Even voters in independent-minded Maine are taking sides in a polarized nation

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The state of Maine’s long-cherished reputation for political independence is being threatened by the nation’s polarized politics, with more and more of its voters feeling pressured to take sides.

The shift, reflected in new voter registration numbers and an increasingly pugilistic political environment, has nudged an electorate with a well-earned reputation for pragmatic moderation further into the political fray. So-called independents, or unenrolled voters, have gone from the state’s largest voting bloc to trailing both major parties in just four years.

Though smaller in number, independents nevertheless have the opportunity to shape the outcome of Maine’s Super Tuesday primaries, casting votes for the first time after the state loosened its rules to allow independents to vote in presidential contests.

That could provide a boost for Republican Nikki Haley, who was supported in the New Hampshire GOP primary by a majority of voters registered as unaffiliated, as well as the vast majority of those who self-identified as Democrats or Democratic leaners, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of voters there. Trump won New Hampshire’s GOP primary but complained repeatedly about the support Haley received from non-Republicans.

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