March 29, 2024
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State delegates to welcome GOP leader

AUGUSTA – Republican National Committee Chairman Marc Racicot will address Maine Republicans when more than 1,400 delegates gather for the party’s two-day state convention Friday.

Racicot, the former Montana governor, keynotes the biennial convention as Republicans trumpet their lineup of candidates for state and national offices and celebrate party unity, the theme of the gathering.

The convention, to be held at the Augusta Civic Center, will feature a video message from President Bush and speeches by U.S. Senate candidate Susan Collins, the incumbent, as well as five candidates vying for Maine’s two congressional seats.

Party leaders said participation in the state party’s premier political event has been bolstered by Bush’s leadership following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Of more than 1,400 delegates, 800 are attending for the first time, said state GOP Executive Director Dwayne Bickford.

While there will be a show of unity and support for the president and candidates at the top of the ticket, the emphasis will be on local and state politics, party Chairman Kathy Watson said.

“The state convention is a local convention. It’s about our candidates,” Watson said. “We’ve got great candidates right down to the county seats.”

In the State House, Republicans have their sights set on control of the Senate, where they began the 2001-02 session with a 17-17 split with Democrats. One independent also was elected.

The GOP lost Senate parity following the death of Portland Sen. Joel Abromson in January. A hard-fought special election in March, followed by a recount and review of the balloting by the Senate itself, resulted in the seating of Democrat Michael Brennan of Portland and an 18-16-1 Democratic majority.

Republicans face longer odds in the House, where Democrats currently hold an edge, 89-61-1.

“Maine voters are so independent, we’re never conceding anything,” said Bickford.

Republicans are also serious about their prospects in the Blaine House race. Republicans feature the only gubernatorial primary, with former legislators Peter Cianchette and Jim Libby facing each other in June 11 balloting.

While Democrat John Baldacci enjoys broad recognition among voters due to his four congressional terms, Bickford said no one should be presumed a winner because a long campaign lies ahead.

“It’s too early in the ballgame to say the ballgame’s over, because it’s not over,” Bickford said.

The GOP primary winner will move into what is shaping up as at least a four-way race also including Baldacci, independent David Flanagan and Green Independent Jonathan Carter.

A highlight of the GOP convention will come Saturday afternoon when Cianchette and Libby address the delegates.

Candidate speeches get under way Friday when the four rivals for the GOP nomination for Baldacci’s 2nd Congressional District seat present 20-minute speeches.

The GOP candidates include state Rep. Stavros Mendros, Tim Woodcock, former state Rep. Richard Campbell and Kevin Raye.

Their speeches will be followed by an address by Collins.

The evening’s keynoter, Racicot, has stressed the importance of electing Republicans to statewide and legislative seats in other states. Speaking to party leaders in Oklahoma, Racicot promised to provide a variety of support and resources to local GOP candidates.

“We’re intensely interested in every single Republican race,” Racicot told party leaders in Oklahoma on April 17.

The other major candidate to address the convention, Steven Joyce, is unopposed in the primary for the 1st District congressional nomination. The Biddeford contractor, a former state representative, is scheduled to speak Saturday.


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