{"id":48169,"date":"2026-05-11T11:16:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T18:16:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=48169"},"modified":"2026-05-11T11:16:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T18:16:32","slug":"maine-dems-to-vote-on-condemning-dccc-interference-in-house-primary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/05\/11\/maine-dems-to-vote-on-condemning-dccc-interference-in-house-primary\/","title":{"rendered":"Maine Dems to Vote on Condemning DCCC Interference in House Primary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

National Democrats put their weight behind a candidate in Maine\u2019s hotly contested House race just weeks before the primary. Locals are pissed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Noah Hurowitz<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 7 2026 (TheIntercept.com)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"PORTLAND,<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

House of Representatives candidate Matt Dunlap and Senate candidate Graham Platner, both Democrats, cheer during a May Day rally on May 1, 2026, in Portland, Maine. Photo: Graeme Sloan\/Getty Images<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Locals in Maine<\/strong> are bridling at the decision by a powerful Washington Democratic group to throw its weight behind one candidate in the contested primary race for the House seat in the state\u2019s 2nd Congressional District.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Monday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued a coveted endorsement<\/a> of state Sen. Joe Baldacci in the primary race, prompting angry protests from the three other candidates in the race to replace outgoing Democratic Rep. Jared Golden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to the endorsement, the Penobscot County Democratic Committee \u2014 in Baldacci\u2019s home county, which includes the city of Bangor \u2014 will vote Saturday on a measure to condemn the endorsement. The language of the proposal, which was put forward by former Maine state Senate President Charles Pray, denounces the endorsement as being in \u201ctotal disregard and willfully ignoring\u201d local party rules that bar the Democratic state and county chapters from backing a candidate in a primary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cLet the people decide. Let the voters in the primary make that determination.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith the DCCC deciding to throw itself into the mix here, truthfully that just kind of aggravated me,\u201d Pray told The Intercept. \u201cI\u2019m going to support whoever wins the Democratic nomination, but I just think it was an unfair position on their part of trying to dictate or trying to boost up a candidate. Point is, let the people decide. Let the voters in the primary make that determination.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pray, who previously worked in the Clinton and Obama administrations and described himself as \u201ca progressive moderate with liberal tendencies but conservative perspectives,\u201d has personally backed State Auditor Matt Dunlap in the race, but said his pique at the DCCC\u2019s endorsement isn\u2019t about any one candidate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Democratic Leaders Wanted to Control the Maine Senate Race. Their Pick Just Dropped Out.<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis has nothing to do with Joe \u2014 I think all four of them have an equal chance,\u201d Pray said. \u201cIt\u2019s a primary, and, by the way, our state party rules and our county rules are that the party organization cannot endorse or support a candidate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A spokesperson for the DCCC said the group was focused on winning in the general elections and beating back President Donald Trump\u2019s agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s imperative that Democrats must take back the House to hold Trump accountable and deliver on what truly matters to voters,\u201d said the spokesperson, Viet Shelton. \u201cThat\u2019s why we are proud to announce our latest round of Red to Blue<\/a> candidates who span the ideological spectrum, are authentic voices in their districts, and are best positioned to win in November.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Four-Way Race<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The race to replace Golden \u2014 who announced in November that he would not seek reelection \u2014 is being closely watched nationwide ahead of the midterm elections. Whoever takes the Democratic primary will square off against Paul LePage, a brash, plainspoken businessman and Republican former governor whose time running Maine was marked by proto-MAGA far-right populism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baldacci is facing off against Dunlap, who is also a former Maine secretary of state; Jordan Wood, a longtime Democratic fundraiser<\/a> and political operative; and Paige Loud, a social worker and first-time candidate. In the wake of the DCCC endorsement of Baldacci, the other candidates in the race took aim at D.C. Democrats for picking a side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re independent of corporate interests \u2014 and powered by members. Join us.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Become a member<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s undemocratic for national establishment Democrats to put their thumb on the scale in any primary,\u201d Dunlap said. \u201cJust like in certain other races across Maine this year, they won\u2019t decide this one \u2014 the people of Maine will.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Dunlap picking up endorsements from Our Revolution, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and other progressives, Baldacci \u2014 who enjoys name recognition as the brother of former Gov. John Baldacci \u2014 is widely seen as the establishment candidate in the race. Reached by phone Thursday, Baldacci declined to comment on the Penobscot County party proposal condemning the endorsement, but said he was glad to have the backing of Democrats in Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m pleased that they did it,\u201d Baldacci said, referring to the endorsement. \u201cMy understanding is they based it on polling to determine who is the best candidate to run against LePage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wood said the DCCC move demonstrated the problems with Washington party politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe fact that the national Democratic Party would come in and try to decide this primary literally weeks before we vote is just another example of how broken our Democratic leadership is,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cIt\u2019s annoying that the DCCC thinks they know better than Mainers.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A Pan Atlantic Omnibus poll<\/a> in March put Baldacci well ahead of his opponents, but there is little in the way of recent polling to indicate a current popular favorite in the race. Following the stunning collapse of Gov. Janet Mills\u2019s bid<\/a> for the U.S. Senate \u2014 despite the backing of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee \u2014 against populist insurgent Graham Platner, not everyone in Maine sees the DCCC as the best political oracle to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s annoying that the DCCC thinks they know better than Mainers,\u201d said Loud, the left-leaning social worker. \u201cWe just saw the DSCC\u2019s endorsement of Janet Mills, and we all saw how that turned out. I don\u2019t think they have the finger on the pulse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Update: May 7, 2026, 5:12 p.m. ET<\/strong>
This story has been updated to include Jordan Wood\u2019s experience as a political operative.<\/em>Share<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IT\u2019S BEEN A DEVASTATING<\/u><\/strong> year for journalism \u2014 the worst in modern U.S. history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have a president with utter contempt for truth aggressively using the government\u2019s full powers to dismantle the free press. Corporate news outlets have cowered, becoming accessories in Trump\u2019s project to create a post-truth America. Right-wing billionaires have pounced, buying up media organizations and rebuilding the information environment to their liking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this most perilous moment for democracy, The Intercept is fighting back. But to do so effectively, we need to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s where you come in. Will you help us expand our reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donate<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Contact the author:<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Noah Hurowitz<\/a>noah.hurowitz@theintercept.com<\/a>@noahhurowitz.bsky.social<\/a> on Bluesky @NoahHurowitz<\/a> on X<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

National Democrats put their weight behind a candidate in Maine\u2019s hotly contested House race just weeks before the primary. Locals are pissed. Noah Hurowitz May 7 2026 (TheIntercept.com) House of Representatives candidate Matt Dunlap and Senate candidate Graham Platner, both Democrats, cheer during a May Day rally on May 1,… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48169"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48169"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48169\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48170,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48169\/revisions\/48170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}