Palmer quoted in Governing article on upcoming gubernatorial elections
Kenneth Palmer, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Maine, was quoted in the Governing article, “How might a 2018 Democratic wave affect governor’s races?” Governing analyzed the connection between state elections and the three most recent wave elections: 2006, which benefited the Democrats, and 2010 and 2014, which benefited the Republicans. In each of the three cycles, the organization found between six and 10 seats at the state level that may have been influenced by the wave. One of those states was Maine, where Republican Paul LePage won in 2010 and 2014. In both cases, he was aided by the presence of a third-party candidate, but his aggressively conservative message jibed with the Republican mood both years, the article states. “He ran as a conservative in a state of fairly liberal politics, and he explicitly ran against the state legislature — long held by Democrats — and some of their policies,” Palmer said.