AUGUSTA, Maine — The slate of candidates is set for November’s legislative contests, and both sides are claiming the upper hand as the battle for control of the Maine Legislature heats up.
While their rhetoric on the issues might sound different, both of Maine’s major political parties are sounding largely the same as they assess their prospects for electoral success in November.
Republicans say they’re in a strong position to maintain — and even grow — their majorities in both the House and Senate, while Democrats say it’s their year to wrest legislative control back from the Republicans two years after losing it.
Both parties are boasting that they’ve recruited candidates who are average people, rather than professional politicians.
“This year, more than any year in the past, these are average, middle-class, working people who are running for office because they’re frustrated by the direction they see the state going,” Maine Democratic Party spokeswoman Lizzy Reinholt said of her party’s legislative candidates. “These are the folks who make up your communities.”
“We did a much better job of recruiting candidates that fit the districts in Maine,” said Maine Republican Party Chairman Charlie Webster. “We recruited blue-collar workers, retired school teachers, plumbers, barbers, waitresses — just regular people that your neighbor would vote for.”
On fundraising, both parties say they have a solid base of small-time, grassroots donors.
Webster said a national direct mail firm the Maine GOP uses told him, “We have increased our small-donor participants more than any other state [Republican party] in the entire country.”
Reinholt said, “We have a lot of grassroots donors who are giving to us, people throughout Maine who want to see us take back the House and the Senate.”
Campaign finance reports submitted this past week show Maine’s Democratic party outraised the state Republican party during the most recent reporting period, May 30 through July 17.
The Democrats took in $253,000, which included a $100,000 gift from S. Donald Sussman, the billionaire financier and husband of 1st District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree.
The Republicans took in $194,000, which included $80,000 from billionaire Colorado media mogul John Malone, $70,000 from Houston businessman and Southport summer resident Ed Bosarge and $30,000 from White Rock Distilleries CEO Paul Coulombe.
Both parties are quick to say that the other side has a distinct advantage when it comes to sinking large amounts of money into campaigns.
“There’s always that chance of super-late money coming in,” Reinholt said, referring to nearly $400,000 an outside Republican group, the Republican State Leadership Committee, spent less than two weeks before the 2010 election to help Republicans in five state Senate contests. “That’s always a major concern we have to think about.”
The Maine Ethics Commission fined that group $26,000 for late and inaccurate reporting of its spending.
And Republicans have to worry about Democratic cash infusions from Sussman, Webster said.
“The only thing I’m concerned about is that Sussman will give them $500,000,” he said. “The good thing is that money doesn’t beat quality candidates.”
When it comes to candidates, Democrats have fewer of them than Republicans.
The Democrats have no candidates in nine House races and two Senate races. Republicans have no candidates in four House races and two Senate races.
The House races where Democrats have no candidates are all in districts that elected Republicans in 2010. One of the Senate races is District 12, where Democrats didn’t find one of their own to compete for a seat that’s currently held by Democrat Bill Diamond.
Reinholt said the nine House races Democrats aren’t contesting are no reason for concern.
“I’d rather have 142 really strong House candidates rather than 151 mediocre candidates just to have names on the ballot,” Reinholt said.
Either way you slice it, though, the Democrats are fighting an uphill battle as they try to regain legislative control, said Ethan Strimling, a former Democratic state senator from Portland and a Bangor Daily News political analyst.
“It’s a tough road for Democrats,” he said. “It’s always harder to win back the majority when you’ve lost it.”
The Democrat Party, has progressed to become the Communist Party. This is no longer the party of the Kennedy’s, who would never site class or race to garner votes.
By the same token the Republican Party is no longer the party of Ronald Reagan.
WOW!
Joe McCarthy rides again …
Your comfort level will determine how you vote.
The actions of the pass 4 years and remembering how the Great Recession came about and who was in charge.
Charlie Webster said “increased our small donor participants more than any other state Republican Party in the country” How can any party brag about that when 3 (three) participants donated $180,000 out of $194,000? How dismal was the number of small donors BEFORE this increase? And what does this say about the party on the national level? 92% of your money statewide came from THREE (3) donors!! How does that become a bragging point about widespread participation by the “average” person?
It is kind of hard to make a comparison when the names and amounts of Democratic donors are not named other than Sussman.
Stay focused folks. It’s not about who is running or who is giving which party the most money. It’s about whether or not we want to leave the GOP/Tea Party in control of the House and Senate and thus keep giving the lunatic in the Blaine House pretty much anything he wants. That should scare the daylights out of most rational people. I say there’s no need to suffer the humiliation of Mr. LePage’s presence any more than necessary. No, we can’t recall him but come November we can cripple this man politically just as much as his lack of intelligence and grace currently cripples him socially. Simply vote in Democratic House and Senate majorities and much of our current pain and level of national embarrassment will vanish overnight.
Here are the differences:
The republicans do not in any way represent people, their their masters are Big Business, period, thought some democrats do as well but not exclusively.
The republicans are attempting to steal this next election in a nation wide effort to restrict as many votes as possible.
The republicans are trying to strangle our government and public services by cutting taxes until the government is unable to function.
The republicans have on the national level a presidential candidate who has surround himself with ex-Bush Neo-Cons and are offering nothing different than Bush just more of the same pathetic and failed polices that have brought us to this point.
In DC, the republican congress has failed their country by not allowing anything to pass through legislation and are most likely traitors to their country and should be prosecuted for these crimes.
The republicans have executed their own private war against women and any others who do not share their twisted values.
The republicans still believe the Soviet Union exists.
You left out three things:
1)The Republicans are the ones who left the milk out last night. Jerks! AND there’s Lucky Charms in the couch cushions. Double jerks!
2)The Republicans have an app for evil called iBad installed on their iPads that gives them tips on how to destroy beauty and goodness on the go. If you missed kicking a kitten it’ll send you an alert.
3)Despite being voracious tentacle monsters from Dimension X, Republicans are going to win big in November. Search your feelings Luke.
What planet did you say?
Neither party cares about the voter. Only the lobbyist who patronize them sponsored by big bucks. The sad part is the liberals actually believe the democrats are for the small guy. Remember BO went to Harvard. What kind of families can afford to go there. Oh yeah, those that shop at 7-11 and wait for the monthly stipend from Uncle Sam…The republicans make it clear they want to hold citizens accountable but in the process penalize the ones who actually do need gov’t assistance. You get death by thousand cuts from either partys philosophy especially if you are the middle class.
Since when does either party elect “professional politicians” have they forgotten that this is the Maine Legislature? hello! Of course they are all just regular working people. Both parties spew nonsense.
and Charlie Webster did a better job than Lizzy Reinholt in dealing with this story. the democrats have their head in their backside. they need to step back from the liberal speak. they may have raised more money but how much of it came from the Pingree Dynasty aka Donald Sussman? What a bunch of hypocrits. if the tables were turned and it was a republican congresswoman married to a hedgefund billionaire who also happened to own the state’s largest papers, they would all be up in arms. It’s hard to think about being part of either party. it is all political mumbo jumbo.
Charlie Webster a good spokesperson? Hilarious.