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Good morning from Augusta, where Maine has its first real 2018 campaign with state Sen. Eric Brakey kicking off a steep underdog bid today to unseat independent U.S. Sen. Angus King.

We reported the 28-year-olds campaign launch last night, but there was more in the notebook from our Saturday interview with the Republican from Auburn. Heres what you should know.

Brakeys run will be deeply rooted in a small-government philosophy far different than Maines congressional delegation has championed. A libertarian-edged candidate running for federal office in Maine has to run up against a reality: The state is heavily dependent on federal funding.

Thats part of the reason why even Republicans in the congressional delegation have championed federal awards here, such as the millions of dollars in grants awarded last year to boost the flagging forest products industry.

In a general conversation about federal aid, Brakey decried the strings that come with federal aid and said that tax money would be better spent if returned to Mainers in the form of tax cuts.

So, I think if we were to move in a direction away from that, the Maine people would do much better, he said.

Brakey got his start in politics working for 2012 presidential candidate Ron Paul and is allies with his son, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who have both advocated for cuts to defense spending.

In Maine, thats potentially another problem, since Bath Iron Works, which employs 6,000, is heavily dependent on Navy and Coast Guard contracts.

Brakey gave a qualified defense of the Bath shipyard, saying as long as the U.S. military needs ships, they should be built in Maine, but pushed Bath to also focus on commercial shipbuilding.

He wouldnt say who he voted for in the 2016 presidential election. That small-government philosophy has sometimes boxed Brakey in among his party. For instance, it separates him from President Donald Trump, who has melded socially conservative stances with big-government planks like sharp increases in defense and infrastructure spending.

When asked who he voted for in the election, Brakey took about 20 seconds in which he laughed, paused and thought before saying, I did not vote for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, saying the outcome was far better than if she won and that it showed people that they not the establishment in both parties control the process.

If elected, his path to the U.S. Senate would be far different than anyone Maine has ever sent. Its hard to say what past Maine campaign Brakeys bid resembles, given his youth and Kings status as a popular former two-term governor. Brakey will be 30 years old in August 2018, making him just old enough to assume the office under the Constitution. He would be Maines youngest U.S. senator ever, eclipsing the record held by Peleg Sprague, who was elected at age 35 in 1829.

Maine also hasnt sent someone straight to the U.S. Senate from the Maine Legislature since Eugene Hale in 1881, but Brakeys not really a fair comparison because Hale had served five terms in Congress before that. Were in uncharted territory here. Michael Shepherd, with research by the Maine Law and Legislative Library

The House and Senate convene at around 10 a.m. today and early on the House calendar is a LePage veto of LD 213, which seeks to provide access to medical facilities for military veterans whose state-issued drivers licenses are not compliant with federal Real ID laws. The bill, which would provide funding for Real ID-compliant passport cards, passed 110-8 in the House and unanimously in the Senate last month. LePage vetoed it because he doesnt believe the Legislature should provide carve-outs, but instead should enact a broader bill to comply with Real ID. Legislative leaders were still deciding whether to take up the veto override vote this morning.

In todays Senate Calendar, Sen. Geoff Gratwick, D-Bangor has proposed a joint order to create the Maine Health Advisory Committee to advise the Legislature regarding the interests of Maine citizens and businesses with respect to the delivery of health care in Maine. The panel would include five members of the Legislature, and people representing the insurance industry, Maine hospitals, hard-to-reach populations, health care providers, a health care advocacy group, a health economics group, and a health statistics, polling and data analysis organization.

On the committee schedule this afternoon are a number of work sessions. The Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee will consider recommendations on a number of bills involving workplace safety and workers compensation laws. The Inland Fisheries and Wildlife committee will consider several bills related to Maines annual moose hunting season. The Health and Human Services Committee has a lengthy-looking afternoon scheduled, including a debate over a bill that would require the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to expend federal funds within a year of receiving them. This bill comes in the wake of reporting by the Bangor Daily News that some of those funds have been left unspent. Christopher Cousins

A bill from Rep. Heather Sirocki, R-Scarborough, that aimed to prohibit lying from everyone who testifies before a legislative committee was amended and endorsed by a committee on Monday to only apply to one group of people lobbyists.

In a 10-2 vote, the Legislatures State and Local Government Committee removed members of the public and state employees from the bill. Legislators, however, were never affected by Sirockis bill. It now goes to the floor.

The bill has been criticized by Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap for being unenforceable, though Sirocki has cited National Conference of State Legislatures data saying Maine is one of just nine states that doesnt address false testimony in law.

But in a statement, she said she hopes that in the future, the law will apply evenly to anyone who testifies in front of a legislative committee. Well see. Heres your soundtrack. Michael Shepherd

With tips, pitches, questions or feedback, email us at politics@bangordailynews.com. If youre reading The Daily Brief on the BDNs website or were forwarded it, click here to get Maines only newsletter on state politics and policy delivered via email every weekday morning.

Read more from the original source:
So, who is this young Republican who wants to unseat Angus King? - Bangor Daily News

WASHINGTON On March 21, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) vetoed legislation that would have automatically registered eligible voters when they sought services from the Department of Motor Vehicles. The veto made Sandoval the third Republican governor to sink automatic voter registration legislation and all three of them have seats that will be up for grabs in the next two years.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) vetoed similar legislation twice once in 2015 and again in 2016. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) also vetoed legislation in 2016. Christie, the most unpopular governor in the country, is term-limited and will not be on the ballot again this year. Sandoval will be term-limited out of office in 2018, while Rauner is up for re-election next year.

Its not surprising that Republican governors in those states lack enthusiasm for automatic voter registration, which tends to benefit Democratic candidates. Hillary Clinton won all three of those states in the 2016 election, and Democrats see them as top targets for next years midterms. New Jersey will vote for a new governor this November, and Democratic candidate Phil Murphy, a Goldman Sachs banker who has endorsed automatic registration, is currently leading the polls.

The issue is also a priority for Democrats in states where they are looking to consolidate power in 2018. Thirty-eight Republican governorships are up for election next year, including six in states Clinton won last fall. Democrats hope that President Donald Trumps poll numbers will remain low and help drag down the partys candidates. In states like Washington, Democrats just need to win a small number of seats to get full control of the state legislature. While automatic voter registration may not be at the top of voters minds, Democrats will almost surely advance the issue anywhere they claim a governors house and legislature next year.

Of all the possible reforms meant to increase voter registration and participation, few have taken off in the past three years as dramatically as automatic voter registration. Since 2015, six states and the District of Columbia have enacted automatic voter registration. Oregons state legislature approved it first, followed by Californias just seven months later. In 2016, West Virginia, Vermont and Washington, D.C., enacted the reform through legislation as well, while Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill worked out an agreement with the state DMVto begin automatically registering voters. Alaska voters approved a ballot initiative making registration automatic last November.

Bills have been introduced in at least 30 states in the past two years. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced federal legislation in 2015 to mandate automatic registration nationwide, though that never went anywhere. Both Clinton and then-President Barack Obama endorsed the reform in 2016. And progressive policy groups like the State Innovation Exchange and the New York-based nonprofit Brennan Center for Justice are working to advance legislation across the country over the next two years.

Really, in two years time this has gone from nowhere to quite a few states, Jonathan Brater, counsel for the Brennan Centers Democracy Program, told The Huffington Post. And theres even more legislation on the horizon.

Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Illinois, despite Rauners previous veto, top the list of states where legislation could be passed and signed into law. In Nevada, the issue is still alive, as Sandovals veto means the legislation will go directly before state voters on the November 2018 ballot. Colorado, like Connecticut, has already started the administrative process of moving to automatic voter registration.

The rapid rise of automatic registration as a high-profile issue stems from both partisan politics and structural changes that previous voting reforms brought about.

On the partisan side, Democrats feel the need to press reforms to make it easier to vote due to an earlier wave of Republican measures that sought to make it harder to vote, such as voter identification requirements, after the GOP won full control of 21 states in 2010.

If automatic voter registration leads to increased turnout, it would likely be a boon for Democrats in states with large numbers of unregistered eligible voters particularly younger people, Latinos and African-Americans, who tend to lean Democratic.

Brian Snyder / Reuters

When you expand the electorate, particularly when you expand the electorate among poor communities, communities of color, English as a second language speakers that tends to benefit progressive candidates, said Sam Munger, director of strategic engagement and senior adviser at the State Innovation Exchange.

Allegra Chapman, director of voting and elections at Common Cause, a nonpartisan election reform nonprofit, said, I think this is one of the ways that we ensure that instead of making it harder for people, trying to keep people who are eligible from voting, we really need to be offering greater access.

Advocates argue that automatic voter registration shouldnt be seen as a wholly partisan issue, pointing to its enactment in Republican-leaning Alaska and West Virginia, and the strong bipartisan support it has in the Illinois legislature.

The policy is also fairly easy to implement because it builds on previous voter registration reforms. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993, known popularly as the motor voter law, required all state DMVs to provide voter registration services for anyone coming in to get a new license, pay a ticket or receive any other service. And the Help America Vote Act, passed in 2002 after the Bush-Gore election debacle, provided funds for states to upgrade their voting infrastructure and create a centralized electronic voter database.

The changes made in response to those two laws have enabled most states to transfer an individuals registration information securely and electronically, which has made the process of moving to automatic voter registration much easier from a nuts-and-bolts perspective, Brater said.

Thats the main reason Oregon was able to implement the policy so rapidly after it passed in 2015, automatically registering 225,000 new votersin time for the 2016 election. Nearly 100,000 of those newly registered voters cast ballots in November.

But even states that dont have that infrastructure in place can still make advances. Connecticut, for example, never completed the Help America Vote Act reforms. When Merrill, Connecticuts secretary of state, began making changes to fulfill those old requirements in March 2016, state officials decided to go ahead and adopt automatic voter registration as part of that process.

Opposition to automatic voter registration has largely come from proponents of voter identification laws the same people who make unverified claims of widespread in-person voter fraud. Former Federal Election Commission memberHans von Spakovsky wrote in 2013 that automatic registration would threaten the integrity of elections and that it would violate [voters] basic right to choose whether they wish to participate in the U.S. political process.

Christie echoed this sentiment last year when he vetoed automatic voter registration legislation for the second time, calling it a cocktail of fraud. And when Rauner vetoed similar legislation in Illinois, he said the bill would inadvertently open the door to voter fraud.

Joe Raedle via Getty Images

Proponents argue that states can and do take steps to make sure non-eligible voters arent registered. In California, where undocumented immigrants can obtain drivers licenses, the state DMV already has a separate process to prevent non-eligible applicants from registering to vote. And residents who are not eligible to vote will be separated in advancewhen the state implements its automatic registration system.

Despite Rauners complaints of potential fraud, automatic registration proponents in Illinois think he will eventually sign legislation this session. A handful of Republican state legislators rolled out their own bill after Rauner vetoed the original legislation, and activist groups like Illinois Public Interest Research Group have decided to embrace the changes made in that replacement.

Illinois state Rep. Mike Fortner (R) explained in an op-edlast year that the new legislation would provide an upfront opt-out provision for anyone who does not want to be registered to vote (as is provided by every other state with automatic voter registration except Oregon). The new bill would also require voters to attest that they are indeed eligible to vote, as required by the National Voter Registration Act. Democrats have already passed a bill out of committee in the Illinois Senate that incorporates the new elements from the Republican bill.

Abe Scarr, the head of Illinois PIRG, says the main sticking point right now is whether automatic voter registration will be implemented before the 2018 election, as Democrats and supporting groups want, or whether it will begin in 2019, which is what Rauner and his fellow Republicans want.

Itll happen, Scarr said. The question is whether we are able to build enough support to get the governor on board before the end of the legislative session.

Read more:
Republican Governors Keep Vetoing Legislation That Would Make Voting Easier - Huffington Post

To the Editor:

McHenry Township voters, your votes were stolen by the group calling themselves Republicans. Another name is more appropriate considering how your votes were snatchedby their back-room deals.

Holding a caucus is within their rights, but its dubious when their rules night is scheduled, inconveniently, the night before Thanksgiving. Their rules meetings created a rule providing a committeemans vote the same weight as that entire precincts most recent vote total.

They held their public vote among themselves and created new Republicans. Snaring the Republican name gave them credibility, in name only.

Sound like something done in the back rooms by Washington Democrats? No, this was done by your McHenry Township Republican Party. Their green signs say they will cut taxes. Who believes them, considering their actions to underhandedly eliminate the current Republicans? This type of conduct has no place in McHenry.

The Independent candidates have real experience and qualifications and deserve your vote.

Amy Mercurio

McHenry

Read the rest here:
Letter: Republican Party's backroom dealings | Northwest Herald - Northwest Herald

Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives.

A message of love.

The Sunday sermon from Donald Trump was all about what brings us together.

The president's idea of love has grabbed some deeply. Others, sadly, have wondered whether -- in the president's case -- love don't live here anymore.

So on Twitter, Trump made it very clear.

"Anybody (especially Fake News media) who thinks that Repeal & Replace of ObamaCare is dead does not know the love and strength in R Party!," he tweeted.

It is love, you see, that will ensure -- one way or another -- that the Satan of social support known as Obamacare will be vanquished.

Some will wonder what happened to that love when the 29 members of the so-called Freedom Caucus expressed their freedom (and strength) by refusing to support the Trumpcare bill.

One or two might also mutter that the president didn't seem to show much love when he threatened this caucus on Twitter just last Thursday.

Perhaps Trump is simply talking about tough love here, the slow process by which the less enlightened finally witness the correct path.

On Sunday, the president explained: "Talks on Repealing and Replacing ObamaCare are, and have been, going on, and will continue until such time as a deal is hopefully struck."

Yes, not only is there love all around, but there's hope too.

See the rest here:
Trump tweets about love in the Republican Party - CNET

Senator Rand Paul and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney joined the president at Trump National Golf Club outside of Washington.

The trio were "discussing a variety of topics, including health care," said White House Deputy Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham.

The outing came hours after Trump tweeted that talks to rework the nation's health care law were still underway.

"Anybody (especially Fake News media) who thinks that Repeal & Replace of ObamaCare is dead does not know the love and strength in R Party!" Trump tweeted early on Sunday.

"Talk on Repealing and Replacing ObamaCare are, and have been, going on, and will continue until such time as a deal is hopefully struck," he added in a second message.

Republican-led efforts to replace Obama's health care law were thrown into disarray 10 days ago after Republican leaders in the House of Representative had to withdraw their own legislation ahead of a vote due to insufficient support from conservative and moderate members of their own party.

Trump had worked toward the bill's passage, but Paul had been a prominent critic and had aligned himself with the conservative House Freedom Caucus, a group that helped torpedoTrump's first major legislative effort.

On Thursday, Trump had threatened to defeat members of the group in next year's congressional elections if they continued to defy him.

Read more from the original source:
Trump talks health care with Republican critic on golf course - Daily Republic