**Former Maine Rep. Bruce Poliquin: RFK Jr. Dropping Out Could Boost Trump in Maine**
Poliquin highlighted Maine's unique electoral system, which splits its electoral votes—two are awarded to the statewide winner, while one is given to the winner of each of the state's two congressional districts. Trump won Maine's second district in both 2016 and 2020 but lost the more liberal southern district, which includes Portland.
However, Poliquin suggested that Trump has a strong chance of securing the statewide electoral votes this time, potentially influencing the outcome of the entire election.
“If you look at some of these calculations about this forthcoming election, it looks like it’s going to be razor thin in the state of Maine. Winning statewide, getting an additional two electoral votes, could make Mr. Trump the 47th President United States, and Maine could make that decision,” Poliquin stated.
He explained that Kennedy's exit from the race could be a decisive factor, especially considering the support RFK Jr. had among libertarians and anti-censorship advocates in Maine. Poliquin speculated that these voters, who can no longer vote for Kennedy, may now support Trump.
“So Kennedy is no longer on the ballot in Maine, and there are a lot of libertarians up here. A lot of people who believe in ‘Government, leave me alone. I want to live my life. I don’t believe in censorship.’ And Kennedy has a sizable following up here, so those voters who’ll no longer be able to vote for Kennedy are going to go to Trump,” Poliquin added.
Poliquin emphasized the potential impact of this development, saying, “This could determine the fate of our country, the direction of our country... We could determine the election. Trump was ahead in New Hampshire before Biden dropped out, and tied in Maine.”
He concluded by reiterating that Maine will play a crucial role in the upcoming election, especially now that Kennedy is off the ballot, potentially shifting votes toward Trump.