An e-mail from a Harvard Law School student got me thinking about the holidays and what to buy for the politics lovers on my gift list.
[...]An e-mail from a Harvard Law School student got me thinking about the holidays and what to buy for the politics lovers on my gift list.
[...]Jason Levesque, a Republican planning to challenge U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud in the 2nd District next year, said he's hired several staffers to get ready for a serious campaign.
[...]Republicans running for governor in 2010 think financial issues will be the key to their success as they compete in 37 races around the country, the New York Times is reporting.
[...]Gov. John Baldacci will announce his plan for temporary spending restrictions today (Friday), almost a year to the day of the 2008 curtailment.
[...]The Ethics Commission is set to get rolling in a few minutes, and it's a full agenda.
[...]Democrat Rosa Scarcelli, one of a number of people running for governor, stopped by the State House press corps today to chat, promote her job-creation ideas and to talk about a new function
[...]Now that we've all had a little time to recover from the election, several boards and legislative committees are set to meet this week.
' [...]Public Policy Polling released a poll Tuesday indicating that 46 percent of Maine Republicans now say they disapprove of Sen.
[...]U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine, just sent out a column that explains his vote in support of the House version of health care reform.
[...]Bill Becker, founder of the Maine Heritage Policy Center and finance director for Peter Cianchette in 2002, has signed on as campaign manager with Republican gubernatorial hopeful Matt Jacobs
[...]Many legislators will return to the State House Thursday to try to convince legislative leaders that their bills should be considered next year.
[...]Despite other polls that have suggested a big lead for same-sex marriage supporters, Daily Kos released a poll Thursday that showed it’s a dead heat.
[...]A North Carolina polling company this week added to the evidence that most Mainers have no idea who they’ll vote for in the 2010 governor’s race.
[...]A poll released today by Public Policy Polling of North Carolina shows Question 1 in a dead heat, with 48 percent yes, 48 percent no and 4 percent undecided.
[...] Legislative leaders pared the list of legislator-sponsored bills from 374 to 129 last week, with an appeals day set for Nov. 5.
Staffers from U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree's office will be in Augusta on Monday to share information about earmarks -- what they are and how to get them.
[...]The Pan Atlantic/SMS poll released today covers a lot of ground from gay marriage, to excise taxes, to who's running for governor in 2010.
[...]As the Nov.
[...]The Portland Republican City Committee is hosting a candidates’ night/fundraiser on Thursday (Oct. 8) with an admission price of $50 per person.
[...]The Secretary of State’s Office is continuing to check the petitions that have been submitted to call for a people’s veto of the new tax reform law.
[...]This fall both Washington and Maine will vote on a gay rights issue.
[...]This fall both Washington and Maine will vote on a gay rights issue.
[...] The Maine Heritage Policy Center released the 2009 Maine Piglet Book today to shine a light on state spending.
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee is trying to raise money for an ad that criticizes Sen. Olympia Snowe for her stance against the public option.
[...]Two Democrats running for governor got their PR machines cranking on Friday to try to put the best light on a somewhat bizarre Daily Kos poll.
[...]The Yes on 1’s television and radio ads that feature Boston College Law School Professor Scott Fitzgibbon is creating quite a stir on campus.
[...]Did you see today’s story by Morning Sentinel reporter Amy Calder about Waterville Mayor Paul LePage’s expected gubernatorial run?
[...]U.S. Sen.
[...]Signatures are due Friday for those who want to repeal the tax overahaul bill passed this session by majority Democrats.
[...]Casting Director James Stiles is putting out the word that he’s looking for two “real Maine” women to appear in a television ad produced by supporters of traditional marriage.
Stiles is looking for a “teacher type” and a “working waitress type,” both in the 35-45 age range. If you want to [...]
Casting Director James Stiles is putting out the word that he’s looking for two “real Maine” women to appear in a television ad produced by supporters of traditional marriag
[...]The death of Sen. Ted Kennedy is prompting many to reflect on his life, both from a personal and political perspective. So far today, I've spoken with Attorney General Janet Mills, who was a Ted Kennedy delegate to the national convention in 1980, and Senate President Elizabeth Mitchell, D-Vassalboro.
We'll have [...]
The death of Sen. Ted Kennedy is prompting many to reflect on his life, both from a personal and political perspective.
[...]Attorney Eliot Cutler announced today that he has formed an exploratory committee to consider a run for governor in 2010.
Cutler, a Bangor native now living in Cape Elizabeth, has filed as an independent. He was a founding partner of a law firm that at one time was the second largest [...]
Attorney Eliot Cutler announced today that he has formed an exploratory committee to consider a run for governor in 2010.
[...]Members of the Kennebec County Democratic Committee voted unanimously Thursday night to send a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to forge ahead on health care.
The local Democrats are believed to be the first such group in the state to take formal action on the issue, according to Rita [...]
Members of the Kennebec County Democratic Committee voted unanimously Thursday night to send a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to forge ahead on health care.
[...]A Rasmussen Reports survey released today shows most Americans want a government-run health care option to compete against private companies.
The telephone survey shows 57 percent oppose the national plan if it doesn’t include a public option. Over the weekend, President Barack Obama appeared to back away from insisting on a [...]
A Rasmussen Reports survey released today shows most Americans want a government-run health care option to compete against private companies.
[...]U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is part of a congressional delegation that is on an official visit to the Middle East, according to her office.
On Thursday, she and other members of the delegation were in Libya where they met with Muammar al-Gadaffi before [...]
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is part of a congressional delegation that is on an official visit to the Middle East, according to her office.
[...]J. Martin Vachon of Mariaville is the 17th person to file paperwork with the state ethics commission to run for governor.
Vachon is the fifth Republican to file. And for those keeping score at home, there are six Democrats, two Greens and four unenrolled candidates in the race.
And though it seems [...]
J. Martin Vachon of Mariaville is the 17th person to file paperwork with the state ethics commission to run for governor.
[...]Rosa Scarcelli, one of six Democrats running for governor, will hit the road today for a “listening tour” in Bangor, Millinocket, Calais and Bar Harbor, her campaign said.
She’s scheduled to meet with loggers, party activists, members of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.
The 39-year-old is [...]
Rosa Scarcelli, one of six Democrats running for governor, will hit the road today for a “listening tour” in Bangor, Millinocket, Calais and Bar Harbor, her campaign said.
[...] U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, appeared on The Colbert Report’s “Better Know a District” last night, where she covered everything from knitting to wind power to gay marriage — in about five minutes.
Check it out here:
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/240818/august-10-...
[...]U.S. Rep.
[...]Mark Sullivan, former senior policy advisor to U.S. Rep. Tom Allen, has joined No on 1/Protect Maine Equality as communications director.
Sullivan, of Hallowell, worked in state government in the 1980s (first as director of the Governor’s Land & Water Resources Council, then as deputy commissioner at Conservation), and joined Allen’s [...]
Mark Sullivan, former senior policy advisor to U.S. Rep. Tom Allen, has joined No on 1/Protect Maine Equality as communications director.
[...]Things will pick up at the State House next week, starting Monday with a rare meeting of the House Ethics Committee and continuing through Thursday as other legislative committees convene.
The Ethics Committee meets Monday for an organizational session to get geared-up for an examination of conduct by a House member. [...]
Things will pick up at the State House next week, starting Monday with a rare meeting of the House Ethics Committee and continuing through Thursday as other legislative committees convene.
[...]
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, will participate in a hearing today that examines “The U.S. Postal Service in Crisis,” according to her office.
The hearing is being held by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management.
The leaders of the postal service are scheduled to testify, as [...]
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, will participate in a hearing today that examines “The U.S. Postal Service in Crisis,” according to her office.
[...]The Legislature's top two women -- Senate President Libby Mitchell and House Speaker Hannah Pingree -- are featured in a story in the July/August issue of State Legislatures, a magazine put out by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The article is one of several that looks at the changing faces [...]
The Legislature's top two women -- Senate President Libby Mitchell and House Speaker Hannah Pingree -- are featured in a story in the July/August issue of State Legislatures, a magazine put o
[...]Sen. Peter Mills, R-Cornville, is making the media rounds today to announce his candidacy for governor in 2010.
Mills will be one of several competing for the Republican nomination. This will be his second Blaine House bid, following an unsuccessful run in 2006.
More than a dozen people have already signed up [...]
This just in from Rasmussen Reports:
72 percent of those polled say they don’t want to be forced to switch to energy-efficient light bulbs, per federal law. The 2007 mandate is designed to help save energy, although the bulbs do cost more up front.
You can check out the full details [...]
Sen. Peter Mills, R-Cornville, and former Biddeford Mayor Donna Dion, a Democrat, filed paperwork this week to run for governor.
Mills, an attorney, is making his second attempt. He lost to Chandler Woodcock in the 2006 Republican primary. He said this week that he will make a formal announcement sometime in [...]
The fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats -- U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud of Maine is one of them -- are raising money in record numbers, according to a new report from the Center for Public Integrity.
The center says the Blue Dog Political Action Committee has already raised more than $1 million [...]
The New York Times Web site has an analysis today of the 39 races for governor that will be on the ballot in 2010.
Headlined “Republicans See Opportunity in Races for Governor” the premise is that beleaguered Republicans have reason to hope for a good election next year.
You can check it [...]
Sen. David Trahan, R-Waldoboro, says he’s got $7,000 raised already, with more on the way, to help pay for a people’s veto of the new tax reform law.
Trahan and others are gathering signatures in an attempt to overturn a new state law that lowers the income tax, raises the meals [...]
Gov. John Baldacci is in Mississippi this weekend for the National Governors Association annual meeting.
His office said he landed late yesterday afternoon and has one official event scheduled for today, followed by meetings, news conferences and luncheons the rest of the weekend.
This is the 101st time the nation’s governors have [...]
The office of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins sent out a statement in the early morning hours Thursday to say Collins, R-Maine, met with President Barack Obama to talk about health care.
The press release says the meeting was at the request of the president and lasted an hour.
Here’s Collins’ full statement:
[...]
The Washington Post Web site has a fun story about the Congressional women’s softball team, which apparently lost to staffers 14-8 in a recent game.
The fundraiser, which brought in $40,000 for a breast cancer charity, included Sen. Susan Collins, who showed up in a “skirt and pumps,” and Rep. Chellie [...]
Now that the hearings have begun, we can all get a better feel for Sonia Sotomayor, President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee.
A Rasmussen Reports telephone survey released today shows 44 percent of those polled oppose her nomination, while 38 percent support it.
You can check out the poll here: [...]
Bar Harbor attorney Lynne Williams will be in Bangor and Portland on Wednesday to formally announce her run for governor.
Williams, former state chairwoman of the Maine Green Independent Party, told fellow Greens in December she planned to run. Now she’s taking her message to the public, first at 11 a.m. [...]
The National Lieutenant Governors Association sent out a fact sheet today about the importance of the second-in-command, a move apparently sparked by a Politico story.
The group says 18 gubernatorial successions have happened since 2000, a number that will grow to 20 if governors in Alaska and Utah step down as [...]
Republican Bruce Poliquin, a candidate for governor, reports contributions of $277,265 in the first reporting period of 2009, according to a press release he sent out today.
Of that, $159,913 is his own money and $117,351 came from 449 donors.
And this afternoon, Democrat Steve Rowe said he raised $59,232.60 in the [...]
The confirmation hearing for former Maine Department Human Services Commissioner Kevin Concannon will be held today in Washington D.C., according to U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree’s office.
Concannon has been nominated by President Barack Obama to the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services. That includes overseeing the school [...]
The Maine Republican Party has stacks of blank people’s veto petitions waiting to be circulated in an effort to overturn the recent tax overhaul passed by Democrats.
Secretary of State Matt Dunlap released this question for circulation:
“Do you want to reject the new law that lowers Maine’s income tax and replaces [...]
The Maine Democratic Party came out swinging today at Republican Les Otten, accusing him of “blatant plagiarism” on his Web site.
Otten, former owner of Sunday River Ski Resort and a former vice chairman of the Boston Red Sox, announced this week he is forming an exploratory committee to consider a [...]
Rep. Dawn Hill, D -York, will drop off her paperwork to the ethics commission Wednesday to officially enter the governor’s race, according to a statement she released today.
HIll, a lawyer and two-term state lawmaker, will be the second woman — and second Democrat — to enter the race. Green Independent [...]
Secretary of State Matt Dunlap put out four ballot questions Friday that are now subject to a 30-day comment period.
A new state law requires that Dunlap give the public until July 27 to react to the way he’s written the questions. All four were brought forward by citizen initiative and [...]
The Wall Street Journal ran a short piece on its editorial page today praising Maine as a place that "cuts tax rates on the rich."
The newspaper lauds Maine Democrats and Gov. John Baldacci for passing the tax overhaul that lowers the income tax, raises the meals and lodging tax, and [...]
Les Otten, a former ski industry owner and former minority partner of the Boston Red Sox, is scheduled to announce the formation of a gubernatorial exploratory committee next week.
Otten, who is now a director at Maine Energy Systems in Bethel, will talk to friends and supporters next Monday at [...]
Peter Cianchette is coming back to Maine now that his time as U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica has ended, according to a release from the embassy.
Cianchette, a 2002 Republican gubernatorial candidate, said in the statement that the Bush and Obama administrations have worked to combat “organized crime, drug trafficking and [...]
Maine Republican Party Chairman Charlie Webster filed his application for a people’s veto question of the tax overhaul law this afternoon, following up on a promise he made earlier this week.
The application requires five additional signatures, two of which are from the Legislature’s most powerful Republicans: Senate Minority Leader Kevin [...]
Jesse Connolly, chief of staff for House Speaker Hannah Pingree, is taking a leave of absence from his job this summer to manage the gay-marriage referendum campaign, Maine Freedom to Marry announced today.
Connolly served as campaign manager for Maine Won’t Discriminate in 2005, a successful effort to reject a people’s [...]
Stateline.org put out a handy roundup today of how other states dealt with miserable budget years, from raising taxes on bourbon in Kentucky to closing 220 state parks in California.
Other states cut benefits to those on welfare, laid off state workers and contemplated the expansion of gambling. They cut school [...]
Gov. John Baldacci held a ceremonial bill signing Monday on L.D. 1413, which calls for a Regulatory Fairness Board to review the way the state treats businesses and the way state agencies interact with each other.
"The report called for in this resolve would include ways we can improve the efficiency," [...]
Last night, the House did not agree with the Senate that a modified version of Rep. Pat Flood’s bill to reduce the size of the House should go to voters.
The bill, which had previously failed to get the two-thirds necessary for passage, got a new life when the Senate amended [...]
After a flurry of public activity on tax reform late last week, things moved behind closed doors as Democrats worked to find a way to get Gov. John Baldacci to support their tax reform plan.
It appears they've reached an agreement and House Democrats are on board. If the Senate Democrats' [...]
Democratic leaders of the House and Senate have made it plain in the last couple of weeks that they intend to finish up work by Friday, five days before statutory adjournment.
And, one legislator told me today it might even still be daylight when the gavel falls for the last time.
As [...]
Sen. Susan Collins released a statement Thursday after a 45-minute meeting with Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.
We ran a short item in Friday’s Kennebec Journal with some of Collins’ comments, but I thought it was interesting to read them in full.
Here’s her entire statement:
“Confirming a Supreme Court nominee is one [...]
Senate Minority Leader Kevin Raye, R-Perry, called the school district consolidation law "flawed and unworkable" Thursday during debate on a spate of anti-consolidation bills.
“It’s indescribable the feelings of anger and alienation that I hear from people all across rural Maine,” he said. “This is the single greatest example of a [...]
Gov. John Baldacci’s disapproval rating topped 50 percent in the most recent Critical Insights survey.
At 53 percent, his disapproval rating is the highest he’s ever had. Of those surveyed, 40 percent approve of the way he is “handling his job as governor” and 7 percent didn’t know.
The analysis included with [...]
Members of the Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee may spend the summer at the Statehouse working on a comprehensive policy regarding the expansion of slot machines and casinos in the state.
Rather than develop a 45-member study commission, the bill calls for legislators on Legal and Vets to develop the policy. [...]
My colleague, Matt Wickenheiser of the Portland Press Herald, brought us a page 1 story Friday about a proposal to raise the gas tax by 11 cents per gallon over four years.
Members of the Transportation Committee, many of them anyway, seem to feel they really don’t have many options to [...]
The Organizing for America folks will be in Augusta tonight (Thursday) for a listening tour as part of President Barack Obama’s efforts to stay in touch with the people.
Maine State Director Julian Federle will be at the Kennebec County Government Center, 125 State St., from 7-8 p.m.
Friday night, the Kennebec [...]
U.S. Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts will be in Maine next month to mark the passage of Maine’s gay-marriage law, according to the Maine Democratic Party.
The fundraiser will be held from 6-9 p.m. June 20 at the Harbour's Edge Room on Custom House Wharf in Portland.
"As a consistent advocate for" [...]
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, recently questioned Cass Sunstein, the nominee to become “Regulation Czar” for the Obama administration, about his views on hunting.
Apparently, Sunstein had said that he would like to see hunting banned and steps taken to give animals more rights. During a hearing on his nomination, Collins took [...]
A new poll released by Rasmussen Reports shows only 13 percent of the public chose Congress as the branch of government they trust the most.
Not a huge vote of confidence.
Of those polled, 34 percent say they trust the Supreme Court the most and 27 percent chose the executive branch. Then [...]
U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, made the rounds Friday in advance of Mother’s Day to talk about hazardous chemicals in children’s toys and in other products.
Since it was just a few days after the governor signed the gay-marriage bill, I asked her what she thought about the District of [...]
Whether they voted for or against the gay marriage bill/law,
legislators are breathing a collective sigh of relief now that the issue has left the Statehouse.
Although the formal action on the bill happened in record time — two weeks from public hearing to the governor's signature — supporters' [...]
It’s not everyday I sit in the back of the House chamber next to a reporter from the New York Times.
But Tuesday, while the House spent nearly three hours debating the measure, there were people across the nation watching Maine.
During the debate, Rep. Sean [...]
Lynne Williams, the Bar Harbor attorney who is running for governor as a Green Independent, told fellow Greens Saturday that she wants to plant seeds of ideas around Maine and let them grow.
Williams sent me the full text of the remarks she made during the party’s 25th [...]
Matt Jacobson, a Republican from Portland, will make an announcement Thursday “regarding his candidacy for governor of Maine.”
Jacobson, who formed an exploratory committee in February, sent out a press release to let us know that he’s made a decision about whether he wants to run for governor.
Julian Federle, the Maine State Director for Organizing for America, will be in Skowhegan at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Golden Eagle Restaurant.
Federle wants to talk to fellow Democrats about implementing the Democratic agenda and keeping Democrats organized this year and beyond.
Throughout the [...]
Maine Republican Party Chairman Charlie Webster released a statement Wednesday on Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter's decision to switch political parties.
As you'll see below, Webster said he and other Maine Republicans are gearing up to win the governor's race in 2010, take over the state Senate, and gain seats' [...]
