ROCKLAND, Maine — Campaign spending on behalf of the two major political candidates for a Rockland-area House seat has neared $50,000.
Voters in House District 93 — which serves residents of Rockland and Owls Head — will go to the polls Tuesday for a special election to fill the seat vacated in January by Democratic Rep. Elizabeth Dickerson of Rockland.
The seat is being sought by Democrat Anne Beebe-Center, Republican James Kalloch, Libertarian Shawn Levasseur and Green Independent Ron Huber, all of Rockland.
A review of reports filed with the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices shows that through Monday, $30,029 has been spent on behalf of Republican Kalloch and $15,214 on behalf of Democrat Beebe-Center. Levasseur has spent about $114 of his own money and Huber $81 of his own money.
For Kalloch, his campaign raised $6,647. The Maine Republican Party spent another $13,558 on behalf of Kalloch while a political action committee — House Republican District 93 PAC — spent $9,970.
Kalloch ran for the same seat in November, losing to the incumbent Dickerson 1,744 to 1,612. In that race, the Kalloch campaign raised $475. He also received $1,125 in donations from three separate PACs.
The bulk of the money raised on behalf of Kalloch in the current race has gone to two consulting firms — UPT Strategies of Charleston, South Carolina, and Harvest Consulting of Augusta.
Maine Republican Party Chairman Rick Bennett said it is unusual to have a legislator resigning so soon after being elected, as was the case with Dickerson, and that is why this race is getting so much attention.
Bennett said his party is committing resources to the race because Kalloch came so close last time in a heavily Democratic district.
In the two-community district, there are 6,184 registered voters. Of those, 2,235 are not enrolled in a party, 2,006 are Democrats, 1,699 are Republicans and 244 are members of the Maine Green Independent Party.
Beebe-Center has received $4,724 in Maine Clean Election Act money. The PAC Committee to Rebuild Maine’s Middle Class has spent $5,000 on her behalf. Money from that PAC has gone largely to the Maine People’s Alliance for canvassing and advertising. The Maine Democratic Party also has spent $5,490 to get the Democratic candidate elected.
Rachel Irwin, communications director for the Maine Democratic Party, agreed that a lot of money has been spent in the race because it is the only legislative race this year. She pointed out that Republicans were spending a lot on out-of-state firms while Beebe-Center was going door-to-door to meet voters.
Both Kalloch and Beebe-Center have been going door-to-door, including over the past weekend.
Emma Burke, the candidate registrar with the state Ethics Commission, said the amount of money being spent is above the average for a House race but that it was not unexpected. She pointed out that the race was close in November and the Republicans want to gain a seat while Democrats want to retain it in a House where they have a slim majority. The current makeup of the House is 78 Democrats, 68 Republicans and 4 independents.
The race has attracted voter interest. In Rockland, 500 residents already have voted by absentee ballot, which is extremely high for an off-year election.
The polls will be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. In Rockland, voting will be held at the recreation center while in Owls Head it will be at the municipal building.