PORTLAND, Maine — In a small sign of the lingering dissatisfaction Maine voters feel about the two leading presidential candidates, independent challenger Evan McMullin disclosed his first Maine contribution — $1,050 from a Fort Fairfield donor — in September.
The donation came in a month when Democrat Hillary Clinton raised about $16 to every $1 brought in by Republican Donald Trump’s campaign.
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Still, polls in Maine’s 2nd District showed the race in a dead heat.
Such a split would make for the first time in history that the electoral votes assigned to each of Maine’s congressional districts went to different candidates. While itemized contributions don’t predict the outcome on Election Day, Clinton’s lead on Trump is noticeably smaller than in the 1st District, through September.
The bulk of Clinton’s cash is dominated by southern communities. Not so with Trump.
Portland ZIP codes have been the top source of money for the Clinton campaign, by far. For Trump, donors in Falmouth had given the most, but Bangor was a close second.
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Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson’s greatest support came from two donors in Seal Harbor, including one of the state’s most prolific donors, Sydney Rockefeller. Green candidate Jill Stein found the most cash in Portland.
As with the overall trend, Clinton’s fundraising far outpaced Trump’s in Maine.
Clinton has raised almost double the cash of the Trump campaign, but Trump’s prowess at garnering media attention and spreading his message via social media has provided an interesting test case for political scientists wondering just how much campaigns matter — or, perhaps, how they’re changing.
In total, Clinton’s reported Maine haul of $407,972 for the month brings the candidate to a total of about $1.4 million disclosed from individual donors in Maine, who have given an aggregate of $200 or more to a campaign.
Trump finally took the lead for the Republican field in September, hitting the $150,000 mark and surpassing early favorite Jeb Bush’s Maine fundraising total of $135,910.
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