New campaign-finance reports show that three candidates for Congress Democrats Michael Brennan and Steve Meister and Republican Dean Scontras are getting low on cash as the campaign enters its final days.
Of the three, Brennan was in the best financial shape. He reports having $27,912 in cash remaining on May 21, out of a total of $241,602 raised during the campaign.
Meister had $187 cash on hand, while his campaign had debts of $17,893. Almost all of that money was owed to the candidate himself, who has loaned dollars to his campaign.
Scontras had $7,244 in cash, plus debts of $66,509. Scontras has loaned $62,300 to his campaign, most of which has yet to be repaid.
The other five candidates Republican Charlie Summers and Democrats Adam Cote, Mark Lawrence, Chellie Pingree and Ethan Strimling must file their latest campaign-finance reports by midnight tonight.
These are the last reports that the candidates must file with the Federal Election Commission prior to the June 10 primaries. However, if any candidate receives a contribution of $1,000 or more in the campaign's waning days, he or she must report that money.
Here's what's on tap this week in the 1st District race:
Wednesday, May 28
6:30-8 p.m., Democratic candidates participate in a candidate night sponsored by the South Berwick Democratic Committee, Marshwood Great Works School, 49 Academy St., South Berwick.
Thursday, May 29
7-9 a.m., Democratic and Republican candidates participate in a debate sponsored by the Portland Regional Chamber, Portland Marriott at Sable Oaks, 200 Sable Oaks Dr., South Portland.
8-9 p.m., Democratic candidates participate in a debate sponsored by the Maine Public Broadcasting Network, broadcast live on radio and TV.
May 30-June 1
Democratic candidates attend the Maine Democratic State Convention, Augusta Civic Center, 76 Community Dr., Augusta.
I didn't have enough room in my story today to include one other point of contention from yesterday's GOP debate at the PPH.
During the sometimes heated discussion, Dean Scontras raised the question of whether his opponent, Charlie Summers, has inaccurately claimed the endorsement of former President George H.W. Bush.
Democrat Chellie Pingree's latest TV ad tells a personal story. In it, she says that her brother died of cancer, but only after bankrupting his family while fighting the disease.
Pingree uses the story which she also recounted in last night's televised debate on WCSH, and in a recent op-ed article to argue for the need for change in the health-care system.
Democrat Ethan Strimling is now on the air with a TV ad focused on the wealth gap.
"There's one gulf war I do want to fight," Strimling says while walking outside the Palace Diner in Biddeford. "That's the gulf between the very rich and the rest of us."
Later, talking to people inside the diner, Strimling says, "They send our jobs overseas, they raid our pensions. They're making billions. And then they pay lower taxes than the rest of us."
The ad is currently airing on network and cable TV, according to the Strimling campaign. You can also watch it here.
If you missed last night's televised Democratic debate in the 1st Congressional District, you can watch it by clicking here. The hour-long debate was moderated by Pat Callaghan of WCSH-Channel 6.
Republicans Dean Scontras and Charlie Summers are sparring over a new radio ad that Scontras' campaign has released. The two are vying for the Republican nomination for the 1st Congressional District.
* Chellie Pingree announced today that she's been endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
Chris Quint of the Planned Parenthood of Northern New England Action Fund said in a statement that the Democratic primary race in Maine's 1st Congressional District features a field of candidates who favor abortion rights.
"However, during this time of constant attack by the Bush administration and his far right allies in Washington, we are proud to put our organization's support behind the pro-choice candidate who we believe will be the strongest and most effective leader on reproductive rights in Washington," Quint said in the statement. " That candidate is Chellie Pingree."
* Michael Brennan announced that he's gotten the endorsement of Dexter Kamilewicz, who ran for the 1st District seat two years ago.
Kamilewicz and his wife, Gretchen, said in a statement: "We support Michael because he has made the connection between the need to end the war in Iraq and the other problems facing our country."
In 2006, Kamilewicz, of Orrs Island, got 15 percent of the vote in an independent run for Congress. The winner of that race was Democratic Rep. Tom Allen, who is now leaving the seat to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Election Day is three weeks from today. Here are your chances this week to see and hear debates featuring the 1st Congressional District candidates:
Tuesday, May 20
6-7:30 p.m., Democratic candidates participate in a radio debate on WGAN-560 AM.
7:30 p.m., Republican candidates participate in a debate sponsored by the Cumberland County GOP, Scarborough Middle School, 44 Gorham Rd., Scarborough.
Wednesday, May 21
8-9 p.m., Democratic candidates participate in a TV debate on WCSH-Channel 6.
Thursday, May 22
7-9 p.m., Republicans Dean Scontras and Charlie Summers and Democrat Steve Meister participate in the Maine Values Voter Congressional Forum, sponsored by the Maine Right to Life Committee and the Maine Coalition of Concerned Families, among other groups, University of New England, 716 Stevens Ave., Portland.
Friday, May 23
6-8:30 p.m., Both the Democratic and Republican candidates participate in a forum sponsored by the NAACP, University of New England Ludcke Auditorium, 716 Stevens Ave., Portland.
The first televised debate in the 1st Congressional District race is happening now on WGME-Channel 13. All six Democratic candidates are participating Michael Brennan, Adam Cote, Mark Lawrence, Steve Meister, Chellie Pingree, and Ethan Strimling.
Stay with me over the next hour as I track the debate live.
5:14 p.m. - The six candidates each gave a version of a stump speech they've now given countless times. Although this is the first televised debate, over the last several months these candidates have gathered for more than two dozen forums between Kittery and Camden.
5:26 p.m. In response to a question about energy policy, Michael Brennan just spoke out against a gas tax holiday, which became an issue recently in the Democratic presidential race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
I think that is a misguided notion," Brennan said, "and I think that will set this nation back rather than moving it forward.
Mark Lawrence, who spoke just before Brennan, has come out in favor of a gas tax holiday. Lawrence says he would pay for the gas tax holiday with a windfall profits tax on the oil companies.
Brennan, by the way, agrees with Lawrence about the need for a windfall profits tax.
5:35 p.m. - A question about the Iraq war caused the most vocal disagreement of the debate so far. First, Ethan Strimling and Mark Lawrence said they disagree with Adam Cote, who opposes cutting off funding for the war. Then, Michael Brennan went after Steve Meister, saying that the humanitarian crisis he's worried about happening if the United States leaves Iraq has already occurred. Next, Meister and Cote fired back. Everyone involved made their points forcefully.
5:40 p.m. - Whoops. Audio problems with Cote's microphone.
5:45 p.m. - The next question was about what the candidates are going to do to help working families. Brennan used the question as an opportunity to tout his proposal to significantly expand access to higher education. That sparked a retort from Meister.
I dont think we can afford to pay for every person in America to go to college," Meister said, adding that the United States tried something like that in the 1970s, and a lot of students ended up partying.
The partying remark prompted a joke from Pingree, who was next up to speak.
I just want to say I went to college in the 70s, and there was no partying," Pingree said.
5:50 p.m. - The lightning round happened a little too fast for me.
6 p.m. - Well, that went by quickly. If you missed it, fear not. There are plenty more opportunities to hear these candidates debate, starting tomorrow night at 6 p.m. on WGAN Radio. Thanks for tuning in...
WGME-Channel 13 will be televising a debate tonight between the six Democratic candidates for Congress in Maine's 1st District Michael Brennan, Adam Cote, Mark Lawrence, Steve Meister, Chellie Pingree and Ethan Strimling. The debate is scheduled to run from 5-6 p.m.
I'll be live-blogging throughout. So if you aren't in front of a TV or even if you are stop by around 5 p.m. for coverage.
Both chambers of Congress overwhelmingly passed the farm bill last week and now the legislation awaits President Bush's veto.
Sen. Olympia Snowe, a Republican, and Democratic Reps. Tom Allen and Michael Michaud voted for the bill. Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, voted against it.
The Senate will take up a massive emergency war supplemental spending bill, which also includes billions for domestic spending measures.
The House will debate a defense authorization measure, which does not include money for a third DDG-1000 Navy destroyer. The bill likely will pass and it sets up a show down when the bill goes to a conference committee, where House and Senate negotiators will sort out the differences between the two bills.
The House also will consider legislation to extend dozens of tax credits for research and development, families with children, and provide property tax and Alternative Minimum Tax relief.
Every week or so at the Washington Post blog, "The Fix," Chris Cillizza ranks the nation's top ten Senate races. On Friday, he dropped Maine's senate race to tenth place from ninth. Read his quick snapshot of the race here.
Meanwhile, Rassmussen has a new poll showing Collins leading Allen, with 52 percent of the vote, compared to Allen's 42 percent. Six percent of respondents were undecided/other. Last month, the poll reported a 16-point Collins lead. Click here to read the entire poll. Rasmussen conducts automated polls over the telephone. Its most recent poll surveyed 500 voters on May 14. There is a margin of error of +/- four points.
Two more endorsements in the 1st Congressional District race...
* Democrat Adam Cote has been endorsed by a pro-business group, the Business-Industry Political Action Committee. BIPAC, based in Washington, favors tax cuts, tort reform, and investment in the nation's transportation infrastructure, among other policies, according to its Web site.
"Adam Cote will work to promote sound business policies, Gregory Casey, BIPAC's president and CEO, said in a written statement. "He is the clear choice in a hotly contested Democratic primary, particularly when it comes to prosperity issues."
* Republican Dean Scontras was endorsed by the National Right To Life Political Action Committee. Among the six Democrats and two Republicans running in the 1st Congressional District, Scontras is the only pro-life candidate.
"We look forward to working with you in Congress to restore legal protection for innocent life," National Right to Life Executive Director David O'Steen was quoted in a press release as saying to Scontras.
Chellie Pingree, who's in a six-way race for the Democratic nomination in Maine's 1st Congressional District, finds herself under fire this week for her position on the Iraq War. And today, her campaign released an ad that doesn't respond directly to the criticism she's facing, but does tout her anti-Iraq War credentials.
The Iraq discussion heated up on Saturday, when the Press Herald published a letter about Pingree and Iraq from retired Army Maj. General Paul Eaton. A few weeks earlier, Pingree and Eaton had co-authored an op-ed article in the Press Herald about Iraq; the op-ed piece touted their support for a document called "The Responsible Plan To End The War In War."
Republican congressional candidate Dean Scontras released his first radio ad this morning. Campaign Manager Michael Pajak said that the commercial is currently airing on talk stations WLOB and WGAN.
The ad is called "Change Washington." It's another example of how politicians of all stripes are running on a message of change, convinced that voters are unhappy with the status quo.
Scontras is running against Charlie Summers for the GOP nomination in Maine's 1st Congressional District. The seat is being vacated by Democratic Rep. Tom Allen, who is running for the U.S. Senate.
Over the last couple of months, I've been using this blog to track candidates' public appearances in the 1st Congressional District race. There are eight candidates in the race, and with primary election scheduled for June 10, the weekly calendar is becoming hard to manage.
So for the last four weeks of the campaign, I'm going to use this blog only to track forums and debates where more than one of the candidates is scheduled to appear. Most of the campaigns have additional information about their own candidates' appearance on their Web sites.
With Charlie Summers' return home from Iraq and about four weeks remaining before voters go to the polls the race for the Republican nomination in Maine's 1st Congressional District enters a new phase today.
Dwayne Bickford, a spokesman for the Summers campaign, tells me that paperwork is being processed today that will take Summers off active military duty. Once that happens, Summers is allowed to hit the campaign trail. Summers is running against Dean Scontras for the GOP nomination in the race to succeed Democratic Rep. Tom Allen.
Summers, Scontras and Democratic candidates Adam Cote, Mark Lawrence, Steve Meister and Chellie Pingree are scheduled to appear at a candidates' forum tonight in Scarborough. The event is scheduled from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the Maine Veterans Home, 290 U.S. Route 1, Scarborough.
Democrat Adam Cote is introducing himself to voters in Maine's 1st Congressional District with his first TV ad. It highlights Cote's Maine roots, his service in Iraq and his experience in the energy field.
You can see the ad here:
Look for my profile of Cote, part of a series of articles about the 1st District candidates, in tomorrow's Press Herald.
Democratic congressional candidate Mark Lawrence said this afternoon that he's gotten the endorsement of a big name in York County politics.
Dennis "Duke" Dutremble of Biddeford, a former state Senate president, endorsed Lawrence during a news conference at the recently renovated North Dam Mill in Biddeford.
"From high gas prices to health care, Mark Lawrence best understands the pressures facing working and middle class families in Maine," Dutremble said in a written statement.
Lawrence, the York County district attorney and also a former state Senate president, is one of six Democrats and two Republicans in the race to succeed Democratic Rep. Tom Allen.
Democrat Chellie Pingree's campaign for Congress announced a labor endorsement this afternoon.
The Maine State United Auto Workers' Community Action Program Council, based at Bath Iron Works, endorsed Pingree, one of eight candidates in the 1st District race.
Pingree is herself a member of the UAW the National Writers' Union/UAW Local 1981.
"We endorsed her because she's a UAW member," said Beverly Harris, the council's president, "and she supports our views."
Harris said that most of the UAW's members in Maine work at Bath Iron Works, where the union has around 900 members.
On tap this week in the 1st District congressional race: forums or debates in Augusta, Ogunquit and Buxton.
Tuesday, May 6
8 a.m., Democrat Adam Cote attends the Donut Club meeting in Biddeford. For more information, call 347-3103.
6 p.m., Democrats Adam Cote, Mark Lawrence, Chellie Pingree and Michael Brennan and Republican Dean Scontras attend a candidates night sponsored by the Maine Council of Senior Citizens, Chateau Cushnoc, 36 Townsend St., Augusta.
Roll Call, the four-times-a-week newspaper that covers all things Congress, has a special section today reviewing the electoral landscape.
The paper characterizes the race between incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic Rep. Tom Allen as "leans Republican."
"In what could become the most contentious Senate race in the nation, an incumbent Democratic House Member is challenging a moderate Republican Senator. But Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine, has yet to budge any of the publicly released polls against Collins. He's still looking at a 20-point spread," the newspaper said.
Dieter Bradbury is the Press Herald's political correspondent. His career at the newspaper started in 1980, and includes 21 years as a reporter and seven as an editor. Bradbury is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine.
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