Ten Major Must-Follow Election Day Storylines

Finally, the big day has arrived. After well over a year of talk about how this is the biggest cycle of a generation, the final day is here. We will all approach the ballot box and cast our votes for the politicians we believe are best suited to lead our country and state going forward. There are a number of interesting storylines that are must-follows for political junkies and others who will be glued to the television or computer screen as results roll in.

1. Maine’s Second Congressional District

There is much discussion about the fate of Maine CD-2. Just recently, Undercover Porcupine addressed the question, “Can Mitt Romney Win CD-2?” It will be interesting to watch whether or not a Republican candidate can pull off an electoral vote out of Maine. Given how close things will be nationally, the entire presidential race could come down to CD-2. The Republican Party is aware of this, given how hard they’ve been working on serious ground game.

Will Mitt Romney win Maine CD-2? Or will President Obama continue the trend of Maine going blue?

2. Libertarian Party of Maine and the 5% Rule

Right now, there are only three recognized political parties: Democrat, Republican, and Green Independent. There lies a significant possibility that the Libertarian Party could be joining the trio here in Maine. Former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson is the Libertarian candidate and is performing much stronger than any third party candidate in recent memory. Given his strong campaign and the liberty supporters in Maine rejected by the Republican Party, there is a possibility of Johnson reaching 5%. If this occurs, then the Libertarian Party of Maine will gain automatic ballot access.

Is it possible for Gary Johnson to give the Libertarian Party of Maine a major boost by reaching 5% to qualify the party for ballot access in the future?

3. U.S. Senate Race

Nobody expected the U.S. Senate race to be at this point. A year ago, it was entrenched career politician Senator Olympia Snowe and tea party favorite Scott D’Amboise, who many thought could not oust her. Come 2012, the rise of the tea party and the libertarians led to Senator Snowe being forced into retirement. Though D’Amboise lost, the race is now wide open with a lot at stake. Independent Angus King and Republican Charlie Summers are at the top of the polling, with Democrat Cynthia Dill in the distance behind. Andrew Ian Dodge also leads the field of third party candidates hoping to launch a surprise victory Tuesday night.

Who will win the U.S. Senate seat long held by Senator Olympia Snowe? Will the Republicans make a gain towards a possible majority, or will the Democrats pick up a seat strengthening their present majority?

4. Maine House District #15: Sam Canders vs. Adam Goode

Much has been said about the Ron Paul movement in Maine and their future. The clear next step for liberty supporters is state and local offices. Sam Canders leads that field. Running in District #15, the leading liberty Republican Sam Canders will look to give the Ron Paul movement a major victory. If Canders, who was discussed previously in “Candidate Canders Puts Service Before Self”, secures a victory, the Ron Paul people will have proven their value to the Republican Party, as well as their viability as a movement.

Will Sam Canders pull off a victory for the Ron Paul movement in Maine?

5. Maine House District #74: Tim Lajoie vs. Peggy Rotundo

In her time in Augusta, Representative Peggy Rotundo has never faced a serious challenge for the Legislature. The Lewiston/Auburn area has had a reputation of being dominantly liberal. A shift is on however, and one man could make a successful run in the district. Tim Lajoie, twice covered by Undercover Porcupine (“The Lajoie Campaign Standard”, “The High Road In Politics: Principles Over Party”), has been running a positive campaign that has been well-received by the citizens of the district. Lajoie has proven to be a viable challenger at this point, as well as a serious candidate. If he does secure victory, it would be a major upset against the Maine Democratic Party.

Will Tim Lajoie get elected and prove his positive message can win elections without resorting to dirty politics?

6. Maine House District #139: Aaron Libby vs. Joe Wagner

For the last two years, the leader of liberty in Augusta has been Representative Aaron Libby. He has taken the lead on issues such as nullification and Food Sovereignty, issues that mainstream politicians normally shy away from. He is open about his libertarian leanings, even being attacked by his opponent for his leanings towards Austrian Economics, as noted in “Joe Wagner Attacks Rep. Libby For Being Intelligent.” The Democrats are targeting Rep. Libby hard and it will prove to be a close battle. Rep. Libby’s re-election is vital to the liberty movement, for without him, the movement loses a proven leader in the Legislature.

Will Rep. Libby win re-election and keep the liberty movement moving forward in Augusta?

7. Maine Senate District #25: Tom Martin vs. Colleen Lachowicz

In one of the more bizarre moments in the election cycle, the Maine Republican Party launched an attack against Democratic candidate Colleen Lachowicz and ignited a controversy that gained international attention. As noted in “Maine GOP’s World Of Trouble”, Lachowicz came under fire not only for offensive comments made, but also for playing the popular video game World of Warcraft (This issue was also further discussed in “Romney Support Chuck Norris’s ‘Online Fantasy World”). Senator Martin was intelligent, unlike the party leadership, and refused to touch upon the personal attacks or negative politicking. He instead wished to stick to the issues. But the damage had already been done and now this race is going to reflect directly on Maine Republican leadership, specifically communications director David Sorensen. If Senator Martin loses to someone who had no name prior to this controversy, the fault will fall on Sorensen and chairman Charlie Webster, who did nothing to intervene with the bad politics.

Will Senator Tom Martin win his re-election campaign and save Sorensen from more backlash?

8. Portland Liberty Trio: Davian Akers, Kevin Casey, Gwen Tuttle

Perhaps even more secure for liberals than Lewiston is Portland. In Portland, the only ones who seem to win other than Democrats are Greens. A group of Ron Paul Republicans have stepped up to the plate however and have run a strong campaign. Davian Akers, Kevin Casey, and Gwen Tuttle are three liberty supporters who are looking to secure victory. The potential impact of the three was covered recently in “Akers, Casey, Tuttle: The Republican Winning Team in Portland”, while Casey’s “Casey For Freedom” message was discussed in “Casey For Freedom: Continuing The Ron Paul Message In Maine.” A victory in Portland for them would prove that the Ron Paul people can help the Republican Party, especially in an area where the Republican Party has never been able to help themselves.

Can Akers, Casey, and Tuttle defy the odds and become the Republican representation from Portland to Augusta?

9. Mike Wallace and Defense of Liberty PAC

The Defense of Liberty PAC has been a controversial topic for the Maine liberty grassroots. One of the major figures who have voiced concerns is the only Ron Paul National Delegate from Maine in 2008, Patrick Eisenhart, as discussed in “Liberty’s Most Controversial Ron Paul Supporter.” Despite all of the concerns, DOLPAC has done a lot of hard work for various candidates, including some targeted incumbents. They have also put up a number of endorsed candidates for office who are new to the Maine political scene. Of them, is Mike Wallace. Wallace worked with the Ron Paul campaign and has worked together with DOLPAC on his advancing candidacy. The future of DOLPAC rests on whether or not their candidates can pull through on Election Night, with Mike Wallace being the leader of the endorsements.

Can Mike Wallace secure his State Senate seat and keep DOLPAC afloat for the future?

10. Ron Paul “Write-in” Turnout

It’s been no secret that the Ron Paul supporters in the Republican Party feel wronged. As described recently in “Election Day: The Ron Paul Factor”, they will explore alternate options to voting for Mitt Romney. One of these alternatives is writing in “Ron Paul.” The write-in candidacy is official with the state, which means the votes will be counted. Many Paul supporters, feeling out of options, will resort to writing in Ron Paul as a protest vote. The question will be regarding the size of that turnout and what kind of message it will send.

Will the “Ron Paul” write-in turnout be large enough to send a clear message to the political establishment?

Undercover Porcupine Live Election Coverage

Election night will be covered live on Undercover Porcupine, with update blogs on races as they’re decided. The federal races will be covered, as well as a select number of state and local races. It will be a very important election cycle for a generation and it is important everyone be apart of it.

While refreshing the news websites and watching the live reporting on the television, also keep an eye on Undercover Porcupine for continued updates, from the perspective of a libertarian-leaning Republican.

Until then, get out and vote. Not only vote, but make sure your friends and family members also turn out to do the same. Voting is important and this election will be a huge one!

Chris Dixon

About Chris Dixon

Chris Dixon is a libertarian-leaning writer and managing editor for The Liberty Conservative. In addition to his political writing, he also covers baseball for Cleat Geeks and enjoys writing on a number of other topics ranging on Medium.