At this late quarter in the political season, a little bit of attention starts to go to the scoreboard.

Specifically, candidates start talking about endorsements, those (sometimes) prized expressions of support.

They come from all corners, typically unions, non profits, interest groups and yes, newspapers.

(Note - here in Political Extra you will not be getting in depth explanations of how the Press Herald's endorsement process works. The editorial board is shielded away like the judges behind the Oscars. You'd have an easier time trying to crack the inner circle of The Illuminati. I've personally got no idea how the process works. Those of us on the outside find out the same time you do - when you see it in the paper.)

But what do endorsements mean?

Let's look at a quick tally from some organizations:

Senate Race

Sen. Susan Collins (R): National Federation of Independent Businesses, Business and Professional Women's Political Action Committee, The League of Conservation Voters

Rep. Tom Allen (D): Planned Parenthood, Portsmouth Metal Trades Council, Maine Education Association

District 1 Race

Charlie Summers (R): U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Sportsman's Alliance of Maine, National Federation of Independent Business

Chellie Pingree (D): Maine State Nurses Association, Maine State Employees Association, The Sierra Club

So what does this tell us? Tough to say really, as in some cases organizations don't endorse strictly by party. The League of Conservation Voters endorsed Pingree. In 2002 Planned Parenthood endorsed Collins over Pingree.

Let's put the question out there - what's the value of endorsements and what do they symbolize?

Note - We can agree on one thing. All of these candidates are better off than U.S. Rep Tim Mahoney. The Democratic congressman from Florida was endorsed by the Palm Beach Post last Sunday, but took it back by last Thursday. Rooney is currently under investigation for paying off a former staffer (and mistress) to avoid a sexual harassment lawsuit.

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