AUGUSTA, Maine — U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud and state Senate President Kevin Raye, his Republican challenger, posted nearly identical fundraising figures during the third quarter, with the Democratic incumbent raising just $6,000 more than Raye, according to fundraising totals released by each campaign.
Michaud, a Democrat running for a sixth term in the House, added $215,000 to his campaign bank account between July 1 and Sept. 30. The figure brings his total fundraising for the campaign cycle to more than $1.1 million. The campaign had $621,000 left to spend as of Sept. 30 after spending $229,000 during the quarter.
Raye raised about $209,000 during the third-quarter, bringing his total campaign fundraising to more than $560,000.
Michaud’s campaign released its full quarterly finance report Monday afternoon. Raye’s campaign hadn’t finalized other figures in its report, including how much it spent and how much cash the campaign had left to spend going into the final weeks of the campaign.
Michaud’s campaign spokesman, Dan Cashman, said the campaign has been meeting “aggressive” fundraising goals each quarter. Kathie Summers, a consultant to Raye, said the Republican’s third-quarter fundraising total was a promising sign for a challenger.
“Anytime you’re neck and neck with an incumbent, you’re doing OK,” she said.
The fundraising numbers for the third quarter contrasted with figures from the most recent five-week fundraising period in the spring, from May 24 to June 30, when Raye took in more money than Michaud. During that five-week period, Raye collected $165,000 in campaign contributions while Michaud took in $109,000.
The numbers were due for submission to the Federal Election Commission as an advertising war between the two candidates heats up.
Michaud’s finance report shows he raised more than half of his third-quarter contributions, $114,000, from political action committees. He received help from committees representing the AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union, the American Forest and Paper Association, the National Rifle Association, AT&T, Boeing, General Dynamics, Texas Instruments and other companies, trade organizations and unions.
Personal contributions came from a range of Maine business owners, hospital and credit union officials, lawyers and a few Democratic politicians, including U.S. Senate candidate Cynthia Dill and 2010 gubernatorial candidates Rosa Scarcelli and Patrick McGowan.
Michaud and Raye’s ad war started earlier this month when Raye started airing a humorous TV spot that hit Michaud for leasing a car at taxpayer expense for $800 a month for use when he’s in Maine, for his vote supporting the Obama administration’s health care reform law and for his “0” rating from the National Federation of Independent Business, a conservative group that has endorsed Raye.
The ad features two women sitting at a kitchen table while they criticize Michaud.
Michaud shot back last week with an ad that accuses Raye of spending $20,000 to remodel a State House lounge for Senate Republicans and install a kitchen in his office. The ad uses a stock photo of a luxurious kitchen, not a photo from Maine’s State House.
Raye’s campaign responded that the Senate president spent $9,000 — not $20,000 — to install a coffee station and sink, not a full kitchen, in a reception area outside his office. He didn’t redecorate a State House lounge for Republican senators, the campaign said.
The campaign called on Michaud to pull the ad and touted the spot as a sign the Michaud-Raye race is tightening up, despite three September polls that showed Michaud leading Raye by 15-20 percentage points. Those polls all had Michaud above the 50 percent support level.
To show a tightening race, Raye’s campaign released internal polling data showing Michaud leading Raye 47-40. The polling data are from a survey of 1,242 likely voters in the 2nd District conducted by two firms working for Raye on Oct. 10 and 11.
In response to the release of Raye’s internal polling data, Michaud campaign released polling data of its own showing Michaud with 58-33 lead over his challenger. The poll, done by an outside firm, surveyed 400 likely voters in the 2nd District on Oct. 8 and 9.
Raye’s poll was conducted using an automated phone survey by Eaton River Strategies and Scientific Marketing, both of which have done polling for GOP clients. The survey had a 2.8 percent margin of error.
Eaton River Strategies is owned by Summers, the consultant to Raye’s campaign, and Scientific Marketing is owned by former U.S. Rep. David Emery, a Republican who represented Maine’s 1st District in Congress from 1975 to 1983. Emery also served in Gov. Paul LePage’s administration, as deputy commissioner of the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, until this past summer.
Michaud’s poll was conducted by Normington Petts, a firm in Washington, D.C., with a number of Democratic clients. The survey, which was conducted using a live interviewer, had a 4.9 percent margin of error.
Makes me laugh. Some people talk about how much Raye did while he was in the senate. He was the senator from Washington County, the poorest county in the state. That’s something to be proud of. People are flocking out of the county every day, check the census. That’s something to be proud of. Then on top of this, he spends $20,000 for a kitchen we are told. He says no, only $9,000 for a sink, etc. What the heck? Most people in his district can’t even afford to spend $9,000 on an entire kitchen, but they had to give him their tax money to make his office lavish. Go ahead Washington County, keep voting Republican. It got you this far!!!
Oh and Bangor is better off with all the wacko’s flipping out on Bath Salts?
Probably one of the more insulting and ignorant posts I’ve read in a long time here, and that’s saying a lot.
Sheesh.
Come on Kevin! Campaign hard against this guy.
Mike Michaud has done little to help our district grow economically and is basically a rubber stamp Obama soldier. Our State and our Country desperately need experienced business minded Representatives to initiate the recovery process.
KEVIN RAYE ALL THE WAY, KEVIN RAYE ALL THE WAY
A vote for Raye is a slap in the face of every hourly working person in the State!
Quit yer yappin’ and get out your wallet!
hey mainelymaine:
Maybe you should look back to Angus King and John Baldacci and their decisions and how they have affected whats currently going on in Washington County. I know a lot of proud folks that still live in Washington County, and maybe just maybe Kevin could do something good to help them with their industries of blueberries, cranberries, paper, logging, tourism and fishing. Mr. Michaud hasn’t spent much time in Maine much less in Washington County.
Yeah, I see how Raye helped Washington County soooooooo much.
Its very unfortunate that the Michaud Campaign had to lie to the voters of Maine in a recent ad. Using stock photos of corporate boardrooms and stainless steel kitchens, and then inflating the numbers to intentionally deceive the voters is shameful. The fact is, Kevin cut his Senate President’s budget by 22% or over $80,000 and then cut the Legislature’s budget by over $9 million.
his strings are in the hands of the Maine Heritage Foundation. The Repubs are pouring money into his campaign because they are trying to cut their losses in the House! He’s got nothing but a record of sticking it to the working man!
Raye “defense” is that he actually spent $9,000 to put in a 14″ sink and a dorm refrigerator.
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He might want to rethink that story. It makes him sound like he is generally horrible with money.
Good to see Raye gaining some traction. We need someone new in Washington. Michaud just isn’t getting it done.
Suuuuure – but only if you call it “gaining traction” when you are 15 – 20% behind in every poll except one run by David Emery and paid for by Raye (where he’s still way behind btw, just by less)
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These numbers simply reflect the fact that Michaud’s donors have decided to send their money to other races where it will make a bigger difference because Michaud has such an overwhelming lead in the polls and several times the money Raye has left in the bank to spend, and Michaud just doesn’t need the additional funds as much as other candidates do right now.
Thank you Kevin and your wife Karen as well for commiting yourselves to this challenge. Almost a half century of unprincipled state governmental policy needs the leadership you are capable of in order to effect the positive change Mainers are so desperate for but have not received despite chronic election promises. Equal campaign money cancels itself out in this political equation so renders money less powerful than your own power to present yourself directly to Mainers. Show us!
Michaud has significantly more left in the bank to spend in these last few weeks than Raye raised over his entire campaign. Raye is delaying reporting what he has left to spend because it is certain to be a small fraction of what Michaud has available and he wanted the “good news” story about fund raising to get a headline without that negative thrown in.
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Michaud’s supporters have switched to giving contributions to other races because Michaud leads by 15-20% and has 2 or 3 times as much money to spend over the last few weeks as Raye.
Maybe if Raye squints his eyes a bit more someone will believe him. Raye is just grasping at straws, he should just donate the remainder to charity.
Where is Mikes family in support of his campaign?
Here are two examples of Kevin Raye’s “leadership” (and that of the rest of Washington County’s State Legislators – all Republicans): 1. an educational funding bill was passed and was signed with great fanfare in Eastport by LePage, with Raye and other Republican Legislators at his side, that supposedly would ease the financial burden of rural communities that have high State property valuations; the result, crushing losses of education funding by almost all Washington County municipalities. 2. The manipulative closing of Atlantic Rehab in Calais with the approval by Maine DHHS Commisioner, Mary Mahew, who does nothing without LePage’s authorization. Raye and the rest of Washington County’s Republican delegation were totally rebuffed, despite backing LePage on every significant bill.
If Washington County voters are smart and look beyond the propaganda blitz that is likely being financed by a lot of outside money (Citizens’ United, anyone?), they will not only vote against Kevin Raye, but also State Senate candidate David Burns and every other Republican, who should have had enormous clout in LePage’s Legislature, but have gotten next to nothing of substance for their Washington County constituents. Look beyond their claims and ask yourself what have they actually done to improve Washington County that any other Legislator, Republican or Democrat, wouldn’t or couldn’t have done.
Much like many in the Millinocket area, I will be voting for Kevin Raye- at least he knows how to create paychecks, instead of just cashing them….
Media Mike has done no economic development in the Katahdin Region; many have reached out to him and come up wondering why he is not more supportive of small business.
He has turned his back on the mills, small business and the elderly,,,,, oh yes, he has helped some vets, but there are some vets that sought help and much like small business,,, came up wondering how does someone like him keep getting reelected…
Mike, much like your income (more than 8 times that of your home town) your support will fade away. Your supporters are looking to Raye to fill your do-nothing seat, ya best brush off that old resume…!
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