“WORKING VACATIONLAND — Joe Biden travels to Maine tomorrow, the first time he’s made it to the state during his presidency. The trip is part of the president’s Bidenomics tour, a sales pitch designed to lay out the economic case for a second term and underscore domestic manufacturing gains.
“While the state of Maine is blue, the 2nd District is decidedly not. It’s the more conservative, rural , and working-class of the state’s two congressional seats, and it voted for Donald Trump twice. In 2020, it was the only district in New England that backed Trump.
“The district’s voting habits matter a great deal because Maine is one of just two states (the other is Nebraska) that allocate an electoral vote to the winner of each congressional district, in addition to the two electoral votes that go to the winner of the statewide popular vote.
“As a result, Trump has now lost Maine twice, but still managed to capture one electoral vote from the state each time he’s been on the ballot.
“If you don’t think one electoral vote matters, consider this: In 2020, the presidential election was closer to finishing in an Electoral College tie than is widely recognized. Had Trump won Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin — the sites of Biden’s three narrowest wins — both candidates would have ended up with exactly 269 electoral votes. That’s one vote short of an Electoral College majority, which would have thrown the race to the House of Representatives to decide.
“Aside from the presidential implications, there’s another reason Biden’s visit to Auburn is worth watching. The 2nd District is one of just five across the nation that voted for both Trump and a Democratic member of Congress — Rep. Jared Golden.
“Golden has been a thorn in the side of the administration, criticizing Biden over debt ceiling negotiations and ripping the White House for ‘hypocrisy’ over its treatment of Maine’s lobster industry. He’s the only House Democrat who voted against Biden’s Build Back Better spending bill. More recently, he was one of only two House Democrats to break with the White House over the student loan debt cancellation plan.
“As a holder of a so-called crossover district — in addition to the five Democrats who represent districts won by Trump, there are 18 Republicans who sit in districts won by Biden — Golden is among those incumbents whose fate in 2024 will determine control of the House.
“In an April poll, Biden was underwater with Maine residents: 53 percent disapproved of his job performance, compared to 47 percent who approved. Central Maine, where the president will be visiting, is a particular weak spot — 70 percent disapproved.
“Golden has been successful in the 2nd District by making a forceful case that he should be judged by his own record. With Maine voters ranking housing, cost of living, and jobs/economy as the most important problems facing the state, Biden will need to do something similar, but in a far more persuasive way than he has so far.
“His first visit to Maine, which comes on the heels of today’s news that U.S. economic growth accelerated in the second quarter of the year, provides the president with a politically opportune moment.”
— Politico Nightly Blog, 7/27/2023.
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