maine-law-enforcement-will-not-make-dangerous-promises-with-ice-gov-janet-mills/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Portland Press Herald</a> op-ed.
She said the bill is “imperfect,” but Maine law allows the bill to go into effect if she chooses not to directly veto it days after the Legislature comes back, according to a <a href="https://www.maine.gov/governor/mills/news/press-herald-op-ed-governor-mills-announces-ld-1971-become-law-2025-12-15" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>.
&#8220;LD 1971 is imperfect, and we should not need it, but the times call for it. We cannot turn a blind eye to ICE&#8217;s unacceptable actions, and so I have chosen to allow LD 1971 to become law,” she continued. In addition, Mills announced in a press release that she scrapped former Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s 2011 Executive Order that allowed “for enhanced cooperation between state and Federal officials in the enforcement of Federal immigration law.”
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The National Republican Senatorial Committee took aim at Mills on her decision.
“Radical Janet Mills is trying to BAN Maine law enforcement from working with ICE so that criminals illegal immigrants can stay in the state,” the NRSC posted to X. “Mills continues to put Mainers last EVERY TIME.”
Mills is in a closely-watched primary contest against populist veteran Graham Platner, who’s been riddled with a wide range of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-bad-news-keeps-rolling-in-for-graham-platners-senate-campaign">scandals</a>. Whoever wins the primary will face off against Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in what promises to be a competitive November general election.
Abigail Jackson, White House spokeswoman, told The Daily Wire, “Every locality should be willing to cooperate with ICE officers to get dangerous criminal illegal aliens out of their communities. It’s common sense.”
The governor&#8217;s decision and the criticism from the NRSC are showing how immigration has turned into an issue far beyond the southern border for the midterms. Although the Northeast is thousands of miles away from the United States-Mexico border, ICE has conducted major operations in Boston and the New England region, which has sparked outrage among Democrats.
In Massachusetts, anti-ICE activist Jonathan Paz announced a primary challenge to House Minority Whip Katherine Clark on Monday, and touted immigration as a major campaign issue.
“From organizing renters’ rights in Waltham to standing up to big tech and now resisting Trump’s ICE, I’ve seen what’s possible when we organize our communities and stay true to our principles,” Paz said in his campaign launch video.

18 Dead After Mass Shooter Goes On A Rampage In Maine

Battleground State Governor OKs ‘Confusing’ Bill To Limit Police Cooperation With ICE

2026 election

2026 Midterms

Immigration

janet mills

Maine Republicans just got a huge boost in their efforts to claim competitive Senate and House seats as Democrats duke it out in a messy primary that has become a national flash point.
State Rep. Laurel Libby, a Republican, announced this week that she was launching a trio of groups — Lead Maine, Lead Maine Action, and the Lead Maine Committee — with the hopes of boosting turnout for her party in and further conservative policies.
“Maine needs a long-term, durable campaign infrastructure that grows our conservative grassroots movement and seats up Republicans up for success in 2026 and beyond,” Libby said in a statement.
Lead Maine will be a nonprofit and the action group is a state-level political action committee, while the committee will be a federal-level Super PAC, according to a press release.
Libby became a national figure over her critique of the state’s policies regarding transgender athletes, which at one point cost her the ability to even vote in the Maine House, The Daily Wire reported in June. She will not be running for re-election after three terms in the legislature, her press release noted.
“Lead Maine and its affiliated organizations are committed to building exactly that by educating and mobilizing citizens to drive meaningful societal and electoral change at both the state and national levels.”
Libby&#8217;s groups could help Republicans gain an advantage in a closely-watched cycle dominated by coverage of populist oyster farmer Graham Platner, who has faced numerous scandals for deleted Reddit posts and a Nazi tattoo. Platner is facing Governor Janet Mills in a primary that has voters split on questions of age and ideology, dividing the Democratic Party as a whole. Platner, a populist, is more than three decades younger than the more establishment Mills, who is 77.
Whoever wins will take on Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a race the Cook Political Report calls a “toss-up,&#8221; one of the most competitive races of the coming midterm cycle. Democratic primary polls have yielded mixed results despite Platner’s scandals, and he shows no signs of dropping out despite high staff turnover.
“We can defeat Susan Collins and send a message to everyone that a new dawn has come for American politics. One that is strong, one that is principled, one that is hopeful, and most importantly, one that fights and wins,” Platner recently posted to X.
The Lead Maine Committee, a partnership with the Sentinel Action Fund, will put $4 million into Collins’ race. Grassroots movements and organizations are becoming more commonplace on the right, including with Scott Presler’s voter registration efforts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, in addition to groups like Turning Point Action.
“This partnership and investment come ahead of a pivotal midterm election cycle. Maine’s Senate seat will play a critical role in securing and expanding the Republican Senate majority and protecting it is an essential step toward achieving a 60-seat majority,” Sentinel Action Fund President Jessica Anderson said in a statement.
In Maine’s Second Congressional District, Democrat Rep. Jared Golden announced that he is retiring, leaving the seat up for grabs despite now being labeled as “likely Republican” by the Cook Political Report due to President Donald Trump’s victory in the district last year.
Democrat Jordan Wood exited the Senate race in order to run for the seat instead, and former Republican Gov. Paul LePage is running for the Republican nomination. Besides Collins, there are no other Republicans in the New England Congressional delegation.

Graham Platner Maine

How Maine’s Messy Democratic Primary Has Republicans Circling The Wagons

graham platner

Senate

Susan Collins

“Socialism is not a dirty word anymore!” former Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) yelled the night of November 4.
Bowman joined noted leftists Mehdi Hasan and Hasan Piker in an election night stream from Zohran Mamdani’s victory party. Mamdani, a 34-year-old socialist, had just won election as mayor of the most populous city in the United States.
The Democratic Party’s left flank is increasingly boxing out more moderate members to follow the lead of progressives, as seen in the government shutdown or in helping progressives and self-described socialists secure influential positions, one GOP political strategist told The Daily Wire.
“Progressives are fired up and the establishment Dems are trying to do as much as they can to capture it. I mean, a cynical person might say that the government shut down so Abigail Spanberger could win Virginia, right?” the strategist said. “I think that the only reason why the establishment Dems … picked such a difficult battle for them to win policy-wise in the shutdown is to make sure that their progressive comrades are not able to criticize them as much, and that means that the progressives are the tail that is wagging the dog right now.”
The progressive dominance is starkly evident in Maine. Democratic Rep. Jared Golden is known for regularly breaking with his party, sometimes on key votes. He was the only Democrat to vote with House Republicans to pass a short-term continuing resolution to head off the government shutdown that stretched a record 40 days.
Golden announced on November 5, the day after Mamdani’s victory, that he would forgo a run at re-election in 2026.
“I’m confident that were I to run again, I would win,” said Golden in a <a href="https://x.com/golden4congress/status/1986163261696278844">statement</a>. “Now, I look forward to my next chapter: raising my young daughters with Izzy and spending more time with our family and friends.”
The now-outgoing congressman abandoned his re-election campaign as he was facing significant pressure from his left from Democrat Matt Dunlap, Maine’s former secretary of state. When Dunlap announced his primary challenge to Golden last month, Dunlap’s first move was to <a href="https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2025-10-06/former-maine-secretary-of-state-matt-dunlap-launches-primary-challenge-against-jared-golden">characterize</a> Golden as too soft on President Donald Trump.
Dunlap appears to have resonated with voters in Maine’s second district. In a University of New Hampshire <a href="https://scholars.unh.edu/survey_center_polls/897/">poll</a> released last month, Dunlap was leading the incumbent, Golden.
That same poll also showed another progressive Democrat in Maine, Graham Platner, leading the field for the chance to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Maine Governor Janet Mills, known in the state as a more moderate Democrat despite her combative streak with Trump, <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/latest-polls/senate">trails</a> far behind Platner.
Platner is an Iraq War veteran, an oyster farmer, and the harbormaster of the small town of Sullivan. He has a history of <a href="https://mainemorningstar.com/2025/11/07/washington-need-not-apply-how-mainers-are-evaluating-controversy-laden-graham-platner/">working</a> with the climate alarmist Acadia Center, and he has secured endorsements from high-profile progressives, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
Last month, he was revealed to have a tattoo of a Nazi symbol, a skull-and-crossbones known as a Totenkopf, on his chest. He <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMnc4ddc7j4">clarified</a> he is “not a secret Nazi” and claimed that he had not known where the symbol originated until the scandal blew up. Some doubt about Platner’s story is warranted, though, since a <a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2025/10/graham-platner-ss-tattoo-maine-senate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> that the candidate had been referring to his tattoo as a Totenkopf as early as 2012.
Platner’s online history has come up in the campaign, as well. In 2020 and 2021, Platner was in internet posts claiming to be a “communist” while using racist language and gay slurs. While he has called the posts “indefensible,” he has also dismissed them as unserious and jokes.
Platner’s campaign has <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/maines-graham-platner-thinks-voters-will-overlook-his-past-to-support-a-new-type-of-candidate">imploded</a> in recent weeks with multiple high-level departures, including his treasurer and finance director. Platner’s former campaign manager left after four days, excusing the early departure by saying his wife is pregnant. Separately, Platner’s campaign has required staff members to sign nondisclosure agreements, which the candidate has said is necessary in a high-stakes election.
Despite the upheaval, Platner’s political allies, including Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez, have stood by the embattled Platner, showing just how durable support can be among the progressives’ favored candidates.
“One reason for that is it&#8217;s very clear that the base is furious, riled up, ready to support candidates that they wouldn&#8217;t have in the past,” whether for personal or policy reasons, said the GOP strategist, who has worked in Maine politics for more than a decade.
Progressives were reassured recently that voters may not punish them for standing by Platner. In Virginia, Democrats’ pick for state attorney general, Jay Jones, won the election to the office despite past text messages he sent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/read-them-virginia-dem-sent-shocking-texts-about-killing-gop-leader-pissing-on-graves">supporting</a> violence against his political opponents and their families.
Jones’ victory in Virginia is “a sad reflection of a discomfiting willingness among voters to prioritize partisanship over human decency,” as The Washington Post editorial board <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/11/03/virginia-election-governor-spanberger-sears-jay-jones/">wrote</a> ahead of the November 4 election.

Graham Platner

‘The Tail Wagging The Dog’: Progressives Dominate Democratic Politics In Maine And Beyond

Democratic Party

Zohran Mamdani

Embattled Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner will lose the state’s Democratic primary to Governor Janet Mills, a new poll found.
EMILY’s List, which is supporting Mills in the primary, <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000019a-7501-dfdd-af9b-75912aca0000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commissioned a poll</a> from Impact Research that found Mills would lose to incumbent Senator Susan Collins (R) with just 42% of the vote. But that’s only when respondents were given “balanced information” about the candidates.
When “additional information” was given about the Platner — such as quotes from deleted social media posts where he called himself a communist, and his Nazi symbol tattoo — Collins’ lead climbs to 57%.
“The statements include quotes from Platner’s posts, including his history of stoking political violence, use of homophobic slurs, and offensive views towards law enforcement and sexual assault victims,” the memo stated.
The poll was taken among 700 likely voters from October 22 to 27, with a 3.7% margin of error.
The Cook Political Report currently ranks the race as a “toss-up.” The Republican won re-election in 2020 with 50.98%, compared to 42.39% for the Democrat, Sara Gideon.
Platner has remained in the race despite the wave of negative headlines and most recently spoke out against the Democrats who backed the deal to reopen the federal government, even calling on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to “step down.”
“We get nothing. No healthcare. No subsidies,” Platner posted to X on Tuesday. “This is not a ‘deal.’ It&#8217;s a surrender.”
The vote to reopen the government by Collins and other Senate Republicans, in addition to some Democrats, was the hot topic on the campaign trail in recent days.
“This short-term continuing resolution would reopen government immediately, provide back pay to all federal workers, and fund important federal programs on which many Americans rely,” Collins, who is the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, wrote on X.
Meanwhile, Mills said Collins “voted against extending ACA subsidies,” as an amendment to continue the Obamacare subsidies for another year was shot down by Senate Republicans.
“This vote is a betrayal of Maine people, and it will send health care costs through the roof. While I have fought to expand health care and to make it more affordable, Senator Collins and Republicans in Washington are doing the opposite,” the governor posted.
The Daily Wire reached out to the Platner, Collins, and Mills campaigns, which were not immediately available for comment. Democrat Jordan Wood dropped out of the Maine Democratic primary on Wednesday, instead opting to run for Maine’s Second Congressional District, which is now open due to Rep. Jared Golden’s (D-ME) retirement announcement. The seat is considered competitive, but is labeled by the Cook Political Report as “Likely Republican.”
“If Chuck Schumer’s mountain of opposition research against Graham Platner wasn’t enough to scare him out of this race, it’s doubtful a poll from a group that has endorsed Janet Mills will do much,” National Republican Senatorial Committee Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell told The Daily Wire in a statement.

Maine Voters Embrace Susan Collins The More They Learn About Graham Platner: Poll

Congress

Polls

The 2026 midterm elections have an unlikely focal point: Maine.
The state’s Democratic primary has been marred with drama since self-styled populist Graham Platner was revealed to have made social media posts bashing cops and labeling himself a “communist.” Platner, who is battling Governor Janet Mills for the opportunity to face incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins, has been bleeding staff since it came to light that he had a Nazi symbol tattooed on his chest.
Then Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) announced earlier this week that he would not be seeking re-election to Maine’s Second Congressional District. The Cook Political Report promptly moved the race from “toss-up” to “Likely Republican.”
“After much deliberation, I’ve decided not to seek reelection in 2026,” the Democrat posted to X on Wednesday. “I’m confident that were I to run again, I would win. But recent events have made me reconsider whether the good I can do in Congress still outweighs the cost to my family.”
The race, along with a few others, might be one of the few chances for Republicans to beef up their congressional representation in New England, as Collins is the only Republican representing the region in Washington.
In 2024, President Donald Trump won the district with 54%, but Golden has held on to the seat since he first won in 2018, a Democratic flip. The district covers northern Maine and is significantly more red compared with the deep blue First Congressional District. Last year, Golden defeated Republican Austin Theriault by roughly 2,700 votes.
“Serial flip-flopper Jared Golden’s exit from Congress says it all: He’s turned his back on Mainers for years and now his chickens are coming home to roost,” National Republican Campaign Committee Spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole said in a statement earlier this week when he called it quits. “He, nor any other Democrat, has a path to victory in ME-02 and Republicans will flip this seat red in 2026.”
Maine’s former Republican Governor Paul LePage, who served from 2011-2019, is running for Golden’s seat, posting to X on Thursday a meme saying “Shot” with a poll for LePage beating Golden, and then “chaser” as a headline showing that the Democrat would not run for re-election.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also commented on Golden’s retirement, suggesting that Tuesday night’s election results gave promising signs for Democrats.
“Last night’s election results make clear that voters are ready to elect a Democratic majority that keeps its promise to lower costs and fight for everyday people. Democrats will do everything necessary to keep this seat blue so that Mainers continue to have a voice fighting for them in Congress — and we are confident we will be successful,” DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene said in a statement on Wednesday.
There’s fairly limited wiggle room in New England for Republicans to succeed, despite currently holding the governorship in New Hampshire and Vermont.
If a Republican wins the Maine seat, they would be the only one in the House chamber for the region, unless they also flip the seat left open by Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH), who’s running for Senate, and Rep. Maggie Goodlander’s seat. Cook Political Report ranks both New Hampshire seats as “Likely Democrat,” along with Connecticut’s Fifth Congressional District.
As for New Hampshire’s Senate race, a tough battle is underway for the open seat, as former Republican Sen. John Sununu is in a primary with former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown. Whoever wins the primary will presumably face off against Pappas. <a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/senate-race-ratings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cook Political Report</a> ranks the New Hampshire race to succeed Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen as “Lean Democrat” and the Maine race as a “toss-up.”

Representative Jared Golden

New England Could Face A Political Shakeup in 2026. Here’s Why.

new england

Voters in Maine elected a woman for city councilor who was previously found guilty and served time for manslaughter.
Angela Walker, who was successfully elected in Bangor, Maine, on Tuesday, is making headlines after the surprising election results. Walker was convicted in 2003 in connection with the killing of Canadian tourist Derek Rogers, who had allegedly called her a racist name.
Walker and her brother, Benjamin Humphrey, pled guilty to the crime.
Rogers was a musician who had been visiting Old Orchard for 20 years prior. His body was discovered by a fisherman on the boardwalk close to the cottage he rented in Ocean Park, per <a href="https://www.themainewire.com/2025/11/killer-of-canadian-tourist-in-old-orchard-beach-among-three-new-city-councilors-in-bangor/">The Maine Wire</a>. Law enforcement found his body badly beaten and with sand forced down his throat.
Walker spoke with the Bangor Daily News about her criminal past prior to the election, which included nine candidates vying for three spots.
“I want people to see that it’s possible that we can change,” Walker said. “I was lost for so many years. I think people really need to see the other side of that.” She is also in recovery from a prior addiction.
“One of the big reasons that I want to run is because I feel like, with my lived experience and the work that I’ve done in a few different agencies in the area, that I can bring concerns of community members to City Council and hope for some change and be the voice for people that can’t speak up or don’t speak up,” she added.
Walker is not affiliated with a political party. She is focused on working with the homeless and people struggling with addiction, she said, and wants to “really be on foot with our friends in the homeless community.”
Of the three councilors elected, Walker received the fewest votes, but her election was still shocking to many.
“People in Maine have turned into a Steven King horror story,” one reaction <a href="https://x.com/cjt4837/status/1986194934509281547">said</a>.
“Maine deserves better,” another commenter <a href="https://x.com/lmiller3745/status/1986165752349724909">agreed</a>.
“This is absolute insanity,” <a href="https://x.com/MiaRaeCameron/status/1986121825940611543">echoed</a> a third.

voting booth

Maine City Councilor Elected Despite Killing Canadian Tourist Who Allegedly Said Racial Slur

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<div>Embattled Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner’s treasurer has resigned just days after his national finance director called it quits, according to the Judge Street Journal.</div>
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<div>The <a href="https://judgestreetjournal.substack.com/p/exclusive-graham-platners-treasurer?utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;triedRedirect=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outlet</a> reported that Victoria Perrone left her role as treasurer on Tuesday, and Ben Martello is the individual currently listed in the position on Federal Election Commission records.</div>
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<div>Platner’s campaign has faced numerous controversies resulting from deleted Reddit posts and a Nazi-era tattoo, and in the days since those controversies spread across social media, both a campaign manager and a political director have also abruptly exited the campaign.</div>
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<div>His former national finance director, Ronald Holmes III, posted to LinkedIn on Friday that he was resigning.</div>
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<div>“Somewhere along the way, I began to feel that my professional standards as a campaign professional no longer fully aligned with those of the campaign,” Holmes posted.</div>
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<div>“I wish the campaign and the voters in Maine well as they continue forward with selecting a nominee who they believe is best suited to meet the moment and flip this critical must win seat for us to take back the U.S. Senate in 2026,” he continued.</div>
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<div><a href="https://x.com/hollyotterbein/status/1984284658612494537">Axios</a> reported the Platner campaign said that Holmes quit because his role had more to do with getting large donors on board to the campaign, but “the reality is our campaign’s fundraising success has come largely from small dollar donors. Nearly 90% of what we’ve raised has come from small dollar donations and online donors, which is run by our digital fundraising director.”</div>
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<div>Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DailyWire.com/Subscribe</a> to join now.</div>
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<div><a href="https://weartv.com/news/nation-world/platner-campaign-manager-steps-down-after-joining-campaign-last-week-social-media-maine-democrats-senate-race-republicans-susan-collins-janet-mills" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WGME News</a> reported that Kevin Brown took a job as the Democrat’s campaign manager, and claimed that his exit had to do with finding out that his wife is pregnant — but he left the job just days after beginning the new gig.</div>
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<div>Platner&#8217;s former political director Genevieve McDonald spoke out about quitting after his now-covered Totenkopf tattoo went viral.</div>
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<div>“Graham has an antisemitic tattoo on his chest,” McDonald posted to Facebook. “He’s not an idiot, he’s a military history buff. Maybe he didn’t know it when he got it, but he got it years ago and he should have had it covered up because he knows damn well what it means.”</div>
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<div>The Democrat is in a primary race against Gov. Janet Mills, and whoever wins the primary will face off against Republican Sen. Susan Collins in 2026.</div>
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<div>“Our movement is powered by the people of Maine,” Platner posted to X on Saturday. “The people of Maine will not be propagandized. And they will not be bought.”</div>
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<div>Platner’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</div>
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Graham Platner’s Treasurer Switch Marks Yet Another Exit From Campaign

Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner’s national finance director has now publicly called it quits, marking yet another major exit from the scandal-ridden primary campaign. 
Ronald Holmes III announced on LinkedIn on Friday that he “resigned from that role effective immediately.”
“Somewhere along the way, I began to feel that my professional standards as a campaign professional no longer fully aligned with those of the campaign,” he wrote. 
“I wish the campaign and the voters in Maine well as they continue forward with selecting a nominee who they believe is best suited to meet the moment and flip this critical must win seat for us to take back the U.S. Senate in 2026,” Holmes added.
In a statement to <a href="https://x.com/hollyotterbein/status/1984284658612494537">Axios</a>, the Platner campaign said that Holmes left because his role was focused on wooing large donors, while “the reality is our campaign’s fundraising success has come largely from small dollar donors. Nearly 90% of what we’ve raised has come from small dollar donations and online donors, which is run by our digital fundraising director.” 
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Platner’s campaign manager, Kevin Brown, quit after just a few days on the job earlier this week, saying he learned on Friday that he has a child on the way and referred to Platner as a “dear friend,” according to <a href="https://weartv.com/news/nation-world/platner-campaign-manager-steps-down-after-joining-campaign-last-week-social-media-maine-democrats-senate-race-republicans-susan-collins-janet-mills">WGME News</a>.
Political director <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-bad-news-keeps-rolling-in-for-graham-platners-senate-campaign?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=The+Bad+News+Keeps+Rolling+In+For+Graham+Platner%E2%80%99s+Senate+Campaign">Genevieve McDonald</a> exited the campaign following resurfaced Reddit posts from Platner, including ones where he labeled himself a communist and said “cops are bastards.”
McDonald spoke out on Facebook after news broke about his Totenkopf tattoo, a Nazi symbol, which he has since gotten covered.
“Graham has an antisemitic tattoo on his chest,” McDonald posted to Facebook. “He’s not an idiot, he’s a military history buff. Maybe he didn’t know it when he got it, but he got it years ago and he should have had it covered up because he knows damn well what it means.” 
The Daily Wire reached out to Platner’s campaign for comment. He is in a closely-watched primary battle with Maine Governor Janet Mills. On October 25, <a href="https://x.com/grahamformaine/status/1982180731020300403">Platner</a> wrote on X that “voters have seen the DC smear campaign,” and it “isn’t working,” while showing a poll with him beating Mills.
“I am not a secret Nazi,” Platner said on Pod Save America earlier this month regarding the tattoo. “Actually, if you read through my Reddit comments I think you can pretty much figure out where I stand on Nazism and antisemitism and racism in general. I would say, lifelong opponent.”
Whoever wins the primary will face Republican Senator Susan Collins in November 2026, in what will be one of the most competitive Senate races in the country.

Another Staffer Quits Graham Platner’s Campaign Over ‘Professional Standards’

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Graham Platner’s campaign manager quit just days after starting the job, the latest in a seemingly unending series of upsets for the Maine Democrat&#8217;s struggling campaign.
Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/27/graham-platner-campaign-manager">reported</a> Monday that Kevin Brown, a friend of Platner&#8217;s, resigned his post shortly after taking it up. Brown follows Platner&#8217;s political director, Genevieve McDonald, who resigned earlier this month after Platner came under fire for a series of Reddit posts in which he called himself a communist. McDonald made waves following her departure for publicly commenting about Platner’s tattoo with Nazi-era connotations, which he has since gotten covered up.
“Graham has an antisemitic tattoo on his chest,&#8221; McDonald wrote on Facebook. &#8220;He’s not an idiot, he’s a military history buff. Maybe he didn’t know it when he got it, but he got it years ago and he should have had it covered up because he knows damn well what it means.&#8221;
“Years ago I got a skull and crossbones tattoo with my buddies in the Marine Corps,&#8221; Platner wrote on X last week. &#8220;I was appalled to learn it closely resembled a Nazi symbol. I altered it yesterday, into something that isn&#8217;t deeply offensive to my core beliefs.&#8221;
“I am very sorry to all of you who had to contemplate a symbol of hate over the past 48 hours,” he added.
Platner told “Pod Save America” that he’s “not a secret Nazi” when discussing the Totenkopf tattoo. 
“Actually, if you read through my Reddit comments I think you can pretty much figure out where I stand on Nazism and antisemitism and racism in general. I would say, lifelong opponent.”
Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to <a href="http://dailywire.com/Subscribe">DailyWire.com/Subscribe</a> to join now. 
“At no point in this entire experience of my life not once did anybody say ‘Hey, you’re a Nazi.’ It never came up, until we got wind that in the opposition research somebody was shopping the idea that I was secret Nazi with a hidden Nazi tattoo. And I can honestly say that if I was trying to hide it, I have not been doing a very good job for the past 18 years,” Platner said. 
“We got those and then we all moved on with our lives,” he added. 
However, a report in<a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2025/10/graham-platner-ss-tattoo-maine-senate/"> Jewish Insider</a> indicated he knew about the meaning of the symbol as of at least 2012. 
Platner is facing Maine Governor Janet Mills in the state&#8217;s Democratic primary, the winner of which will likely take on Republican Senator Susan Collins in a highly competitive general election race.
A recent poll of likely voters from SoCal Strategies indicated that Mills is leading with 41% compared with 36% for Platner,<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5573485-maine-senate-poll-mills-platner/"> The Hill</a> reported on Saturday. Another poll from the<a href="https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1896&amp;context=survey_center_polls"> University of New Hampshire</a>, taken from Oct. 16-21, showed that 58% of “those who plan to vote” are backing Platner, compared with 24% for the governor.

The Bad News Keeps Rolling In For Graham Platner’s Senate Campaign

There may be no state legislator more popular at The Daily Wire than Laurel Libby.
She took a bold stand for girl’s sport in Maine and refused to budge. But it wasn’t always that way.
As Libby explains, she once failed to stand strong for what was right. Never again. — The Daily Wire
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America’s founders appropriately recognized freedom of speech as the most fundamental right for a flourishing republic. But in today’s America, telling the truth carries a cost.
From social media bans to government censorship to silencing dissent inside our statehouses, the message is clear: if you dare to speak the truth, you will pay a price.
I witnessed this firsthand in Maine’s Democrat-controlled state house, where I was stripped of my right to speak for the people of Maine as their elected representative simply for highlighting biological differences between boys and girls in a state competition.
And the problem is getting worse, not better. Without a renewed commitment to our founding ideals, our society may become free in theory, but authoritarian in practice.
My experience in Maine began in February with a viral social media post. A biological male, who had placed fifth in the boys’ competition the year prior, won the girls’ state pole vault championship. Seeing his female competitor relegated to second place broke my heart.
I could not remain silent.
I posted two publicly available photos side by side. One showed the athlete finishing fifth in the boys’ competition one year; the other showed him taking gold in the girls’ competition the next. Official results had already been available for all to see, but this picture made the unfairness of the situation crystal clear.
Girls in Maine, and across the country, were being forced to compete on unequal terms – not only to justify a political cause, but to signal obedience to an ideology that punishes anyone who questions it.
And punished I was. 
The Maine House Speaker demanded I delete my post. When I refused, I was stripped of my right to speak or vote in the Legislature. Unless and until I issued a formal apology, I would remain barred from representing the nearly 9,000 constituents who elected me.
This wasn’t the first time legislative leadership in Maine used procedural tools to suppress dissent. In May of 2021, the Democratic legislative leadership issued a mask mandate, solely for the State House, after Governor Janet Mills had lifted the state mask mandate.
As a result, Mainers were denied their First Amendment right to assemble, to petition their government, and to speak freely, unless they traded a piece of their liberty. 
I knew it was wrong, and alongside five colleagues, I walked in without a mask.
In response, the Speaker stripped us of our committee assignments and barred us from voting. I agonized over what to do, but in the end, I put a face shield back on, telling myself it was my duty to vote for my constituents.
But the truth is I failed to stand strong in defense of the First Amendment. And that failure taught me that when you give in to fear and intimidation, it only encourages more of both.
This year, I chose not to make the same mistake.
Now, in February, I was confronted with a choice again: to give in or keep fighting. For Maine, for our girls, and for our First Amendment, I chose to fight. 
I filed suit against the Legislature after they barred me for exercising my right to speak truthfully about protecting girls’ sports. And the Supreme Court ruled in my favor and restored my vote!
It was, by any normal standard, the right outcome. But it should never have been necessary. An elected official was forced to file a lawsuit to fulfill her duty to the people of Maine, all because she took a stand for women and girls.
These are the things of totalitarian governments, not the United States.
We still talk about the First Amendment as though it protects us in practice as well as in theory. But in much of American life, the real barriers to speech are procedural, reputational and cultural. They come from norms that shift depending on the issue at hand and the politics of the speaker.
When Charlie Kirk was assassinated, I was in Washington, DC. I called home to tell my older children, and my teenager’s first question stopped me in my tracks: “Mom, are you going to stop speaking up?” Without hesitation, I answered: “No. Absolutely not.”
If we stay silent now, we surrender the foundation of liberty. If we bow to intimidation, we hand our children a future where truth is unwelcome and freedom is conditional.
This is not someone else’s fight. It is ours. Parents, teachers, students, pastors, lawmakers, citizens – every one of us has a role to play in protecting the space to speak truthfully, even when it costs us.
This moment is where we stand to lose, or gain, the most. The only way we lose is if we make the choice to silence ourselves.
We cannot be silent. We must speak. We must stand. There is too much at stake to do otherwise.
 * * * 
Laurel Libby is a member of the House of Representatives in Maine.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/">DailyWire.com/Subscribe</a> to join now.

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