Democrats say fake news posted on conservative website, shared by Republican Party, tainted Lewiston

[TexasTowelie]

Democrats say fake news posted on conservative website, shared by Republican Party, tainted Lewiston mayoral race

Ben Chin, a 32-year-old Democrat, ran away with the preliminary vote in November for mayor of Lewiston, the second-largest city in Maine. But he couldn’t avoid a runoff with City Councilor Shane Bouchard, a Republican backed by Gov. Paul LePage.

Shortly after the November election, an anonymous conservative website called the Maine Examiner began hammering Chin as a smug, leftist outsider in a long-struggling city where many residents had resisted an influx of Somali immigrants.

“Leaked Email: Ben Chin Says Lewiston Voters ‘Bunch of Racists,’ ” the secretive site posted on Dec. 3, kicking off a barrage of negative stories.

That quote was taken out of context. But nine days later, he lost the runoff by 145 votes – a narrow defeat he and his supporters blame in part on the website’s attacks, many of which were quickly recirculated on Facebook by the state Republican Party.

Read more: https://www.pressherald.com/2018/01/15/maine-republican-party-promoting-fake-news-sites-that-target-democrats/