News outlets make the connection between immigration and states turning blue. Few look into what makes a state shift red and even fewer spend time tracing how states go blue without immigration. The three states that shifted the least between the 2020 and 2024 elections were Washington, Oregon and Maine. All three were purple states that shifted blue with time. All three have avoided a heavy dose of immigration.
This essay explores how Maine shifted politically and at its core, economically and demographically, but not in a way that follows the normal modern political narrative.
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