Maine: How did Paul LePage get reelected?

Last night, Gov. Paul LePage  -- whose approval rating has often been stuck in the thirties -- defied national experts and dozens of polls to win reelection by a comfortable margin and around 48 percent of the vote. How did it do it?

Between two and four this morning, I had the unenviable task of writing this early analysis for Politico Magazine. As most observers must be aware by now, it was more than a vote split, or bear baiting, or the great Republican wave, or his rival's loss of support in the congressional district that elected him six times, but rather a combination of all of the above.

But read for yourself.

My last two pieces for Politico Magazine were also about LePage -- a campaign primer in January and an update on his controversial and sustained contacts with a radical fringe group.

 Also on election day I was pleased that Conor Friedersdorf over at The Atlantic included my most recent book, American Nations, in his round-up of suggested reading for the day. Thanks, sir.


[Update 11/6/14: Also pleased that the Washington Post recommended the Politico piece as one of the "8 things you should have read" the day after the election. And the Boston Globe's "Political Happy Hour" too.]