AUGUSTA, Maine — A state representative from Gardiner has dropped out of the Democratic party, slightly shifting the balance of power in the Maine Legislature but not upsetting the political order.
Rep. Stephen Hanley said he withdrew from the Democratic party at the beginning of July after a lifetime as a Democrat. He’s now unenrolled.
“They’ve just drifted farther and farther to the left,” Hanley said of the Democrats. “I’m just a middle-of-the-road guy.”
Hanley’s change in party affiliation doesn’t have major implications. It doesn’t affect which party controls the Maine House, and it doesn’t directly affect Democrats’ efforts to regain control of the chamber or Republicans’ efforts to retain it.
After Hanley’s switch, the Maine House has 77 Republicans, 70 Democrats and two unenrolled members. The chamber has two vacant seats.
On the political end, Hanley is barred from running for re-election to his seat due to term limits. Hanley is serving his fourth term in the House. Democrat Phillip Barter and Republican Daniel Bates are running to replace him.
Hanley didn’t cite a specific policy disagreement with Democrats and said he wasn’t interested in joining the Republican party, either.
“They’re getting too mean-spirited,” he said of the parties. “You can’t disagree with them. It’s not what we need, and it’s not what I want to be part of.”
Hanley said he waited until after the legislative session had concluded to withdraw from the Democratic party.
“There’s no animosity toward the people of the party,” Hanley said.
Rep. Emily Cain, the House Democratic leader, said she enjoyed serving with Hanley in the Democratic caucus and that she saw the move as a personal, rather than political, one.
“We haven’t always agreed, and that’s completely OK,” said Cain, of Orono. “He’s brought an important perspective to the Democratic caucus and the Legislature.”
“If we were to reconvene for some reason, Steve would be welcome in the Democratic caucus,” Cain added. “He has a lot of relationships there and friendships.”
He’s brought an important perspective to the Democratic caucus and the Legislature.” Guess they were not listening.
LOL, please. And when it’s Snowe, she’s nothing but an awful RINO, right?
Good for him. Why stay with a party you no longer feel represents you?
“They’ve just drifted farther and farther to the left,” Hanley said of the Democrats.
Just another reason to keep them out of power for another 2 years. Even Democrats thinks the Maine Democratic Party is nuts.
I can’t even imagine how out-of-touch with reality this guy must be if he thinks the Dem’s have shifted to the left. If anything, they’ve drifted slightly to the right.
Perhaps Rep. Hanley has shifted even farther to the right himself, or perhaps he’s watched the GOP shift to the extreme right and assumed that it was actually the Dem’s who were shifting the opposite direction. Either way, he’s sadly mistaken.
If you go right far enough you go full circle and become– Left OUT!
Rep. Hanley had the guts to say what he feels, good for him. Many Democrats play the blame them game, just like their buddy Obama. Many years ago I was a Democrat until I started realizing that they say one thing but vote with the far left 99% of the time. Emily Cain is probably one of the worse.
Their leader in the WH has taken away the National Day of Prayer but prayed with the thousands of Muslims in DC; but today for votes, he uses the tradegy in Colorado to say we should pray and invoked Our Lord. I believe we should pray for the families and victoms but he is a HYPOCRITE.
BYE BYE Steve, don’t let the door hit you on the way out!! If you can’t stand with the people, you should not be a Democrat!!