Let me remind them and any other aggrieved Bruce Poliquin voters of a few things:
Gov. LePage, thanks to split votes between more liberal-leaning candidates, came into office with a paltry 37.6 percent of the vote his first election and managed to “jump” up to 48.2 percent his second election. Put simply: Many more voters wished for someone not named Paul LePage for governor, yet Paul LePage became governor.
George W. Bush took office in 2001 after losing the popular vote to Al Gore, just as Donald Trump lost the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes in 2016 to Hillary Clinton. Both men became president because the Electoral College is the law of the land, just like ranked-choice voting is the law of the land here in Maine. (Unlike the Electoral College, which is a Colonial-era relic foisted upon modern America, Maine has voted recently in favor of ranked-choice voting.)
There are two kinds of losers: gracious and sore. Shawn Moody took his gubernatorial defeat with dignity, while Poliquin and his followers seem to be taking the opposite route.
Republicans in Maine, whether they live in Berwick or Caribou, took a historic rebuke on Nov. 6. If they enjoy that kind of thrashing, I encourage Republican rank and file to double down on their petulance and divisiveness. I know one thing for certain – their “message” certainly motivates Democratic voters to the polls!
Jeremy Smith
Old Orchard Beach
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