Looking out over 100 mostly attentive teenagers in the Nokomis Regional High School gymnasium in Newport last week, 2nd Congressional District Republican nominee Kevin Raye couldn’t help but think of his own political beginnings.

It has been 24 years since Raye, then a student at Shead High School in Eastport – and already a Republican – set up a similar candidates forum with first-time congressional contender Olympia Snowe.

Within the next two decades, Raye would join Snowe’s staff – first in Maine, then in Washington – becoming the senior senator’s top adviser on Capitol Hill in 1996.

But after all those years behind the scenes, on this day, it’s Raye’s turn on the stump – although only about a quarter of his audience is old enough to vote.

“My top priority is to bring jobs to Maine so that when you graduate … you will have the opportunity to carve out the life you want right here,” Raye, 41, told the Nokomis group, a few members of which asked about Iraq, education, and the negative advertising that has permeated the race.

Raye and his Democratic opponent, state Sen. Mike Michaud, have been locked in a close – and closely watched – battle to replace U.S. Rep. John Baldacci, who is running for governor.

If elected on Nov. 5, Raye would become the first U.S. House member from Washington County in 134 years.

That drought is of far less interest to GOP leaders than the eight-year spell of Baldacci’s after more than two decades under Republican control – 12 years of which Snowe held the seat.

Some have suggested that Raye’s close ties to Snowe could prove both a blessing and a curse for her former staffer, who in a recent interview struggled – and later declined – to name one area of disagreement with the popular senator, whose approval ratings top 70 percent in most polls.

“To be very honest, the reason I was there for 17 years is because I was pretty much in sync with her,” Raye said during a meeting with the Bangor Daily News editorial board. “I’m not looking to separate myself … or suggest that I’m her clone.”

Raye does, however, aspire to emulate

Snowe’s legislative style and become part of Congress’ “thoughtful middle,” he said, noting Snowe’s history of partnering with Democrats in hopes of advancing legislation.

“When you go down there, you can either become part of the debating society or you can get things done,” he said.

Raye said he wants to serve on the Transportation Committee, an assignment, he said, that would be key to improving Maine’s infrastructure as the committee begins to rewrite the nation’s transportation objectives for the next several years.

Among his priorities if elected, Raye counted an east-west highway, a northward extension of Interstate 95, a prescription drug benefit under Medicare, and increased special-education funding.

Raye, whose ads feature the word “independent” far more than “Republican,” also stresses his differences with GOP leadership, most notably his pro-choice stance and his willingness to allow the Maine Rx program to proceed despite opposition from the Bush administration.

While Michaud seeks to paint Raye as a “Washington insider” – a favorite phrase of the Democrat’s campaign – Raye touts his Capitol Hill experience as an advantage, often noting that among U.S. Sens. Margaret Chase Smith, George Mitchell and Susan Collins, none were state lawmakers before going to Washington.

While a junior at Bates College in 1982, Raye did once try to earn a spot in the Maine House, traveling back to his hometown of Perry on weekends to campaign against popular Democrat Harry Vose of Meddybemps.

Despite Raye’s lopsided loss, those closest to him knew his future was in politics.

“He stood out,” said Douglas Hodgkin, Raye’s academic adviser at Bates, where Raye’s senior thesis explored the differences between the initial campaigns of Smith and Snowe.

While the loss to Vose stung, Raye said he learned some political lessons – some small, but others more profound, considering his eventual immersion in politics as Snowe’s aide.

“I learned that signs don’t vote,” quipped Raye, who put up twice as many signs as Vose, but lost by nearly 500 votes. “But, also, looking back, I don’t know how things would have changed had I won.”

On the Net: www.rayeforcongress.com.