Growing up in Maine exposes the folly of party politics | Opinion

Maine’s “Independent” Tradition Faces the 2026 Election

Freeport, Maine – As the 2026 general election approaches, a new generation of voters is looking beyond the traditional party labels that have shaped Maine politics for decades. At the center of this conversation is 18‑year‑old Jack Brogan, a political‑science major at the University of Rhode Island, who says he is “studying how independence works in practice” and will cast his first ballot this fall.

Brogan is not alone. Maine has long been known for its “independent” streak – a political culture that resists fitting every voter into a single ideological box. The state’s senior senator, Angus King, has served in Washington as an independent since 2013. In a 2013 interview, King explained that refusing to join either the Republican or Democratic caucuses would “reduce his effectiveness,” and that he does not see his independent status as a neutral stance but as a strategic choice that allows him to work with both sides.

Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, also embodies this tradition. In the 2020 election, President Joe Biden carried Maine’s presidential vote while Collins retained her Senate seat. Brogan notes that Collins “won statewide” in that race, a fact he uses to illustrate the state’s willingness to split its ticket and support candidates who do not fit neatly into one party. He previously explored this phenomenon in an August column titled “The suburban trap: Why Troy Jackson’s path to victory runs through Scarborough, not Allagash,” where he argued that the state’s suburban voters “represent an electoral problem for Democrats” but also “show something healthy about the existence of these voters.”

Perhaps the most vivid example of Maine’s independent tradition is former Maine Republican Party chair Rick Bennett, who has announced a run for governor as an independent. Bennett, who left the party in 2021, has “broken with Republicans on some issues while retaining positions rooted in his conservative background.” Both parties have tried to define what Bennett “really” is, according to Brogan, and the state’s political landscape is now more complicated than ever.

Brogan writes that he sees independent voters as those who “decide that an entire package of beliefs should not follow from the letter beside the candidate they support.” He argues that “political independence is not an ideology, it’s a method of thinking,” and that voters should not feel forced into a specific set of policies simply because they align with one party. “I don’t want voting for someone to mean inheriting every one of that candidate’s opinions, or recognizing a good argument from the other side to feel like disloyalty,” he says.

Brogan’s viewpoint echoes a broader trend in U.S. politics, where “public is less ideologically tidy than politics makes it appear.” He points to examples such as Pennsylvania’s Senator John Fetterman, a Democrat who has faced criticism from his own party for breaking ranks on immigration and Israel. “The reaction raises a broader question: What does it mean to be a ‘big tent’ party?” Brogan asks. “Once politics becomes identity rather than judgment, disagreeing with your own side can feel less like changing your mind and more like betraying a group.”

The 2026 election will be a test of Maine’s independent tradition. The state has historically seen a mix of party affiliations and cross‑ticket voting. In 2020, for instance, the electorate chose a Democratic president, a Republican senator, and an independent senator – a pattern that has persisted in various forms over the years. As Brogan notes, the state’s “independent” voters “do not want a party to own the people who vote for it.”

Brogan’s own words capture the spirit of his generation. “I don’t think politics should work that way,” he says. “I do not want voting for someone to mean inheriting every one of that candidate’s opinions.” He believes that voters should make independent choices, “reaching that conclusion yourself.” He concludes with a hopeful message: “Maybe that is what Maine’s independent tradition is worth preserving: not a state without Democrats or Republicans, but a state where neither party owns the people who vote for it.”

As Maine prepares for its 2026 general election, the conversation surrounding independent voters, candidates, and the future of the state’s political identity will undoubtedly take center stage. Whether the independent streak that has defined Maine politics for generations will remain strong in the face of national polarization remains to be seen. For now, it seems the state’s voters – from the seasoned independent senators to the first‑time voters like Brogan – are set to decide whether Maine’s tradition of thinking beyond party lines will continue to shape the state’s political future.