Maine’s DNC delegates eager to inject energy into state races, reaching voters of all stripes

Maine's banner at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Provided by Benjamin Coolidge Gagnon)

Maine’s delegates to the Democratic National Convention connected with others across the country about their shared vision for progress on a number of issues — affordable housing and childcare, supporting the working class , ensuring the affordability of prescription drugs .

Turning back to Maine, their focus now is on finding ways to make these visions possible, which goes beyond the presidential ticket.

As the Democratic delegates traveled back from the convention in Chicago, several reflected with Maine Morning Star on the messages they are bringing home. Gleaned from various speakers over the course of the convention, these include focusing on meeting voters where they are, which for several delegates includes connecting with those outside their party in voter engagement efforts in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 5 election.

Policy changes made in Washington, D.C., often require the support of elected officials at multiple levels of government, delegates emphasized, from state legislatures to the U.S. Congress.

O utside their roles as delegates, several are running for state office or lead progressive issue-focused organizations that have a vested interest in maintaining or expanding Democratic power in the state.

However, if the upcoming election turns out to be a red wave, the National Conference of State Legislatures expects the Democratic-controlled House and Senate chambers in Maine to be in play. For Maine Republicans , winning one or both chambers would force more compromise from Democrats.

When it comes to majorities in the U.S. Congress, many view Maine as a linchpin.

Delegates stressed that the outcome of Maine’s 2nd Congressional District — a race between the incumbent, moderate Democrat Jared Golden, and Republican candidate Austin Theriault — could alter the slim Republican majority in the U.S. House, which Speaker Mike Johnson called one of the top five races in the country during a campaign stop in Maine earlier this month.

‘The freedom to be who you are’

In several different ways, Maine’s delegates said one of the primary takeaways from the convention is that the upcoming election is about freedom.

For Ryan Fecteau, a delegate for Maine’s 1st Congressional District, “it’s an election about the freedom to be who you are, whether that’s someone who is LGBTQ+, whether that’s someone who’s a person of color, whether that’s someone with a disability, whether that’s a retired veteran — we are seeing the freedom to be ourselves under attack.”

This message was emphasized by many of the caucus events throughout the convention, including LGBTQ caucuses , during which speakers highlighted the allyship exemplified by their party’s presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as a key strength of the ticket.

Maine’s Democratic delegates bringing strong LGBTQ+ representation to national convention

Roughly one-third of the delegates the Maine Democratic Party sent to the national convention identify as LGBTQ+ and were driven to run to be delegates to show others that they can have a voice in the party.

Benjamin Coolidge Gagnon, a delegate for the 2nd Congressional District, said the convention showed him the possibility of a big tent party, meaning membership that includes people with a broad spectrum of beliefs .

“I was really proud to represent Maine Democrats in Chicago, especially alongside our most diverse delegation in history,” Coolidge Gagnon said. “We want to make sure everyone can see themselves represented in our elected leaders and that’s the message we’ve heard all week.”

A delegate for Maine’s 1st Congressional District, Marpheen Chann attended the LGBTQ caucuses and one for Asian American and Pacific Islanders, through which he met many elected officials who he considers personal heroes. But Chann said the diverse representation at the convention also helped him connect with those whose identities have previously left him feeling alienated.

Chann — a gay man who was born into a Cambodian refugee family and later adopted by an evangelical, white working class family in Maine — said he hasn’t had a good experience with faith.

“My thinking about faith has evolved because I’m meeting people like Tim Walz, I’m meeting people like Pete Buttigeg, and LGBTQ ministers and rabbis who are reclaiming the power of faith,” Chann said.

Walz, a former high school teacher and football coach, helped start his school’s gay-straight alliance, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has embraced being both gay and Christian.

When it comes to the message of being free to be who you are, Fecteau also said he understands that to be not only social freedom but economic.

“The freedom to prosper, the freedom to get a job, to provide for your family and to retire comfortably, to be able to say that I’m able to enjoy life, that I’m not having to meet an anxious moment around every corner when it comes to whether or not I can afford my groceries, my health care bills, my just everyday expenses.”

The Uncommitted Movement

While Maine’s delegates described the atmosphere of the convention as joyous and electric, some division within the party was still apparent given protests from Uncommitted delegates over the party not supporting an arms embargo of Israel or the DNC not allowing a Palestinian American speaker.

The Uncommitted National Movement had about 30 delegates at the DNC, based on those who cast votes for “uncommitted” during state primaries. Uncommitted delegates said the Harris campaign denied its request to have speaking time for Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, an American pediatric intensive care surgeon, to talk about her time treating patients in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Several of Maine’s delegates said they believed both the message from the demonstrators and their freedom to protest was important. However, these delegates said they believe supporting the Harris-Walz ticket is the best option to make a future resolution possible.

Frustrated uncommitted delegates push for Palestinian American speaker as DNC nears end

“I believe in democracy. I believe in people having a right to speak, and this is a very important issue,” said Gia Drew, who was the first openly transgender delegate from Maine and who serves as executive director of EqualityMaine, the oldest and largest statewide organization dedicated to creating a fair society for LGBTQ+ people .

“I’m a defender of human rights. I mean, that’s my job, and I think all these things are connected and I think we can have those conversations in our party. So there have been protests and not everyone is agreeing on the route, how do we get to the solution? But I think the folks at the top of the ticket have been clear about what they want and, so I think that’s encouraging.”

Both Fecteau and Chann said they did not think the protests detracted from the convention’s overall unity message.

“I don’t want to diminish the importance of the message that they were communicating at this convention and will continue to communicate after this convention, which is a point that Vice President Harris made in her speech,” Fecteau said.

During her speech Thursday night, Harris said negotiating an end to the war, with a return of Israeli hostages and a lasting ceasefire, was a top administration priority.

“I can hold that value, that hope for peace,” Chann said, “while at the same time participating in the process to support the best candidate possible, that I think if she wins, can actually create peace in the Middle East compared to the other guy,” referring to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

The Maine Democratic Party did not respond to a request for comment on the demand for a Palestinian American speaker.

Mobilizing voters up and down the ballot

Maine’s delegates shared plans to canvass, call and text voters in the final weeks before the Nov. 5 election. Following the convention, some now have an expanded view of the type of voters they want to engage, following the lead of Harris who vowed in her speech to “be a president for all Americans.”

Coolidge Gagnon, who credits conversations with his Republican dad as his foray into politics , said the presence at the convention of several Republican speakers — such as Trump’s former press secretary Stephanie Grisham and Georgia GOP former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan — underscored for him the importance of engaging with those outside the party.

“It’s okay to put country above party,” Coolidge Gagnon said.

Chann went into the convention energized to get Democrats out to vote but left with bigger plans.

“ We heard from Republicans, independents and Democrats at the convention who are supporting Kamala Harris,” Chann said, “so I’m going back even more energized and committed to reaching across the aisle.”

Chann said this will also include people he knows personally, such as conservative family members and neighbors.

Drew is bringing the idea of embracing one’s identity into how she plans to garner more support for the Harris-Walz ticket, by working to understand where people are coming from and then meeting them where they are.

“Not just for Democrats,” Drew said, “but for folks who haven’t made up their mind yet, for folks who are independent or Republican, who are looking for values-based elected officials, who believe in fairness and freedom.”

While the focus of the national convention was the Oval Office, delegates are now hoping to bring the momentum from the past week to state races.

For Drew and others who work for statewide organizations that champion a variety of issues, that means endorsing candidates.

Fecteau pointed out that state-level support can dictate whether lawmakers in Washington can implement policy change. For example, he pointed to Maine’s delay in expanding Medicaid eligibility due to opposition from former Republican Gov. Paul LePage. “Many other states across the country have still still not taken advantage of that opportunity,” Fecteau added.

Fecteau, who is running for the Maine House after previously serving as Speaker from 2020 to 2022, is among the delegates seeking state office in November.

“No one part of government is going to solve all our problems,” Fecteau said. “We’ve got to create some harmony.”

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