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Maine Voters & the Midterms

WILL LOCAL OR NATIONAL
ISSUES PREVAIL?

With dying industries, an aging population and a contested House seat, Maine’s 2nd Congressional District offers a snapshot of voter sentiment ahead of this year’s elections. We explore a struggling former mill town and examine how national issues are playing in rural Maine.

Millinocket: a Post-industrial Town

Residents Weigh Local Interests Against National Politics

Millinocket lies in Penobscot County, one of many “pivot counties” that voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012, and four years later, switched to Trump. As 2018 elections loom, it is communities like Millinocket, a former mill town struggling to reinvent itself, that could determine the results.
Millinocket interactive timeline

Millinocket seeks a new future

After mill closing, Millinocket searches for success in a changing society.
Historical photos of Millinocket

Podcast: Remembering better days

Millinocket natives recall the Great Northern Paper Co. in its prime and collapse.
Workers struggle to rebuild lives

Photos: Ecotourism on the rise

The beauty of the Mount Katahdin region may hold a key to revival.
Maine, terrain and snowmobiles

Foreclosures and $1 homes

Millinocket’s depressed real estate market is seeing signs of life.
Portraits of Penobscot Avenue

Bringing a modern approach

Newcomers have opened businesses, introduced new ideas and brought hope to Millinocket.

Video: Finding a way forward

A former mill worker and a couple who are building a new business in town share their visions for the future of Millinocket

As Maine goes, so goes the nation

As in other parts of the U.S. that swung for Trump in 2016,
voters in the 2nd Congressional District are dealing with
industrial decline, a difficult job market and an opioid crisis.

Inside the 2nd Congressional District

Maine Democrats Take On Elusive Republican Incumbent

Democratic candidates are hoping that U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin’s low profile in the 2nd District will give them a chance to defeat the two-term Republican in November, despite his sizable campaign war chest and incumbent status.
Voters on issues and the race

Is technical education the future?

High school programs are on the front lines of economic challenges confronting northern Maine.
Video

Opioid Overdoses Fueled by Fentanyl

Increasing rates of opioid addiction are linked to the closure of factories and paper mills across the state, and a sharp decline in employment.

In Maine, gun rights matter

Gun ownership in Maine is considered a right worth protecting, based in a deep-rooted tradition of hunting.

State debuts new voting system

The system would ensure that in races with more than two candidates, the winner must garner more than 50 percent of the vote.

Video: Keeping the factory open

Brewer’s Highland Belt company has adjusted to changing market demands.
How one factory survived

Church finds success in ministries

Bangor’s Crosspoint Church focuses on family and youth — and avoids politics.