Steve Mistler

2 weeks ago | mainepublic.org | Steve Mistler

Republican state Sen. James Libby announced that he's running for governor next year with a focus on energy and economic development. Libby, 64, is currently serving his sixth nonconsecutive term in the Maine Legislature. He previously ran for governor in 2002, losing to Republican nominee Peter Cianchette. He announced his candidacy in Standish and highlighted his experience in higher education and public service.

2 weeks ago | mainepublic.org | Steve Mistler

Maine Democratic U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden voted Thursday against Republicans' massive spending bill, describing it as an extreme proposal that will slash health coverage and food benefits for thousands of Mainers. The bill is the centerpiece of President Donald Trump's domestic agenda, but Golden and Pingree both framed it as a blueprint for a massive wealth transfer from the poorest Americans to the wealthiest.

2 weeks ago | mainepublic.org | Steve Mistler

Republican bills that would reverse Maine's policy of allowing transgender girls to compete on girls' sports teams are heading to the full Legislature after the Judiciary Committee deadlocked over whether to endorse or defeat them. The tie votes reflect deep divisions over an issue that has come to dominate the legislative session and amid a high-stakes legal and political fight between the Mills administration and the Trump administration.

2 weeks ago | wbur.org | Steve Mistler

The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily restored Rep. Laurel Libby's ability to vote while she appeals a censure order for identifying a high school transgender athlete in a critical social media post. Libby sued House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, saying the censure violated her First Amendment rights and left voters in her district without representation. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.

2 weeks ago | mainepublic.org | Steve Mistler

The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily restored Rep. Laurel Libby's ability to vote while she appeals a censure order for identifying a high school transgender athlete in a critical social media post. Libby was censured in February by Democrats in the Maine House for a social media post that sparked the state's ongoing conflict with the Trump administration over transgender athletes participating in girls sports. The censure prohibited Libby from voting or debating until she apologized.