WEST GARDINER – Another Monday, another quintessential get-out-the-vote spaghetti dinner compliments of Democratic gubernatorial candidate John E. Baldacci.

But this one is different from past election soirees in which the integrity of the Baldacci name is the main ingredient in the candidate’s trademark entree of tomato sauce, pasta and politics.

Nearly every celestial body in the Maine Democratic universe has converged on the Gardiner Lion’s Club this evening to share the marquee and rally the Democrats. It’s like a chow line of the “if not rich, then at least famous” and maybe both. Guests are shown to their seats by state House Majority Leader Pat Colwell of Gardiner – the man who, if re-elected, wants to be the next Speaker of the House. Meanwhile, the party’s U.S. Senate candidate, Chellie Pingree of North Haven, and incumbent 1st District Congressman Tom Allen are doling out spaghetti dinners to everyone standing in line with a plate in hand – and it’s a long line.

“We’re getting low here, John,” says Pingree.

Baldacci was already heading for the sauce reserves before the words crossed Pingree’s lips. He picked up a heated, 5-gallon turkey roaster filled with steaming sauce and hobbled to the serving table.

“I wouldn’t want any of the kids to do this – they could get hurt,” Baldacci said.A while later, he finally takes a break. It’s a little before 7 p.m. and Baldacci has been campaigning for about 12 hours. He still has a veterans forum to attend and he may get to bed by 11 p.m. All four of the candidates hoping to become Maine’s next governor put in long days on the campaign trail, but one can’t help but wonder if Baldacci’s are just a little bit longer than the rest.

Baldacci has been trying to balance a demanding campaign schedule against the responsibilities he carries as he serves out his last term as Maine’s 2nd District congressman. The strain has been obvious. At a recent televised gubernatorial debate following a lengthy congressional debate and vote on the Iraq resolution, Baldacci appeared drawn and tired with his right eye nearly closed on more than one occasion.

Later, he acknowledged that while it had been a hard week, he wanted to try to perform the duties of both congressman and gubernatorial candidate as competently as possible. Judging by the reaction of his opponents in the debate, Baldacci concluded that at least on this night, he must be succeeding since everyone was taking shots at his record.

“I like to tell people that I want to be unifier and it looks like I’ve managed to unify my opponents – even if it’s against me,” he said in what would become a recurring joke during his campaign.

As the co-owner of Momma Baldacci’s Italian Restaurant in Bangor, he is the only restaurateur in the race, but he couldn’t get the endorsement of the Maine Restaurant Association. The 47-year-old Bangor native has worked in the restaurant business almost as long as he can remember, but his rating from the National Federation of Independent Businesses is so low it’s barely a blip on the lobbying group’s radar screen.

Baldacci is hardly daunted by the politicking of either group. He knows there are people who like him, like his politics and will give him their vote. He also knows there are people who like him, don’t like his politics, but will still give him their vote. All of his opponents know Baldacci will be tough to beat north and east of Bangor. Fortunately for them, most of the votes in Maine lie south of the Queen City.

Which is why John Baldacci has been spending a lot of time in places like West Gardiner, Portland and York County. He’s telling the story that longtime Bangor residents already know well.

The product of an Italian father and Lebanese mother, Baldacci was born into a family known for its food and politics. He attended Bangor schools and graduated from the University of Maine – but not right away. He took a little time off to run for the Bangor City Council, where he began a three-year term at the age of 23.

Baldacci later jumped at a chance to run for the Maine Senate and remained in the Legislature for 12 years, finally obtaining his degree in history in 1986. Married and the father of one child, he waged a hard-fought race against Norway Republican and now state Senate President Richard Bennett to win the 2nd Congressional District congressional seat in 1994 and has since successfully defended his seat three times.

But winning re-election in the 2nd District and beating three opponents for the statewide governor’s job require different strategies, and Baldacci is working hard in southern Maine, where he is not as well-known. His message is that Maine is clearly at a crossroads as residents watch traditional industries like shoe manufacturing and paper making recede and die while new opportunities in service and health sectors emerge.

Baldacci believes that education and a better economy are irrevocably linked.

“I think this is a unique opportunity for us to be able to invest in people with training and in K-16 education through community and technical colleges,” he said. “The more we can do to convince people to improve their skills by taking advantage of education, the more income they will derive. It will have a ripple effect for the entire state.”

Baldacci also believes he can use his experience as a congressman to access federal programs for the state as it attempts to ease its way out of a projected budget gap currently pegged at nearly $800 million. In the process, he hopes to avoid tax increases by streamlining and consolidating state government to achieve greater savings.

One of the brightest areas Baldacci sees for Maine’s future lies in research and development, where greater investment will bring more jobs and more revenue to the state.

“We’ve got a lot of catching up to do in that area,” he said. “With a little bit of luck, and if we concentrate on university and private support, we’ll be able to see that grow. We intend to ask for another bond issue on biomedical research to continue efforts undertaken by centers like The Jackson Laboratory. They’re already in Cherryfield and Fairfield because they’ve outgrown Bar Harbor. There are tremendous opportunities for us if we target the industries.”

More information on the candidate’s policies can be found on his Web site: http://baldacciforgovernor.com.