Ku Klux Klan Constitution cover, 1921Item 23286 info Aroostook
County Historical and Art Museum By 1923, the Klan reported a
statewide membership of 20,000. Politically, the Klan backed
Portland State Senator Ralph O. Brewster as the Republican
nominee for the 1924 gubernatorial election at a time when the
state Republican organization endorsed Frank G. Farrington.
Brewster won the nomination and the governor’s seat, and
repeated his victory in 1926. In November 1922, Governor
Percival Baxter had called the Klan "an insult and an affront to
American citizens" and predicted it would never be popular in
Maine. Brewster's support of the Klan helped its reputation.