With John Baldacci leaving the House of Representatives to run for governor, Maine voters can play a pivotal role in national politics. Baldacci’s seat is one of only 13 being vacated this year. Since incumbents win almost all races, control of the House hinges on victories in open seats. Voter participation in November will likely exceed 50 percent of the electorate, but deciding who gets to run in that election is at least as vital.

With a Democratic Party that stretches all the way from John Breaux to Paul Wellstone, divisions within the party are as important as those between the parties. Unfortunately, most state primaries – and Maine is no exception – receive little publicity and attract few voters. I will be voting for Sean Faircloth on June 11 because he can advance Maine’s interests and become an effective voice for progressive principles within the Democratic Party.

Even if the recession is over, growth seems likely to be sluggish, with unemployment at least in the 5 percent range. Even during the ’90s “boom,” job growth in Maine was concentrated in low-skilled, low-pay occupations. An economy heavily reliant on tourism and natural resources is unlikely to generate enough additional quality jobs for many poor and working- class Maine citizens.

From his earliest days in the Maine Legislature, Faircloth has recognized that innovative markets and corporations require services and supports that markets alone never provide. He initiated the Maine Research and Development Tax Credit, an act Maine Software Developers Association called a “major incentive for the private sector to bring Maine into the 21st century.” He has also advocated bond issues to improve investment in high potential industries.

One of Faircloth’s priorities will be to replicate these initiatives on the federal level. Maine currently stands 47th in terms of per capita federal dollars allocated for state research and development. Faircloth will not only push for equity in the allocation of these dollars but also challenge Bush administration budgetary priorities. He would seek funds for more high- speed Internet access in rural areas and double funding for the National Science Foundation to $7 billion. In the current climate of fiscal austerity, he would fund these increases primarily by slashing spending for the wasteful and dangerous Star Wars initiative.

More broadly, Faircloth proposes replacing the corporate income tax with a Business Activities Tax on monies left over after new investments in technology and worker skills are paid for. Corporations that pay health and pension benefits and enjoy sound or improving safety and environmental records would be taxed at a lower rate.

Faircloth recognizes that success in international markets requires more than increased R&D spending and Internet access. The most successful businesses consistently make the best use of the talents of their workers. Workers with broadly protected rights and access to adequate education and wage standards can demand fair treatment. Faircloth’s long-standing support for labor rights, an adequate minimum wage, and child support services all point to his recognition of the role of that workers play in economic development.

Of course, Faircloth is not the only Democrat in the race with labor credentials. Michael Michaud, president pro tem of the Maine Senate, also has substantial union endorsement. Unlike Michaud, however, Faircloth also has an exemplary record on women’s rights. Michaud, a self-described pro- life candidate, has at least promised that he would not vote for a constitutional amendment to overturn Roe vs. Wade. Such a posture should give women’s advocates little comfort. The social right long ago discovered that the best way to attack abortion rights is by indirection: Limit access, define the fetus as a person for a host of legal purposes, curb the right to late-term abortions. Michaud’s votes on these related issues have often been unsatisfactory.

Looked at from the perspective of the long-term history of progressive politics, the nomination of Michaud would not only give a pro choice Republican a good chance to win the general election, it would also set back efforts to build a broad progressive politics. Labor unions, even many progressive ones, have a sorry history of either disregarding the patterns of inequity and injustice to which women are subjected or assuming that economic growth will somehow magically eliminate gender based exploitation in the home or workplace. As I argued in a column last month (BDN, April 9), imposing obligations to children and the unborn on women that men are not asked to face is an injustice no progressive today should tolerate.

Sean Faircloth offers Democrats an opportunity to fashion the coalitions likely to sustain long- term electoral success: a principled fusion of economic growth, environmental protection, and equal opportunities and liberties. Primaries are often decided by small numbers of committed voters. Supporting Faircloth is well worth our time and effort.

John Buell is a political economist who lives in Southwest Harbor. Readers wishing to contact him may e-mail messages to jbuell@acadia.net.