Ethan Strimling's campaign announced today that it has returned a $250 campaign contribution from one of fellow Democrat Chellie Pingree's donors.

The Strimling camp also questioned the motivation behind the donation, calling it a "dirty trick."

The online contribution was made by Selwyn Sussman of Rye Brook, N.Y., on March 28, according to the Strimling campaign. Today's press release states that the money arrived hours after the Strimling campaign sent an e-mail to its supporters criticizing Pingree for accepting around $60,000 in contributions from executives and employees of a hedge fund called Paloma Partners.

Paloma Partners is headed by S. Donald Sussman, who lists a Virgin Islands address on contributions to Pingree. (See this recent article by Chris Busby of The Bollard for more on Sussman's contributions to Pingree.) Sussman has also made campaign contributions using an address in Greenwich, Conn.

The Strimling campaign says that it used Google searches to determine that Donald Sussman, a frequent Democratic donor, and Selwyn Sussman are actually the same person. Strimling's camp further asserts that it can't find any previous contributions where Sussman used the Rye Brook, N.Y., address, or the first name Selwyn.

The Strimling campaign's implication is that $250 contribution was made in an attempt to neutralize its criticism of Pingree for accepting tens of thousands of dollars from a hedge fund.

"This is nothing more than attempted dirty politics by the Pingree camp," said Strimling campaign manager Corey Hascall. "Ethan is trying to get big special interest money out of politics, and Pingree is trying to spread hers around. We don't play this kind of politics and we expected better from her campaign."

Here's the Pingree campaign's response to Strimling's press release:

“Chellie Pingree and her entire campaign staff are entirely focused on spreading her positive message of change on issues important to Mainers – ending the war in Iraq, fixing our economy and solving our health care crisis, and neither she nor anyone in her campaign has any knowledge of or has been involved with directing contributions to any of her opponents.”

Both Strimling and Pingree are seeking the Democratic nomination in the race to succeed Rep. Tom Allen in Maine's 1st Congressional District. Both candidates have criticized what's described as a loophole that allows ledge fund managers to pay a relatively small percentage of the money they make in taxes.

– Kevin Wack

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