U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe easily outpaced her two opponents on Election Day, racking up 73 percent of the vote and securing a third term. According to unofficial results compiled by the Bangor Daily News, the Republican incumbent pulled away from Democrat Jean Hay Bright of… Read More
    Incumbent Democrat Tom Allen easily won his sixth term Tuesday, besting a pair of challengers for the 1st Congressional District seat, according to unofficial results compiled by the Bangor Daily News. Allen, 61, an attorney and former Portland city councilor and mayor, had about 61.3… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Partisan vote watchers settled in for a long night Tuesday with State House control widely believed to be too close to call. In the statewide voting for Maine’s 35-seat Senate and 151-seat House of Representatives, this year’s story line was familiar. Democrats were… Read More
    Contested races only – Bangor Daily News unofficial results – some totals may be incomplete Senate googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice())… Read More
    While the major party candidates for governor have kept their television advertising on the high road thus far this election season, their allies are causing a stir. One Republican Governors Association ad was pulled by one local network affiliate last week after being found “grossly… Read More
    PORTLAND – A federal judge Thursday denied a gubernatorial candidate’s request that he be placed on the ballot with the moniker “People’s Hero” in front of his name. Phillip Morris NaPier of Windham argued before District Judge Brock Hornby on Wednesday that he legally changed… Read More
    BANGOR – Maine’s younger voters could play a larger role in deciding the outcome of this November’s election than in past years, according to a newly released report. “Young people can be mobilized,” said Mark Lopez, research director at the University of Maryland’s Center for… Read More
    PORTLAND – Four of the five gubernatorial candidates appearing on this fall’s ballot staked out their views on the state’s economy and tax policy Friday during the Maine Development Foundation’s annual meeting. The tightly controlled forum format offered little opportunity for the candidates to engage… Read More
    BREWER – Labor union representatives and Democratic politicians gathered Monday afternoon at the Eastern Maine Labor Council to gear up for the fall campaign season. Gov. John Baldacci stopped by on his Labor Day weekend re-election campaign swing that focused on “Maine Values, Hard Work.”… Read More
    AUGUSTA – As the Labor Day weekend arrives and the fall elections draw closer, Maine’s political campaigns are shifting into a more intense phase. But one candidate for governor is hoping for moderation – at least when it comes to campaign signs. While her rivals… Read More
    PORTLAND – U.S. Rep. Tom Allen can no longer claim to oppose the Iraq war in his bid for re-election, independent challenger Dexter Kamilewicz charges. Kamilewicz, a lifelong Democrat who supported and even volunteered to make phone calls for Allen in earlier campaigns for the… Read More
    AUGUSTA – It’s not a perfect match, but there are some striking similarities between this year’s race for the Blaine House and the simultaneous referendum campaign on taxes and the gubernatorial campaign and tax initiative battle of 1982. That election year nearly a quarter of… Read More
    AUGUSTA – State election officials and independent candidate for governor Phillip Morris NaPier are at odds over whether NaPier should get the designation “People’s Hero” on the Nov. 7 ballot. NaPier, who is not enrolled in a political party, wants the words “Thu People’s Hero”… Read More
    SOUTH PORTLAND – Police, firefighters and emergency responders said Tuesday that the proposed Taxpayer Bill of Rights which Maine will voters will consider in November could threaten public safety. Officials representing public safety workers said spending caps resulting from TABOR would slash essential services at… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Suggesting the Maine Democratic Party appears to be engaging in a recurring pattern of noncompliance with state campaign finance laws, a Republican lawyer said Tuesday that Democrats will be hard-pressed to explain why they shouldn’t be subjected to the maximum penalty for failing to report campaign… Read More
    MACHIAS – Three gubernatorial candidates generally concurred on issues involving the future of families, education and jobs within Maine in a debate Friday evening at the University of Maine at Machias. But they sharply diverged on the prospect of liquefied natural gas coming to the… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Four years before hiring on as Gov. John E. Baldacci’s new senior campaign strategist, Christian Potholm was one of the incumbent Democrat’s most implacable foes. The Bowdoin College political scientist and longtime GOP pollster said Friday he had experienced a significant change of… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The Maine Democratic Party filed a complaint Monday with the state campaign watchdog agency over donations of five dollars each that two gubernatorial candidates gave to each other. Independent Barbara Merrill and Republican Chandler Woodcock made $5 donations to each other within a… Read More
    Two men are stepping forward as willing candidates to fill vacancies for the Democratic ticket for the state Legislature in the general election Nov. 7. Harold Prescott of Whiting will run in District 32, which has 10 municipalities that stretch from Machias to Eastport. If… Read More
    PORTLAND – Independent gubernatorial candidate John Michael is appealing a decision by state election officials to deny him public financing for his campaign. The state Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices last month told Michael it was denying him funding under the state’s Clean… Read More
    I am a candidate for governor of Maine as a write-in (municipality Bangor). I did not make it onto the ballot. I could provide you with a lot of reasons (“excuses”) why I did not qualify for ballot status, and found myself using a few, but the bottom… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Republican David Emery came in third in his party’s gubernatorial primary, but he continues to campaign for money to pay off debts he ran up. The former congressman from Tenants Harbor is using phone calls, mailings and his still-active campaign Web site to… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Democrats who figured they wouldn’t have state Sen. Peter Mills to kick around anymore had better think again. Although the Republican moderate lost the GOP nomination for governor Tuesday to state Sen. Chandler Woodcock of Farmington, Mills may not have to relinquish his… Read More
    SENATE SENATE DISTRICT 4 googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0] googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The lone House of Representatives incumbent facing a contested primary election lost, and the lone Senate incumbent with a primary opponent won in Tuesday’s voting to nominate legislative candidates for the November ballot, according to unofficial tallies. A list of apparent winners compiled… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Early Wednesday morning, Republican gubernatorial candidate Chandler Woodcock continued to maintain a consistent 2,500-vote lead over challenger Peter Mills who refused to concede until all of the votes were counted. “I have nowhere near enough information to make a decision about conceding,” Mills… Read More
    BANGOR – Gov. John Baldacci easily clinched the Democratic nomination Tuesday evening, winning roughly 75 percent of the vote against his relatively unknown opponent and setting up his effort to reclaim the Blaine House in November. With 82 percent of precincts reporting in light voter… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Maine voters were deciding more than two dozen primary elections for the Legislature on Tuesday in a prelude to a heated competition between Democrats and Republicans this fall for majorities in the state Senate and House of Representatives. Once again, the election year… Read More
    Candidates in today’s primary election races for governor and U.S. Senate hit the roads and the airwaves Monday in a final push to persuade voters before they head to the polls. The Republican primary for governor remains the most closely watched among the three contested… Read More
    Today’s primary election also comes with a few reminders from the Secretary of State’s Office: . For the first time, certain 17-year-olds will be able to vote in the primary. As long as the 17-year-old voter will turn 18 by the General Election on Nov. Read More
    AUGUSTA – Maine voters on Tuesday will choose their favorites in more than two dozen legislative primaries as Democrats and Republicans define the sides to vie for control of the Legislature in November. Each of the major parties features 11 contested House primaries. In the… Read More
    Republicans are fortunate to have three strong candidates for governor, but they also have a tremendous challenge. An incumbent governor has been beaten only twice in Maine’s history, when both times a Democrat knocked off a Republican. If the reverse is to happen in 2006 in a field… Read More
    Gov. John Baldacci will easily win his primary race next week against challenger Christopher Miller of Gray. The question for Democrats is whether they should feel reassured or concerned by this inevitability. The answer is reassured – Gov. Baldacci has led Maine through some difficult times and in… Read More
    DIXMONT – There’s something unusual in Jean Hay Bright’s driveway: Her car. Hay Bright, a writer and organic farmer in this small Penobscot County town, has spent hundreds of hours and thousands of miles on the road in her effort to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Read More
    BANGOR – As a civil rights attorney, Eric Mehnert begins his jury trials by writing down six familiar words: Maine: The way life should be. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A lot of Democrats talk about energizing the youth vote, but few expected to see three 17-year-olds among the 950 registered delegates at the Augusta Civic Center over the weekend. Derek Hardy and Amy Foley, both of Deer Isle, and Stanley Abraham of… Read More
    DAMARISCOTTA – Out on the sidewalk in front of a local restaurant, Christopher Miller readied himself for his next campaign appearance. “I have to make myself presentable,” the Gray Democrat said as he put on a sport coat and a fish-shaped tie he pulled from… Read More
    EAST MACHIAS – More than 150 hungry Down Easters were lined up in front of him, and Maine’s governor was in his element. “Any time I’m serving spaghetti, I’m doing well,” Democrat John Baldacci told one woman as he carefully placed a pile of pasta… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Maine Democrats, looking to defend and extend past gains at the polls, gathered Friday for a two-day convention to hear from their top-of-the-ticket trio – Gov. John Baldacci and U.S. Reps. Tom Allen and Michael Michaud – and one of the sternest Democratic critics of President… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Democratic Gov. John E. Baldacci took control of a televised statewide debate Friday evening, defending his record and outlining his goals as he asked Maine voters for another four years in the Blaine House. “I want to use cutting-edge research and development so… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Late last fall, Chandler Woodcock had one of those crystallizing moments that sometimes happens to politicians as he prepared to finish the second half of his third term in the Maine Senate. As a Republican, the Farmington lawmaker had become fully aware of… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Serve in the Maine Legislature, get elected to the U.S. Congress, and then come back and run for governor. Not a bad strategy for an ambitious politician. Republican hopeful David Emery figures it worked for Democratic Gov. John E. Baldacci, so why not… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A little more than a year ago, Gov. John E. Baldacci and his majority Democrats in the Maine Legislature were forced to abandon a highly controversial plan to balance the state budget with a loan of more than $400 million leveraged by $250 million in future… Read More
    Four independent candidates submitted enough signatures by Thursday’s deadline to earn a place on the November ballot for governor, according to state elections officials. John Michael, a former state representative from Auburn, and Phillip Morris NaPier of Windham each submitted more than the 4,000 signatures… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Gov. John Baldacci, who has begun airing campaign advertising in his bid for re-election, is matched up in debate with little known Democratic primary challenger Christopher Miller tonight as the Democratic State Convention opens. The debate will be televised by the Maine Public… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A televised statewide debate featuring all three Republican gubernatorial contenders may not have revealed a breakaway frontrunner Thursday night, but the varied topics did produce some provocative moments for the candidates. The 8 p.m., hour-long program on the Maine Public Broadcasting Network was… Read More
    ROCKLAND – Incumbent Sheriff Daniel Davey and retired Police Chief Alfred Ockenfels have more in common than wanting to win the Republican primary for sheriff. Both men have decades of experience in law enforcement and each has similar ideas of what is needed to improve… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Energized by the coming round of gubernatorial, congressional and legislative races, more than 1,000 Maine Democrats will converge on the Augusta Civic Center this weekend for their party’s state convention. The expected turnout, which includes delegates, alternates and guests, could be a record… Read More
    PORTLAND – A retired University of Southern Maine professor announced Tuesday that he is running as an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Olympia Snowe. Peace activist Bill Slavick said he submitted more than 4,700 signatures on Friday to the Secretary… Read More
    PORTLAND – The gubernatorial nominee of Maine’s Green Independent Party has proposed seasonal increases in the state sales tax as a way to shift more of the tax burden onto summer tourists. Pat LaMarche of Yarmouth said year-round residents would adapt to the change by… Read More
    PORTLAND – The Green Independent Party will hold its annual convention this Friday and Saturday in Portland. The event will be held 5:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, May 19, and 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 20, at the Center for Cultural Exchange at 1 Longfellow… Read More
    PERRY – George Bunker Jr. sounded like a man on a mission Saturday as he sat over lunch at the New Friendly Restaurant midway between the Washington County Sheriff’s Department in Machias and the northern portion of the county, where he lives. If he were… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Washington politics took center stage on the second and final day of the Maine State Republican Convention, where the GOP’s most seasoned Capitol Hill contenders shared the hall with the party’s lesser-known congressional candidates. U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, who is seeking a… Read More
    AUGUSTA – In what is likely the state’s most closely watched primary contest, the three men vying for the GOP nomination for governor took the stage Friday – the first day of the Maine Republican State Convention – with each candidate hoping to persuade those in attendance he… Read More
    SOUTH PORTLAND – The state’s first gubernatorial debate drew a medium-sized crowd Monday for a less-than-ample slate of candidates who traded viewpoints on Maine’s economy. Three independents, two Republicans, one Democrat and one Green Independent Party candidate attended, leaving nine others who have registered with… Read More
    Gubernatorial hopefuls Peter Mills and Pat LaMarche are poised to qualify for public funding of their primary campaigns after submitting enough qualifying donations to state elections officials in advance of today’s deadline. Officials with the Maine Commission of Governmental Ethics and Elections Practices said Monday… Read More
    Maine’s incumbent congressmen each have raised more than $400,000 for their re-election bids, far outpacing Republican challengers, according to the most recent filings with the Federal Election Commission. U.S. Reps. Mike Michaud and Tom Allen, both Democrats, respectively have raised about $400,000 and $475,000 so… Read More
    AUGUSTA – State Sen. Chandler Woodcock of Farmington has been given the go-ahead to draw nearly $200,000 in Clean Election funds to finance his bid for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Woodcock, seen as one of three contenders for the GOP nod along with state Sen. Read More
    AUGUSTA – The prospect of Republican choices for governor moved from likely to definite Thursday when state Sen. Chandler Woodcock of Farmington turned in the last of his paperwork and the required 2,500 $5 contributions to qualify as a publicly funded candidate under Maine’s Clean Elections Act. Read More
    Maine’s government must stop being the obstacle to affordable health insurance and start working to ensure the continued access to quality, local health care. We need affordable health insurance options; access to local providers; and, to be more engaged regarding the health issues that impact our lives. As… Read More
    Independent gubernatorial candidate Nancy Oden on Friday said she is abandoning her Blaine House bid to run instead for state Senate. Oden of Jonesboro was the first to enter the governor’s race about a year ago. On Friday she said a Senate campaign would allow… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Twenty Green Independent Party candidates ran for the Legislature in 2004, but the number this year has dwindled to 12, reducing the likelihood that the party will make big gains in the November election. Greens have been running candidates for more than a… Read More
    The following legislative candidates met the March 15 filing deadline for appearing on the June 13 primary ballot: Senate District 23: Gail Chase, D-Unity, and Carol Weston, R-Montville; Weston is the incumbent. The district includes all of Waldo County. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    MARIAVILLE – Perhaps the only thing harder to find than J. Martin Vachon’s home – three miles down a maze of mostly unmarked gravel roads – will be his name on the June primary ballot for governor. It won’t be there. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
    Incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine, on Wednesday submitted more than 1,400 signatures to secure a spot on the June primary ballot. Michaud, a former millworker from East Millinocket, is seeking his third term representing Maine’s 2nd congressional district. He has no primary opponent a… Read More
    AUGUSTA – With gubernatorial and legislative elections set for this year, Maine’s major political parties are moving into campaign mode as they hold their statewide caucuses. On Sunday, Democrats plan to hold organizational and delegate selection meetings in more than 380 towns across the state. Read More
    LITTLETON – The 2006 Democratic caucuses will be held Sunday, Feb. 26, for the following municipalities in Aroostook County. The caucuses are listed alphabetically by towns. The times, locations and contacts are noted. All Democrats are highly encouraged to attend and participate to: select Democratic Municipal Committee officers;… Read More