Thank you to everyone that was able to attend the protest welcome committee for JD Vance today at the airport! We had a great showing, including several Democratic candidates – Matt Dunlap, Jordan Wood, and Shenna Bellows all spoke at the event.
“We understand that fraud happens, and it happens in many states. The fact that they’ve decided to come here to talk about fraud is because of the dustup that he had with our Governor Mills,” said Indivisible Bangor Co-Founder Melissa Berky, “We really need to focus on the things that are important, which is affordability and voting rights and our ability to be a democracy.”
JD Vance was here to stump for Susan “Concerned” Collins and everyone’s favorite Florida-Man Paul LePage. This was a stop on his “anti-fraud” national tour. We all know that whole thing is a BS charade. It’s hard to be anti-fraud when you’re part of the Republican Mafia masquerading as a governing body. Thankfully he didn’t stick around for too long – all couches can breathe a sigh of relief tonight.
Check out some of the photos from the event today. Some email readers might not display the gallery, so if you don’t see it, open the post on the site.
HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND
ICE Verifier Training
Presente! Maine
May 16, 2026 – Sunday – 1:00 pm
Blue Hill
Thank you for your commitment to standing with our communities. By signing up as a Community Watch verifier, you’ll help verify reports of ICE operations in Maine, hold law enforcement accountable, and engage respectfully to create a safer environment for our neighbors. Please fill out this form so we can start the training process to help you coordinate rapid response, protect our neighbors, and push back against unjust immigration enforcement.
Forum on Election Security
Hancock County Democrats
May 15, 2026 – Friday – 6:00 pm
Blue Hill Congregational Church – 22 Tenney Hill, Blue Hill, ME 04614
If you are near Blue Hill, attend this informational presentation next Friday. Have your questions answered and be prepared to debunk the conspiracy theories with facts! Timely info for canvassers!
Magic The Gathering Commander Charity Tournament
Northeast Collectibles
May 16, 2026 – Saturday – 12:00 pm
Northeast Collectibles – 146 Parkway S, Brewer ME 04412
Whenever you enter the Magic the Gathering commander charity tournament at Northeast Collectibles on May 16th from 12-6 PM, you help reduce X harm in our community and gain X raffle tickets, where X is your cash donation to enter the tournament!
Casual format, commander deck brackets 1-3, booster packs for every game winner, prize raffles every hour, $10 NEC gift card to the first 10 entries, booster box grand prize, and more!
All proceeds go to Needlepoint Sanctuary of Maine
Get Out The Early Vote for Graham in Bangor!
May 17, 2026 – Sunday – 1:00 am – 2:00 pm
Maine People’s Alliance – 81 Main St, Bangor, ME 04401
Excited to defeat Susan Collins in November? Wondering what the next steps are for the Grahampaign? Join your fellow Penobscot County volunteers and supporters at this Organizing Meeting to discuss how we’re going to organize our community, win the general election, and build long-term power for our communities in Maine.
Bangor Canvass Launch with Matt Dunlap!
Dunlap For Congress
May 16, 2026 – Saturday – 12:00 pm
56 Wiley St, Bangor, ME 04401
Join Matt Dunlap’s campaign for our Bangor canvass launch! We’ll meet at 56 Wiley St. in Bangor, ME at 12pm to meet, get trained up, and head out to talk with our friends and neighbors around town. Bring a friend!
Keeping Up With the Chaos
While JD Vance was acting like a clown here in Bangor, his boss was acting like a clown in China. It’s always embarrassingly pathetic to watch Trump’s clown car full of cabinet officials brown nose and suck up to Trump, but it’s just straight cringe to watch Trump turn around and do the same to his favorite dictators. This week it’s Xi Jinping in China. Not only was he just absolutely gushing to Xi, but he made some questionable comments in light of the Epstein Trump Files. You have to see it for yourself.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Xi just walked circles around Trump. It’s abundantly clear who the winner in the Iran war is – China. Xi warned (threatened) Trump about “clashes and even conflicts” over Taiwan. According to our own Department of War Defense, Xi told the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to be ready to attack Taiwan in 2027. It almost sounds like less of a threat and more of an instruction.
Speaking of clowns – our favorite “Democrat” Representative Jared Golden again stepped on a rake this week. He was the deciding vote AGAINST the war powers resolution yesterday. This is not the first time he has voted against reining in El Presidente’s illegal war in Iran. It looks like Golden must have been comparing notes with John Fetterman. Who would have thought we would be looking back at Joe Manchin fondly? Given that Golden is a veteran, I didn’t expect that he would support this illegal war, but I guess Israel’s blood money makes it easier to sleep at night.
The US still has a ways to go to get money out of politics, but in surprising news, Hawai’i has thrown the first punch in the fight. The governor signed a bill into law that restricts corporations’ ability to donate money in the state. Montana has followed suit and hopes to pass similar legislation in November. They are likely to be challenged and appealed up to the Supreme Court, but could prove to be an effective method to combat the damage of the Citizens United ruling.
That ruling, in addition to others – like the recent ruling to “eviscerate” the Voting Rights Act last week, presidential immunity, and overturning Roe v. Wade have contributed to continued suffering and hardship. They have enabled the extreme corruption we see everyday. People are angry – and rightfully so! Justice Clarence Thomas has something to say about that:
“The security concerns now are much different from the way they were when I first became a circuit justice,” Thomas told the conference, which was organized by the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals. “That’s really one of the big changes since I’ve been on the court — that it’s become very, very dicey.”
Let’s be real here – Clarence Thomas’s security concerns are that he can’t go out all the time without being reminded of how absolutely un-American he is. He doesn’t seem to care about the decades of progress and precedent he’s helped destroy. And that is exactly why it is not at all surprising that he is half of The Dynamically Corrupt Duo (Alito is the side-kick) that voted against maintaining access to the abortion pill mifepristone by mail. Thankfully even a broken Supreme Court is right twice a day.
I want to end on a note that shows progressive values can win when people come together and rise against the machine. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a balanced budget for NYC, overcoming a ~$12 BILLION deficit. Taxing the Epstein Class in New York not only balanced the budget – it funded free universal child care in the city, among other benefits. The lesson here is clear. Fair is fair:
Tax the Rich
❗Get out and VOTE in the primaries! Early voting is in full swing.
Indivisible Bangor endorsed candidates Graham Platner and Matt Dunlap both gave excellent speeches at the Maine Democratic Convention. If you weren’t able to attend in person, we’ve got you covered!
Take Action
❗If you haven’t already, sign the petition to show your support for the implementation of the divestment law and share it with your networks here.
❗Tell Congress to protect the right to abortion, including medication abortion, and guarantee meaningful access to abortion for everyone, regardless of who they are or where they live, here.
❗We are deeply disappointed that Maine Congressman Jared Golden has once again voted against the House War Powers Resolution bill, this time casting the only Democratic vote against the bill, which resulted in the bill being defeated by one vote. Sign the petition to tell Congress about it here.
❗Tell Your Republican Representative to Stop Bankrolling ICE Brutality here.
❗Join Indivisible (national) to make calls to voters in key states and encourage them to call their Republican Members of Congress and demand they ensure our taxpayer dollars go directly to funding our communities, not to tearing families apart and locking them up in “warehouses” for human beings.Sign up here.
❗Head over to take action on our site, or visit 5calls.org to demand Congress take action NOW!
❗Learn how to have a successful district office visit with the resources provided by Indivisible! Check it out here.
Event Submissions
Got a community, political action, or campaign event? Submit it to be featured on the site and in the newsletter.
MAINELY NEWS
‘Hate has no home here’: Protesters rally against Vance regarding fraud press conference in Bangor
Protesters gathered outside General Aviation at the Bangor International Airport to rally against Vice President JD Vance regarding his arrival to Maine for a press conference on alleged fraud across the state.
“I think that it’s really important that there’s a very visible and audible opposition to what’s happening in the country right now,” said Rebecca Hartwell, who came from Cornish to peace keep at the event.
Read the entire article here.
Maine Democrats split over taxing 2nd homes in sharp debate exchange
Maine’s five Democratic gubernatorial candidates debated taxes, housing and the limits of bold promises Wednesday, with the sharpest exchange coming over a proposal to impose higher property taxes on out-of-state second-home owners.
The dispute offered a rare glimpse of friction in a Democratic field that has been notably collegial. For most of the debate, the five candidates agreed on raising the minimum wage, banning cellphones in classrooms and standing up to President Donald Trump’s administration against healthcare cuts.
Read the entire article here.
Bangor bans storing belongings on sidewalk amid homelessness debate
Bangor city councilors unanimously passed an ordinance Monday night banning the storage of belongings on sidewalks amid rising concern around homeless residents gathering near the public library.
Councilors made their decision after more than an hour of public comments about the city’s homelessness crisis in a room packed with both supporters and critics of the ordinance.
Read the entire article here.
Indivisible Bangor
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Weekly member meetings are on Zoom, with in-person meetings on the first Wednesday of the month. As always, check out our Bluesky and Instagram for the latest info.