- Maine Democratic Party
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Maine Democratic Party Chairman Ben Grant Senate leader Barry Hobbins House leader Emily Cain Headquarters Augusta,Maine Ideology American Liberalism
Progressivism
Center-leftNational affiliation Democratic Party Official colors Blue Website http://www.mainedems.org/ Politics of the United States
Political parties
ElectionsThe Maine Democratic Party is the local branch of the United States Democratic Party in the state of Maine.
Contents
Current Democratic officeholders
The Maine Democratic Party is the minority party in both the Maine Senate and Maine House of Representatives. The party, however, holds both of the state's U.S. House seats.
History
Edmund S. Muskie.
Maine entered the Union in 1820 as a Anti-Federalist State.
Soon after, in 1834, the Anti-Federalists adopted the Democratic Party name.
The Democrats had limited success for nearly a hundred years, in in part due to slavery. The Northeast was predominantly anti-slavery whereas the South was pro-slavery. When the Whig party split in 1856, it formed the Republican Party, which dominated the state of Maine due to its anti-slavery stance.
Maine was predominantly Republican until 1954.
In 1954, in a gubernatorial election, the Democratic legislator Edmund S. Muskie became governor, ending Maine's one-party rule. He won the state over in part due to his stance on economic growth through industrial development, accessible politics on television and being acceptable to diverse population growth. Between 1954 and 1974, the number of registered Democrats more than doubled from 99,000 to 212,000.
In more recent years, Maine has been roughly evenly split between Democrats, Republicans, and independents. For instance in 1990, independent registered voters constituted 37% of the electorate, Democrats 33%, and Republicans 30%. This is a great contrast to the first hundred years of Maine politics. [1] [2]
Party platform
The Maine Democratic Party goals are to promote economic security, opportunities, health care, education, ethical government, freedom, safety and national security. Maine Democrats are also in support of civil rights, clean environment, global peace and security. These are the issues and guidelines the Maine Democratic elected officials base their political work around while serving the people of the state of Maine.
The platform ensures economic security through an non-privatized social security program. Strict regulation of public and private pensions and assured protection of worker pension funds.
Maine Democrats' promote fair workplace opportunities and guarantee workers of Maine the right to form unions through the Employee Free Choice Act, which gives employees' the chance to strike without consequences and keeps the workplace free of hazards, harassment, discrimination, etc.
The Party Platform promotes a universal single-payer health care system at the national level and until this is reached they believe each state should develop a heath care system at the state level.
The platform notes education as extremely important. They believe in, investing in educational institutions, and promoting lifelong learning.
The platform also supports environmental protection through implementing a comprehensive energy plan to increase efficiency and reduce pollution.
As noted in the Party Platform of the state of Maine, these are some of the principles and values the Democrats pledge to work on with local governments, and other states to ensure a better future for the state. [3]
Ideology
The Ideology associated with the Maine Democrats can be classified as American Liberalism and Progressivism. Typically most Democrats are classified in these two ideologies.
The focal point of present day liberalism in Maine includes issues such as, voting rights for all adult citizens, equal rights, protection of the environment, and the provision by the government of social services such as, equal education opportunities, access to health care, transportation infrastructure, basic food for the hungry and basic shelter for the homeless.
All of these principles and issues were a main focus on the 2010 Maine Party Platform.
Progressivism is a ideology that stresses social, political and economic reforms. Progressives typically advocate reforms in areas such as, education, health care, political affairs, etc.
For example, health care reform is progressive. From the traditional system to the universal single-payer system on the national level. The progressives want the reform. In Maine's Party Platform they advocate to stand by the single-payer health care system on the national level, which increasingly labels them part of the Progressivism ideology.
Members of Congress
- U.S. House of Representatives
References
- ^ Palmer, Kenneth T.Taylor, Thomas G. LiBrizzi, Marcus A (1992). Maine Politics and Government. University of Nebraska Press
- ^ Stevens,John. Abbott, Cabot. Elwell,Edward Henry (1892). The history of Maine. Portland:Brown Thurston Co.
- ^ "Maine Democratic Headquarters", October 30, 2011.
- ^ Palmer, Kenneth T.Taylor, Thomas G. LiBrizzi, Marcus A (1992). Maine Politics and Government. University of Nebraska Press
See also
External links
Party Website: Maine Democratic Party
Categories:- United States political party stubs
- Politics of Maine
- Democratic Party (United States) by state
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