MAINE, USA — The Portland Press Herald reported last week that the Mills administration held secret meetings with lawmakers on managing the Coronavirus pandemic without any public notice, in what may have been a violation of state freedom of access law.
NEWS CENTER Maine Democratic political analyst John Richardson calls this a "minor mistake on the part of the Mills administration.
But Republican analyst Phil Harriman differs.
"This is not a rookie mistake of a new governor," says Harriman. "Janet Mills was the attorney general, she knows the law as well as anyone. This is an embarrassment."
In the U.S Senate Race, Speaker of the House Sara Gideon, who is seeking the Democratic nomination, raised $7.1 million in the first quarter of 2020, bringing her total for the cycle to about $14.8 million. Incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins raised $2.4 million for the quarter, with a total of $13.2 million so far.
Richardson says this proves that Gideon is the front runner in the primary, and that cash is needed to build her name recognition.
Harriman observes that "For a first time candidate whose political experience has been as a state representative and speaker of the Maine Legislature attracting that kind of money from around the country, this isn't about a local election, this is about a national agenda."
Backers of ranked choice voting, or RCV, have filed suit against the Secretary of State to try to stop a Republican-led People's Veto campaign to block the use of RCV in the presidential election in Maine.
The people behind the suit say the law says a People's Veto can't be used to repeal a law already on the books.
Phil Harriman says "It's gonna be interesting to see how quickly this gets to the courts attention and what they decide."
John Richardson, who is an attorney, likens this to "an extra credit question on a law school exam."
In the presidential race this past week, former President Barack Obama finally endorsed his former vice president, and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
John Richardson says the party is rallying around a nominee much more quickly than in recent cycles, particularly 2016, when Bernie Sanders stayed in the race when he had virtually no chance of winning the nomination over Hillary Clinton.
Richardson says "All of us as Democrats have decided we're not going to let that happen this time. We're going to get around the candidate."
But Harriman thinks the Obama endorsement is hardly newsworthy.
He says "What would have been transformational is if President Obama had endorsed Joe Biden before all this unfolded."
Political Brew airs Sundays on The Morning Report.
Political Brew: Secret meetings, big money, an RCV lawsuit, and Obama's endorsement
Last week, the Portland Press Herald reported that the Mills administration held secret meetings with lawmakers on managing the Coronavirus pandemic.