EDITOR'S NOTE - This reporting comes from Spectrum News and Syracuse University's Newhouse School's partnership.
By: Brycen Pace
NORTH HAVEN, M.E. - Twelve miles of open water across Penobscot Bay separate North Haven Island from the mainland. For several local workers making the daily commute, the distance provides a welcome buffer from an increasingly contentious election season.
Kevin Rodel, a self-employed furniture maker who delivers his handcrafted pieces to the island by ferry, is sick of it.
“I’m looking forward to it ending, mostly because of all the annoying ads,” Rodel said.
Unless you live under a rock, escaping the pivotal battle between Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins and her Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson, has proven nearly impossible.
While Rodel avoids local television, campaign messaging still finds its way into his daily life.
“I get the emails and text messages,” he said. “There are just so many ads, and there’s so much money flowing into these elections now. It’s obscene.”
At an island construction site, crew members pouring concrete for local homes and businesses express similar fatigue. For them, working offshore offers a chance to leave national political chatter on the mainland.
Gunnar Cummings, a Rockland native and stonemason who commutes to the island daily, appreciates the temporary quiet.
“It’s nice being out here and staying away from all of it for a few hours—not seeing the lawn signs every day or hearing about it constantly,” Cummings said. “Granted, when we head back to the mainland, it’s right there waiting for us. But being out here is definitely preferable.”
Known on the job for his foundation work and his Patriots fandom, Cummings pushes back against assumptions about blue-collar voters and political awareness.
“There’s a stereotype that guys in our trade don't pay attention to politics—that we’re all just blockheads,” Cummings said. “That’s far from the truth. We know what we’re voting for because these policies hit our wallets directly, and nobody wants their livelihood hurt.”
As the midterms near, Cummings hopes for more civil discussion and less division, even if the geographic distance only turns the volume down temporarily.
“It feels shoved down your throat a lot more this year because of how big these races are for our state,” he said. “Out here on the island, at least, it’s a little quieter.”