Party’s over
Former Democrat cites ideology for switch
Michael Willette
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
PRESQUE ISLE – A week-and-a-half after Michael Willette (D-Presque Isle) defeated Republican Jessica Chase Smith to retain his House District 5 seat, he switched political parties. His decision was made public last Friday.
“For those voters who know me and my voting record, they all wonder why it took me so long to switch, and that this came as no surprise to them,” said Willette. “For those who just voted for me because there was a ‘D’ in front of my name and did not care to know my record, those are the folks disappointed with my decision, and there are no reasons or excuses that I could give to make them understand why I made the switch.
“I’ve only had two negative e-mails and no negative phone calls, and those are the people who vote only for the candidates representing their party no matter what,” he said. “On the other side, it’s been unbelievable the amount of support from people that I’ve never even heard from before. It was unexpected; I thought it would be much more negative.”
There are a few reasons for his move to the Republican Party, Willette said.
“It is no secret that I am very moderate and I have right-leaning beliefs when it comes to the size of our government and the rates at which we are taxed in our state. These are bullet points that I ran on in 2008 and 2010,” he said. “I also believe that small business is the driving engine to our rebound from our 50th placing in Forbes’ list of states that are friendly to businesses in the U.S. Our state has a long way to go in turning this around, as well as our place on the welfare rankings. We are first in the country with regards to our welfare system. After this last election, the Democrat representatives returning to the Statehouse are very far left leaning in the Democratic caucus in Augusta. These are great people, but politically we are on different planets. For me, it was time to get with more like-minded individuals in Augusta, folks that share my same views for what works for our state and, most importantly, our district.
“Another reason for the switch came during this past election. There is a saying that politics makes strange bedfellows, and this election truly proved that to be the case. During the 2010 election, my opponent received campaign cash contributions from a candidate running in another district. Now this is not uncommon in political races, but in this instance, the candidate who made the cash contribution was a member of the County Democratic Party,” said Willette. “After notifying the state Democratic leaders of this, I came to the hard realization that I need to make the change.”
The change was made Nov. 12 in Augusta.
“Making the switch consists of changing your voter registration card and then calling the appropriate people to tell them that I switched,” he said. “There’s no form you have to sign or pledge you have to take; it’s really very simple.
“I did it in Augusta because the Republicans wanted to welcome me when the chose their Speaker and Majority Leader,” said Willette.
While he disagreed with some of the bills and other legislation that came before him in Augusta, Willette said he never went out of his way to vote against a Democratic bill.
“Though I found myself agreeing more with the Republicans, it just wound up being that way,” he said. “It wasn’t like, ‘OK, here comes something from the Democratic leadership, I’m voting against it.’ The same applies with my new role. If Republicans have something coming down the pike that I don’t feel benefits us or goes against the things I believe in, I’m going to vote against that. It’s basically using your judgment and voting for what works.”
Zachary Smith, chair of the Aroostook County Republican Committee and husband of Willette’s recent challenger, Jessica Chase Smith, offered only a brief comment regarding Willette’s decision.
“We’re always glad to have new members,” Smith said. “Other than that, I have no comment.”
Phone calls to officials with the Aroostook County Democratic Committee were not returned by presstime.
One person who is pleased with Willette’s decision is his son, Alexander, who recently earned his first trip to Augusta by defeating Democrat Troy Haines for House District 7.
“He’s always put people before politics and he’s going to continue to do that I’m sure,” said Alexander. “His voting record is one that you can see pretty clearly that he’s in the middle of the road. He agreed with Democrats about half of the time, and agreed with the Republicans about half of the time. I think on the bigger issues, especially business regulations, he always sided with the Republicans. In the times that we’re in right now, I think he saw himself a better fit with the Republican Party.
“There are legislators that go down to Augusta and focus on passing laws, and there are people like Dad who talk to constituents every day and try to help them with day-to-day issues. He’s more of a ‘constituent legislator’ … someone who helps others who are in a bind with state bureaucracy,” Alexander said. “If you’re that kind of legislator, what political party you belong to doesn’t really matter.”
Michael Willette said that prior to the 2008 presidential election, he was unenrolled in either major political party. However, since Independents cannot vote in primaries, he registered as a Democrat.
Recognizing that there’s “never a good time” for a politician to announce a party switch, Willette said he didn’t make a snap decision.
“I did give this a lot of thought and weighed all of the positives and the negatives before coming to my decision,” he said. “This was not a knee-jerk reaction and the reflex to do so had moved at a snail’s pace. However, I do not regret this decision, and I look forward to continue to work for the people of District 5 in Augusta, and more so continue with my constituent work here at home.”
