Rob Rogers has seen his rural corner of New England turn into a stronghold for Donald Trump in two consecutive elections. But this year he's feeling hopeful that Vice President Kamala Harris could reclaim a potentially decisive electoral vote for Democrats.
"Let me just say, in the presidential election, I'm astounded that the Republican Party can't do better," said Rogers, a registered Democrat who is a draftsman in tiny Chesterville, Maine. "I think it will be close, but I just don't know how it's going to go."
Democrats might need voters like Rogers to be right.
In a presidential contest that's expected to be tight, this year every electoral vote could matter. That's why the Harris campaign has cast its eyes northward to Maine, home to one of the largest, coldest and most rural congressional districts in the country. At least part of the state could play an unexpected role in deciding this year's presidential election - not to mention control of Congress .
Maine is one of two states that apportions electoral votes by congressional district - the other is Nebraska . Trump has won Maine's 2nd Congressional District vote by more than 7 percentage points twice in a row. Both times, it was the only electoral vote he won in New England, and in 2020 it was his only electoral vote northeast of Appalachia.
