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Michael Cianchette is a Navy reservist who served in Afghanistan. He is in-house counsel to a number of businesses in southern Maine and was a chief counsel to former Gov. Paul LePage.
You’ve got to hit your free throws.
It is in the name. Free. Throw.
In basketball, teams that have success hitting the shots they are supposed to hit are more likely to win.
The same is true with politics.
This past Tuesday, the Maine GOP hit their free throw with Rep. Abden Simmons’ special election win on the midcoast. Republicans had been on a losing streak in special elections since 2015.
The seat was vacated when Democratic Rep. Clinton Collamore was charged with crimes related to his election and campaign financing. It was a seat that Republicans should have won. Former Gov. Paul LePage carried the district in his campaign against Gov. Janet Mills and the district leans towards the GOP. The race was a free throw.
But free throws are not layups. Plenty of people miss them.
After the 2022 elections, the GOP had a changing of the guard. Former Rep. Joel Stetkis was elected as the new chairman. He called for a renewed focus on the Republican “ground game” of winning elections.
Tuesday was the first real test. And the party hit their free throw.
Simmons was a good candidate. He raised nearly $11,000 in private funding, outpacing the amount of tax dollars received by his Democratic opponent. Outside spending favored the Republican side of the ledger, although House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross and Gov. Janet Mills both hit the pavement trying to win the day.
Yet sinking a free throw gives you one point. Republicans picked up one seat. Neither, by itself, will win the game.
Democrats still hold a decent advantage in the Maine Legislature. If they are united, they will be able to push along just about anything they want.
Nevertheless, cracks are appearing between run-of-the-mill liberals and the far-left progressives. All are Democrats, but they have different priorities.
Republicans may soon be making common cause with the more centrist Democrats against overreaches by progressives. Winning Tuesday’s free throw may make the difference in the outcome.
A bill hiking the minimum wage passed the House by one vote. That story may be different with Simmons now seated.
Various firearm-related proposals are swirling around Augusta. One vote in the House could very well make a difference.
Other issues are likely to be close calls as well. That includes any forthcoming vetoes from Gov. Janet Mills.
Republicans can likely earn some policy victories in the waning days of this legislative session. Where progressives are proposing bills that go a bit too far, whether on economic questions or others, GOP arguments may carry the day with enough Democrats to make a difference. Holding fast to their legislative leverage on items like transportation funding can demonstrate they are serious about problem solving.
If they are successful in holding back the biggest excesses of the majority party, then Republicans will be well-poised to head into their candidate recruitment efforts this fall. Victories can beget victories. And we are less than a year away from the 2024 legislative primary.
With strong candidates that match their district well – candidates like Rep. Abden Simmons – a path to a legislative majority exists for Republicans.
But they need to win the winnable fights. They’ve got to hit their free throws.
