Maine likes moderates, distrusts both parties, and is very proud of it's independance.
Pat Buchanans greatest "achievement" is that he almost singlehandedly killed the Libertarian wing of the GOP party.
Prior to 1992 there was a strong element of the party that, while certainly not a majority, was big enough to... well... have a voice.
To paraphrase Howard Dean... "The Republican Wing of the Republican Party".. low taxes, smaller government, reduced regulation, individual responsibility, a society of individual liberty.
The "Jack Kemp" wing of the GOP essentially died when Buchanan gave his famous "culture war" speech at the GOP convention.
I think a huge chunk of Perots support came from the Libertarian wing of the GOP in 1992 when they saw that their party had been hijacked by a bunch of intollerate crazies.
The Libertarian wing of the party was mostly based in the northeast, so it's hardly a surprise Perot did well in Maine.
Where are those disaffected republican libertarians now? Did they hold their nose and vote for Bush both times, most recently because of the war/leadership issue? Are they sitting out?
