I recently attended the Lincoln GOP straw poll and was thrilled to hear three excellent U.S. Senate candidates. John Hathaway, Susan Collins, and Bob Monks each understands what needs to be done to help Mainers and they all would make a fine senator. They all favor a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, tax cuts which would allow us to keep more of our hard-earned money, and would eliminate the thousands of burdensome regulations that has cost us millions of jobs.

Only one is going to be our nominee, and it’s important the candidate with the best chance of beating Joe Brennan is nominated. I believe that candidate is John Hathaway because of his outstanding record in the state Senate as a tax-cutter and he is the only one who has ever won an election.

Collins and Monks would both have a difficult time winning because they have a tough time connecting with the average Mainer. Collins demonstrated her lackluster campaigning style in 1994. It was the most Republican election in 50 years and she finished third in a statewide campaign.

Monks had one of the best-financed U.S. Senate races in Maine history 20 years ago, and barely got 40 percent of the vote.

Hathaway won a state Senate race in the most Democratic district in Maine. He is the only Republican to ever win his Senate district. He even carried Biddeford which only has 10 percent Republicans.

Hathaway can go toe to toe with Joe. Collins and Monks have proved they can’t. Jack Dorsey Calais