Jim Fossel

Gardiner

Columnist at The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram

Citizen. Freedom-lover. Boston fan. @PressHerald columnist. Eaglebrook ‘98, Hebron ‘01, Dickinson ‘05. #Phish. I stand with Ukraine and Israel. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇳🇴

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Articles

What has Mills vetoed, and were they upheld?

2 days ago | jimfossel.substack.com | Jim Fossel

With the legislative session over, Janet Mills has begun vetoing bills passed by her fellow Democrats in control of the Legislature. The Legislature is in session today to consider her vetoes. Here’s where we stand so far. This piece will be updated as further vetoes are issued, if applicable, and votes are held. , “An Act to Enact the Agricultural Employees Concerted Activity Protection Act”This bill expands the rights of agricultural employees to unionize. Passed House 74-71 and Senate 21-13.
The Betting Line On The Blaine House

3 days ago | jimfossel.substack.com | Jim Fossel

Well, now we have a new candidate in the race: Former Senate President, current state senator, and former Maine Republican Party chair Rick Bennett (R-Oxford County) has for some reason decided to run for governor as an independent. So, it’s time to update my gubernatorial rankings. For those unfamiliar with gambling (bless you!), here’s how odds work in terms of $1 bets. If someone is listed as +300, then you’ll be paid $4 if you bet $1, for $3 in winnings.
Ticket-selling bill shows Maine Democrats can get it right | Jim Fossel

5 days ago | pressherald.com | Jim Fossel

It’s amazing to me, but Maine Democrats actually did manage to pass a bill that does good things that I mostly support this session, even if I have reservations about one particular clause. The bill, LD 913, An Act to Amend the Law Regulating the Resale of Tickets, seeks to rein in ticket resellers, who have long been a bane of my existence. I enjoy live events, concerts and sports alike.
Fridays with Fossel

1 week ago | jimfossel.substack.com | Jim Fossel

Welcome to this week’s recap, everyone - for Friday, June 20, 2025. Hey, it’s officially summer! Well, at precisely 10:41PM Eastern Standard Time, anyway. Phish’s summer tour begins in Manchester, NH tonight at 7:30, so the spring, technically. Still, let’s roll with it!Last week was Flag Day, but this upcoming week, on Wednesday, June 25, we have Flagg Day - don’t worry, I’m talking about Cooper, not Randall. If you don’t know who the latter one is, trust me, focus on the former.
Rebellion Crushed, Budget Passed

1 week ago | jimfossel.substack.com | Jim Fossel

After failing to advance the supplemental budget earlier in the day, five of the six Democrats rebelling against the bill had a miraculous change of heart and voted yes. I’ll have more thoughts on this later, but here’s what it looks like visually. The five who switched votes are highlighted in their very own special category. This interactive map is best viewed on a browser.
Maine House votes down supplemental budget

1 week ago | jimfossel.substack.com | Jim Fossel

On Wednesday, February 18, the Maine House voted down LD 210, the supplemental budget, with six Democrats joining Republicans in opposition. Although it’s technically a supplemental budget, since Democrats passed their partisan baseline budget earlier this year, it’s essentially most of the budget for the forthcoming biennium.
‘Big, beautiful bill’ is one big, ugly mess | Jim Fossel

1 week ago | pressherald.com | Jim Fossel

Elon Musk often gets a lot of things wrong, both in factual claims he makes and in his opinions — just like his once (and, possibly, future) friend and ally, Donald Trump. For instance, it’s hard to believe his since-deleted claim that Donald Trump was mentioned in the files regarding the clients of financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Somebody would have leaked it to some journalist at some point. The Democrats wouldn’t have simply sat on this information for four years.
The Betting Line On The Blaine House

2 weeks ago | jimfossel.substack.com | Jim Fossel

All right, here you go, folks, I’m ready to start ranking the gubernatorial candidates from both parties. I’m going to do this in a format that will be familiar to many of you: gambling odds. For those who aren’t familiar, I’ll explain the format a bit below. For those unfamiliar with gambling (bless you!), here’s how odds work in terms of $1 bets. If someone is listed as +300, then you’ll be paid $4 if you bet $1, for $3 in winnings.
Fridays with Fossel June 13

2 weeks ago | jimfossel.substack.com | Jim Fossel

Welcome to this week’s recap, everyone - for Friday, June 13, 2025. Today is, of course, Friday the Thirteenth, which means absolutely nothing unless you have triskaidekaphobia or you’re Jason Voorhees. It’s also the Ides of June; yes, you read that correctly. You may have thought that the Ides were a singular holiday that occurred in March, but it’s a monthly feature of the Roman calendar marking the approximate mid-month.
Troy for Governor? OK, I guess?

2 weeks ago | jimfossel.substack.com | Jim Fossel

Troy Jackson is runningfor governor. You know, for, I guess…reasons. Troy Jackson is one of those people who, on paper, seems like a strong candidate. He’s from Aroostook County, the northernmost county in the state that’s surrounded on three sides by Canada. They’re the grassroots tip of the spear if our northern neighbors ever invade. That area was historically, and ancestrally, Democratic, but it’s been trending more Republican as of late.