Articles – 2012
U.S. Senate transitions: an incoming independent voice hopes to bridge the divide; interview with senator-elect Angus King; Maine Sunday Telegram, FRONT PAGE, 30 December 2012, BRUNSWICK, MAINE, p. A1
King names Rand as chief of staff; Sen-elect King’s choice of aides; Portland Press Herald, STATE & LOCAL; 18 December 2012, BRUNSWICK, MAINE, p. B3
Republicans have a Yankee Problem; By embracing Southern-style conservatism, the party is all but extinct in the region of its birth; Maine Sunday Telegram; INSIGHT, 16 December 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. E1
War for Maine’s Shore; Recent court decisions open new fronts in the battle over ownership and use of the state’s intertidal zone; Maine Sunday Telegram, FRONT PAGE, 2 December 2012, KENNEBUNKPORT, MAINE, p. A1
Snowe’s political donations, calls for unity at odds; Sen. Snowe gave only to Republicans in Maine, including many polarizing ones; Portland Press Herald, FRONT PAGE; 27 November 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
How the Republican Party lost the State House; ANALYSIS: Effective spending by Maine Democrats and regional dissatisfaction with Gov. Paul LePage contributed to a reversal of control in both chambers; Maine Sunday Telegram, FRONT PAGE, 25 November 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
Broken dreams of world government; a review of Mark Mazower’s Governing the World: A History of An Idea; Washington Post; OUTLOOK; 18 November 2012.
Acclaimed journalist to speak on elections, presidents at USM; interview with Bob Woodward; Portland Press Herald, STATE & LOCAL; 14 November 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B1
11 Nations, Divisible; the 2012 election as seen through the true regional map; Minneapolis Star-Tribune, COMMENTARY, 12 November 2012
U.S Regional clashes behind Obama versus Romney; the 2012 election as seen through the true regional map; Bloomberg View, OPED, 11 November 2012
Outside funds flooded state in negativity; a look at the record-breaking independent expenditures into Maine’s legislative races; Maine Sunday Telegram, FRONT PAGE, 11 November 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
Regional divisions date back centuries; an analysis of the 2012 U.S. Presidential election; Maine Sunday Telegram, FRONT PAGE, 11 November 2012, FREEPORT, MAINE, p. A1
The G.O.P’s Yankee Problem; why the Republicans lost big in Greater New England; Washington Monthly, TEN MILES SQUARE, 9 November 2012
The County, state, and nations mourn the loss of Gov. John Reed; obituary profile of a former governor of Maine and Ambassador to Sri Lanka; Portland Press Herald, FRONT PAGE; 3 November 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
Two virtual schools reapply to charter commission; K12 Inc and Connections Learning would manage Maine schools; Portland Press Herald, STATE & LOCAL; 1 November 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B1
Romney, Dixie, and the Future of the Electoral College; regionalism, Federalism, and the 2012 election; Washington Monthly, TEN MILES SQUARE, 31 October 2012
Who is the Future U.S. Senator from Maine?; examining the contenders for Olympia Snowe’s seat; Washington Monthly, TEN MILES SQUARE, 29 October 2012
U.S. Senate Race: Summers’ previous losses don’t stop quest for Congress; biographical profile of Charlie Summers Jr.; Maine Sunday Telegram, FRONT PAGE, 28 October 2012, SCARBOROUGH, MAINE, p. A1
Ruling finds basis for fraud against McKernan-led firm; A judge recommends retaining four of six charges against the former Maine governor’s for-profit education business, EDMC; Portland Press Herald, STATE & LOCAL; 25 October 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B2
Name Game: Anti-gay marriage funding group under fire; once again, same-sex marriage supporters try to pry loose the names of donors to the anti-marriage effort in Maine, Maine Sunday Telegram, POLITICS 2012, 21 October 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A15
Environmental group sues Maine over future of St. Croix alewives; update in saga regarding restoration of a fish to a river on the Maine-New Brunswick border; Portland Press Herald, STATE & LOCAL; 15 October 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B1
U.S. Senate Race: Democrat Dill stands her ground, then and now; biographical profile of Cynthia Dill; Maine Sunday Telegram, FRONT PAGE, 14 October 2012, CAPE ELIZABETH, MAINE, p. A1
Dill not leaving Senate race, but hints at “last minute deal”; US Senate candidate Cynthia Dill on not being a spoiler; PressHerald.com, OPEN SEASON, 12 October 2012
Virtual school company K12 reinvests in Maine politics; campaign donations by K12 Inc.; PressHerald.com, OPEN SEASON, 9 October 2012
Parallels striking in Maine’s 2nd District Congressional race; biographical profiles of Michael Michaud and Kevin Raye; Maine Sunday Telegram, FRONT PAGE, 7 October 2012, p. A1, BANGOR AND EASTPORT, MAINE, p. A1
The Making of a Man Without a Party; biographical profile of former Maine governor and current US Senate candidate Angus King; Maine Sunday Telegram, FRONT PAGE, 23 September 2012, ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, p. A1
The Party is Over; review of Mark Lofgren’s ‘The Party is Over’; Washington Post; OUTLOOK; 15 September 2012.
Maine tidal turbine goes online; first in North America; ORPC’s turbine starts commercial power production; Portland Press Herald, STATE & LOCAL; 13 September 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B1
Firm seeking to open virtual school in Maine is under investigation in Florida; Florida is probing whether K-12 Inc., which wants to run a school for Maine, employed uncertified teachers and tried to conceal it; Portland Press Herald, FRONT
PAGE; 12 September 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
Special Report: The profit motive behind virtual schools in Maine; Documents expose the flow of money and influence from corporations that stand to profit from state leaders’ efforts to expand and deregulate digital education; Maine Sunday Telegram, FRONT PAGE,SPECIAL REPORT 2 September 2012, p. A1
Special Report: Studies: Existing full-time virtual schools earn poor grades; companion piece to digital education policy investigation; Maine Sunday Telegram, SPECIAL REPORT 2 September 2012, p. A5
Marc Thiessen stretches to claim “Maine is not lost” to GOP Senate hopeful; Washington Monthly, TEN MILES SQUARE, 21 August 2012
Campobello’s sea change; FDR Campobello International Park, created by JFK and Muskie, overcomes post-9/11 challenges; Maine Sunday Telegram, INSIGHT, 19 August 2012, CAMPOBELLO ISLAND, NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA, p. D1
Susan Collins marries friend, mentor; US Senator from Maine weds Tom Daffron; Washington Monthly, TEN MILES SQUARE, 13 August 2012
LePage spurns EPA, but supports greater access for alewives in St. Croix; Portland Press Herald, FRONT PAGE; 8 August 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
Cheap Maine lobsters spark protests in Canada; New Brunswick lobstermen blockade processors, Maine trucker; Portland Press Herald, FRONT PAGE; 3 August 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
Collins, fiance “bring out the best in each other”; profile of Sen. Susan Collins’ mentor and fiance, Tom Daffron; Maine Sunday Telegram, FRONT PAGE, 29 July 2012, p. A1
Election 2012: King catches the money wave; update on money race to replace Olympia Snowe in the U.S. Senate; Maine Sunday Telegram, ELECTION 2012, 29 July 2012, p. B1
Maine company leading the way as tidal energy comes of age; tidal power in the Bay of Fundy region; Maine Sunday Telegram, FRONT PAGE, 22 July 2012, EASTPORT, MAINE, p. A1
Ayuh, ye mateys!; Did the pirates of the Caribbean build a lair in Down East Maine?; Maine Sunday Telegram, INSIGHT, 22 July 2012, MACHIAS, MAINE, p. D1
Tempting but insane; should the South be its own country?; a review of Chuck Thompson’s “Better of Without ‘Em”; Washington Monthly, BOOKS, July/August 2012
What makes Paul LePage tick so strangely?; some background on Maine’s erratic governor; Washington Monthly, TEN MILES SQUARE, 12 July 2012.
EPA orders state: Open St. Croix to alewives; Portland Press Herald, FRONT PAGE; 11 July 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
The alewives argument; the bitter fight over the future of alewives in the St. Croix river on the Maine-New Brunswick border; Maine Sunday Telegram, FRONT PAGE, 8 July 2012, MILLTOWN, NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA, p. A1
On the rise of the (Deep) Southern Oligarchy; comment on a popular blog post on American regionalism; Washington Monthly, TEN MILES SQUARE, 5 July 2012.
A Crossing to Bear: border, US tax challenges to life on Canada’s Campobello Island; Maine Sunday Telegram, FRONT PAGE, 1 July 2012, CAMPOBELLO ISLAND, NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA, p. A1
Running for President on a Divided Continent; the 11 nations of North America and their impact on the 2012 race; Chronicle of Higher Education, CHRONICLE REVIEW, 25 June 2012 PORTLAND, MAINE
The Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America; sidebar to story above; Chronicle of Higher Education, CHRONICLE REVIEW, 25 June 2012 PORTLAND, MAINE
The War that Made Maine a State; the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812; Maine Sunday Telegram, INSIGHT, 24 June 2012, EASTPORT, MAINE, p. E1
Snowe, Collins reject bid to kill toxic air rules; New England senators unanimously reject Sen. Inhofe’s measure; Portland Press Herald, FRONT PAGE; 21 June 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
In New England, the fishing still stinks; why the region is the sore spot on NOAA’s otherwise positive record in fisheries; Portland Press Herald, FRONT PAGE; 16 June 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
The Money Race to Replace Olympia Snowe: an update; Washington Monthly, TEN MILES SQUARE, 10 June 2012.
More PAC money floods Saco area senate race; unusually high independent expenditures in a Maine state senate race; PressHerald.com, OPEN SEASON, 9 June 2012
Money separates U.S. Senate candidates; on eve of primaries, a look at the money race for Snowe’s seat; Maine Sunday Telegram, FRONT PAGE, 6 June 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
Racino developer pours over $13,000 into legislative races; Ocean Properties PAC money backs pro-casino candidates, threatens clean election candidates; Portland Press Herald, FRONT PAGE; 6 June 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
The ocean of life; a review of Callum Roberts’ The Ocean of Life’; Christian Science Monitor; BOOKS; 5 June 2012
Forest for the Trees; a review of Eric Rutkow’s ‘American Canopy’; Washington Post; OUTLOOK; 1 June 2012.
PACs give Michaud advantage in funds; a look at the money race in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District contest; Maine Sunday Telegram, FRONT PAGE, 3 June 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
East-West highway link not yet on Quebec’s agenda; Portland Press Herald, NEWS; 31 May 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A8
Some prominent names among those who gave to candidates; Maine donors to US Senate and House races;Portland Press Herald, STATE & LOCAL; 1 June 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. C5
Collins takes a call, panel takes 2 votes; Sen. Collins absence allowed committee passage of ban on Pentagon biofuels program; Portland Press Herald, STATE & LOCAL; 31 May 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. C1
East-West Highway: answer or albatross?; Environmental impacts aside, assessing the economic feasibility of the $2 billion toll-road project will depend on what consultants use as frame of reference; Maine Sunday Telegram, FRONT
PAGE, 27 May 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
King gift to Obama draws fire from rivals; The independent donated to Democrats before he became a candidate for the U.S. Senate; Portland Press Herald, STATE & LOCAL; 24 May 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. C1
On Obama’s Greater Appalachian Problem; Obama, Romney both have trouble in Greater Appalachia;Washington Monthly, TEN MILES SQUARE, 23 May 2012.
Maine AG stays out of campaign-finance case He won’t join with 22 states seeking to limit the impact of the Citizens United court decision in a Montana case; Portland Press Herald, STATE & LOCAL; 22 May 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. B1
Following the Money in the Race to Replace Olympia Snowe: an Early Snapshot; Washington Monthly, TEN MILES SQUARE, 22 May 2012.
Malaga Island: A century of shame; A new exhibit at the Maine State Museum tells the story of the eviction of Malaga Island’s residents, one of the state’s most disgraceful official acts; Maine Sunday Telegram, INSIGHT, 13 May 2012,
AUGUSTA, MAINE, p. E1
Campaign backers spending in Maine; Financial disclosures by the 12 candidates for an open U.S. Senate seat let voters follow the money; Maine Sunday Telegram, FRONT PAGE, 13 May 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
Loophole in clean elections law allows private funds; revisiting the perennial issue of clean candidates with PACs in Maine; Maine Sunday Telegram, FRONT PAGE, 13 May 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1
National GOP may bar Maine’s Republican delegates; GOP convention problems raise questions, Portland Press Herald, FRONT PAGE, 8 May 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE, p. A1.
Chaos at the Caucuses; Maine’s 2012 GOP presidential caucus was a mess; Down East, TALK OF MAINE, May 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE
The answers to life’s big questions; review of Edward O. Wilson’s “The Social Conquest of Earth”; Washington Post; OUTLOOK; 15 April 2012, p. B1.
Net Loss; Are the Gulf of Maine’s cod — and cod fishermen — really doomed?; Down East, TALK OF MAINE, April 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE
Lessig: Occupy Americans Elect, reformist’s call to action on money in politics; Washington Monthly, TEN MILES SQUARE, 14 March 2012.
Super Tuesday and the American Nations, regional geography explains much of the result on the GOP presidential primary; Washington Monthly, TEN MILES SQUARE, 8 March 2012.
Black and White and Red All Over, can new investors rescue Maine’s largest newspaper chain?; Down East, TALK OF MAINE, March 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE
Olympia Snowe: why she’s leaving the Senate; the effect on Maine, US political landscape; The Daily Beast, ELECTION 2012, 29 February 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE
Despite Walmart and Starbucks, divided we stand; American regionalism’s effect on history and current politics; Maine Sunday Telegram; INSIGHT, 19 February 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE
To understand America, look to New Zealand; review of David Hackett Fischer’s “Fairness and Freedom”; Washington Post, BOOK WORLD, 19 February 2012
Mitt Romney edges out Ron Paul in Maine caucus; The Daily Beast, ELECTION 2012, 11 February 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE
One nation, divided by regions; American regionalism’s effect on history and current politics; Louisville Courier Journal, OP-ED, 11 February 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE
Woodard: Not just North vs South; American regionalism’s effect on history and current politics; Savannah Morning News, OP-ED, 10 February 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE
Regionalism: united we stand?; American regionalism’s effect on history and current politics; The Oregonian, OP-ED, 10 February 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE
Regionalism: united we stand?; American regionalism’s effect on history and current politics; Sacramento Bee, OP-ED, 9 February 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE
America: united we stand?; American regionalism’s effect on history and current politics; San Jose Mercury News, OP-ED, 9 February 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE
America: united we stand?; American regionalism’s effect on history and current politics; Contra Costa Times (California), OP-ED, 9 February 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE
Regionalism: united we stand?; American regionalism’s effect on history and current politics; Bellingham Herald (Washington), OP-ED, 9 February 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE
Regionalism: united we stand?; American regionalism’s effect on history and current politics; Bradenton Herald (Florida), OP-ED, 9 February 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE
Not one America, many; American regionalism’s effect on history and current politics; Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, Va.), OP-ED, 5 February 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE
Why did Norm Olsen lose the DMR post? Update on a fiery resignation in Maine; Working Waterfront, PARALLEL 44, February 2012, PORTLAND, MAINE
The Making of Paul LePage, Part II: The Rise to Power; Portland Phoenix, FEATURE, 18 January 2012, WATERVILLE, MAINE
The Making of Paul LePage, Part I: Escaping Poverty or The Horatio Alger Years; Portland Phoenix, COVER STORY, 11 January 2012, LEWISTON, MAINE
COLIN WOODARD is a New York Times bestselling author and award-winning journalist. He is the author of six books that have been translated into a dozen foreign languages and inspired an NBC television drama. He is currently Director of Nationhood Lab at the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Affairs at Salve Regina University. As State and National Affairs Writer at the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram he won a 2012 George Polk Award and was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in 2016. He is a contributing editor at POLITICO and his work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, Smithsonian and dozens of other major publications.