The campaign in the 1st Congressional District is relatively quiet right now, but there is a substantial amount of activity going on behind closed doors. After each enduring contentious primary battles, Charlie Summers and Chellie Pingree will both quickly need to restructure their campaigns and gear up for the fall. The task will be especially difficult for Republican Summers, but if he can raise some serious coin and put together a coordinated message, he might just represent one of the few congressional pickup opportunities that Republicans can point to nationally. The next round of financial reports are due on July 15th, and from prior experience we have to assume that Chellie Pingree will have a strong showing, but the real question is how will Summers perform? He is an attractive candidate for sure, but can he break the string of poor fundraising performances that have plagued Republican candidates in the 1st CD for years?
After a bit of a layoff, it is time to launch this blog into its general election phase. I will be providing a weekly roundup of news and notes from Maine's 1st Congressional District from now until Election Day. This blog, however, is not just meant to be an objective news source. There is far too little investigative reporting in Maine politics, so I will seek to uncover the dirt that the campaigns don't want anyone to see. I will also continue to offer up my views on how the campaigns should strategically proceed. Now, to the news and notes...
It appears that the transition phase at the Summers campaign is already under way. I wanted to take a glance at the campaign's website earlier today, but when I made it to the home page, I discovered that the website is being redesigned. The website that Summers had for the primary was adequate, but it is smart strategy for the campaign to come up with something fresh for the general election. The website is slated to relaunch on Friday.
http://summersforcongress.org/
Last week, I discussed the significance of the staff layoffs at the Portland Press Herald. The Press Herald will be losing its three primary political reporters, as the paper's ownership attempts to steer the paper towards profitability. The political coverage in the Press Herald was often times far from stellar, but it was the most consistent source of mainstream political news in the 1st District. These layoffs, then, are certain to have a detrimental effect on the quality of political news coverage in southern Maine.
Al Diamon broke the news about the Portland Press Herald layoffs, and he has an excellent piece out again this week. His article explores the overall lack of quality in Maine's news media, while also looking at how different media outlets in the state are adjusting to declining revenues. Its definitely worth the read...
http://www.downeast.com/Media-Mutt/July-2008/One-Ugly-Year/
The Associated Press has a story out that talks about Maine as a battleground state this fall. Of course, it touches on the presidential race and then provides a brief summary of the important races happening in the state. But, the interesting aspect of the story is when the reporter looks at grassroots activity that is occurring in the state. As usual, the Democrats are hammering the living daylights out of the Republicans on this front. The state Democratic Party has outraised the Maine GOP by more than a 4-1 margin. They have field staffers in all sixteen Maine counties and they will reportedly be opening up offices around the state.
Unfortunately for candidate Summers, the state Republican Party is far behind the Democrats in organizing. Until recently, at least, the Maine Republican Party has carried only three paid staffers. In the story, Republican Dave Emery claims that the GOP is less reliant on grassroots efforts to turn out voters. While I am not going to dispute the fact that Republican voters tend to be more reliable in turning out to vote than Democrats, it definitely spells trouble for Maine Republicans to see their Democratic counterparts with such a monetary and organizational advantage.
http://www.sunjournal.com/story/271386-3/MaineNews/Maine_acts_as_battleground_state/
The Portland Press Herald has an interesting story about an independent "progressive" group that is launching operations in Maine. The group, the Maine People's Alliance, is seeking to register new voters in the state and turn them out to the polls. While the organization is not officially partisan, it is clearly designed to help increase voter turnout among Democrats and left leaning individuals. According to the story, the Maine People's Alliance plans to mobilize 900 to 1,000 volunteers to make 125,000 telephone calls and knock on 100,000 doors across the state. For a small state such as Maine, that is truly a massive effort. Its not going to create a huge turnout surge for Democrats, but its certainly going to make things that much tougher for Maine Republicans to overcome. The reality is that no comparable organization exists for the Conservative Right in Maine.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=196203&ac=PHnws
Another progressive group, Democracy for America, is looking to get involved in Maine this fall. The group recently endorsed Tom Allen's candidacy for the U.S. Senate and Chellie Pingree's candidacy in the 1st Congressional District. Democracy for America will look to steer donations and provide grassroots volunteers to the respective campaigns.
http://www.politickerme.com/jessicaalaimo/1895/progressive-group-backs-allen-pingree
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