THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Thursday, March 8, 2012— Page 7
Pingree to seek re-election to House, won’t run for Senate BY CASEY CONLEY THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN
Democrat Chellie Pingree has decided to seek re-election to the U.S. House rather than run for the Senate seat being vacated by Olympia Snowe. Pingree’s announcement follows the release of a statewide poll showing that about 40 percent of Mainers view her unfavorably and former Gov. Angus King's decision to enter the Senate race as an independent. “Although the prospect of running for and possibly serving in the United States Senate was very exciting, in the end I concluded that I will best serve the people of Maine by running for re-election to the House,” she said in a statement. Snowe’s decision last week not to seek a fourth term set off a scramble, as dozens of possible candidates publicly or privately began testing the political waters for House and Senate runs. In the days that followed Snowe's announcement, Pingree was viewed by many as the strongest Democratic candidate for the Senate — especially after Second District Democratic Congressman Mike Michaud decided against a Senate run. Her thinking likely changed Monday, after King, a former twoterm governor, officially entered the race. Pingree told the Press Herald yesterday that she worried that if she and King both ran, it would split the Democratic vote and allow a Republican to win.
Indeed, a similar scenario played out in the 2010 governor’s race, when independent Eliot Cutler drew strong Democratic support but narrowly lost to Republican Paul LePage, who received Pingree just 38 percent of the total vote. In a statement, King said he was surprised but relieved to learn Pingree wasn’t running. "This is a personal relief to me because I wasn't looking forward to running Snowe against a friend,” he said. “I am pleased that Chellie will continue her work in Washington on behalf of the people of Maine as she is a dedicated and effective public servant." University of Maine political sciMichaud ence professor Mark Brewer said yesterday that he wasn’t all that surprised Pingree passed on the senate race, especially after the release Tuesday of a poll by Public Policy Polling showing that 41 percent of Mainers have an
Man dies in Aroostook County apartment fire; smoking materials reported as cause FORT FAIRFIELD — A 38-yearold Aroostook County man died early Wednesday morning after officials say a fire swept through his apartment. Norman LaPointe, who lived at 13 Presque Isle St., died inside his thirdfloor studio apartment, said Stephen McCausland, a Department of Public Safety spokesman. Improper disposal of smoking materials in a waste
basket inside the apartment complex is suspected of causing the blaze, officials said. Three occupants of two surrounding apartments were able to escape, McCausland said. The fire was reported shortly after midnight. LaPointe’s death is the fifth fire death of the year, McCausland said. — Staff Report
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unfavorable opinion of her (compared to 47 percent favorable). The same poll also found Pingree would likely lose a three-way race with King and a Republican candidate. “She had a lot to lose giving up a safe House seat” to run for senate, Brewer said. The PPP poll showed that another high-profile Democrat considering a Senate run, former two-term Gov. John Baldacci, had even higher negatives, with 51 percent viewing him unfavorably. The poll was conducted between March 2 and 4, had a sample size of 1,256 and a margin of error of 2.8 percent. Brewer said Baldacci may ultimately come to the same conclusion as Pingree and not run for Senate. “What it might come down to, is Angus King and a couple of lower-tier candidates” from both parties, Brewer said. According to the Press Herald, at least 13 Republicans are considering running for Snowe’s seat, including Secretary of State Charlie Summers; Attorney General Bill Schneider; State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin; and State Sen. Deb Plowman, of Hampden. State Sen. Cynthia Dill, D-Cape Elizabeth; former Secretary of State Matt Dunlap; and Portland builder Ben Pollard are declared candidates on the Democratic side. Baldacci's plans are not known. There are at least five independents running, including King and former
Republican Andrew Ian Dodge, who left the party last month. Businessman and Yarmouth town councilor Steve Woods announced yesterday that he was entering the race. With both Pingree and Michaud opting to seek re-election to the House, more than a dozen Democrats and Republicans who were considering runs for those seats have dropped out, including ACLU of Maine director Shenna Bellows; state Rep. Jon Hinck; and state Rep. Diane Russell, among many others. Although King has been out of office since 2003 (Baldacci succeeded him), the poll shows 62 percent of Mainers view him favorably. Running for Senate as an independent can be difficult without party backing, but Brewer predicted King would have no trouble raising money to mount a competitive run. Brewer says King's age could become a potential issue. At 68, King is three years older than Snowe, and would be well into his 70s after a sixyear term. “There could be some people saying, 'At 68, is this going to be a one and done situation for him?' But even that, I don’t think is a huge negative at all,” Brewer said, referring to the possibility that King serves just one term. Senate candidates from the two major parties have until March 15 to submit 2,000 signatures to get on the June 12 primary. Independents have until June 1 to gather their signatures to appear on the November ballot.