We all have that friend, right?

When the subject turns to politics, elections and the state of the world, they go there.

This is the person who says out loud the stuff everyone around them is thinking, but not saying.

This is Jason Ward.

Jason went to the United States Merchant Marine Academy. He served as a naval engineering officer on a guided missile cruiser in the Persian Gulf and was the ship’s judge advocate general or JAG. After leaving the Navy, Jason moved to the private sector, climbed the ladder in executive recruiting, and now runs his own headhunting business. I met Jason late one afternoon, in an empty conference room at the Cushing Town Office, a few days after Alex Pretti was killed by border patrol agents in Minneapolis.

Music on today's show:

Sumner McKane Group - Nanook - the ojuck victorious hunting theme

Sumner McKane - In The Blood Film Score - The Reputation

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Joanne Mason follows Maine politics and elections closely. She’s chair of the Kennebec County Democratic Committee. Joanne lives in Readfield with her husband, Ken, the county’s elected sheriff. Readfield, like so many Maine communities, is narrowly divided politically. In 2024, its residents cast 900 votes for Kamala Harris and 875 votes for Donald Trump. You never know where a conversation will lead once you hit record. Forty minutes into our chat, Joanne shared a family story on the far-reaching, traumatic impact of recent ICE raids across the country. Before we got there, she touched on issues resonating in 2026, how she sizes up candidates, the volatile political climate in recent years and the more forgiving, collegial style of politics she experienced growing up in Augusta and raising her own family in Readfield.

Show Notes

Music on today's show:

Sumner McKane Group - Nanook - the ojuck victorious hunting theme

Sumner McKane - The Music Frontier Film Soundtrack - Big Sky

Sumner McKane with Joshua Robbins - Two If By Sea - No Land, Lights or Birds

Sumner McKane - Speedway Maine Soundtrack - Old Orchard

Sumner McKane and Joshua Robbins - Two If By Sea - She Rests At 60 Fathoms

Follow, subscribe, support:

Follow, subscribe and support Unorganized Territory on Substack.