September 17, 2021
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A proposal from Democrats in Maine would potentially move thousands of Democratic voters into the state’s competitive 2nd Congressional District.
The state is in the midst of redistricting its congressional map, which includes two districts. Maine is also one of only two states in the country that apportions electoral votes by congressional district.
The Democrats want to move some Democratic strongholds in central Maine, including the state capital of Augusta and the cities of Hallowell and Waterville, into the 2nd District. Republicans have offered a proposal of their own that keeps Waterville in the Democratically dominated 1st Congressional District.
Maine’s 2nd Congressional District is geographically much larger than the first, and it includes much of rural Maine. Former President Donald Trump won the district in 2016 and 2020. It’s represented in Congress by Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, who’s up for reelection next year.
The Democrats’ proposal would have picked up more than 6,000 votes for President Joe Biden in the 2nd District in the 2020 election, the Bangor Daily News reported. Biden still would not have won the district.
A bipartisan commission working on the new boundaries has to create new maps by later this month.
