Candidates in final campaign push Rivals hit malls, sports events for last chance to meet and greet voters

AUGUSTA – From hunters breakfasts to soccer games and malls, candidates for major Maine offices staged final blitzes during the weekend to win over Maine voters in Tuesday’s elections.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Baldacci was up before dawn Saturday to attend traditional hunters breakfasts in Old Town and Brewer before heading to the Auburn and New Gloucester areas. Sunday, he was back in his hometown of Bangor pressing flesh.

“We’re going to be all over the place tomorrow,” campaign spokeswoman Donna Gormley said in advance of Monday’s “Downtown Countdown” foray into southern Maine towns.

Baldacci Republican rival Peter Cianchette’s “Tax Cut Express” bus tour rolled from Ellsworth to Newport and Waterville on Sunday, while Green Independent Jonathan Carter’s “Pumpkin Caravan” was in the Maine Mall area of South Portland.

Carter plans to remain in the Portland area Monday, while U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe joins Cianchette on his bus tour to Lewiston, Portland, Presque Isle and Bangor. Snowe has no election this fall.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins’ “Maine Streets” bus tour took her to several southern Maine high school sports events Saturday. Sunday’s itinerary called for stops in Bangor, Bath and Lewiston for Collins, who is trying to win her second six-year term.

Her Democratic challenger, Chellie Pingree, who planned to launch her own cross-state windup from Bangor, said her supporters had knocked on more than 200,000 Mainers’ doors as part of a grass-roots get-out-the vote effort.

Pingree planned to spend the last 24 hours before Tuesday’s election on the road stopping at restaurants, public suppers and community events. On Election Day, more than 1,000 Pingree volunteers planned to fan out across the state to make sure her supporters got to the polls.

The candidates for Maine’s two congressional seats also had busy schedules through the weekend and into Election Day.

The campaign is winding down after an unusually early start, well over a year ago for some candidates. The race for the 2nd District congressional seat being vacated by Baldacci brought primaries featuring a half-dozen Democrats and four Republicans.

That high-profile campaign and others considered important as both parties vie for control of Congress have drawn a steady stream of national political figures to Maine in recent weeks, including President Bush and former President Bill Clinton.

State election officials said they hoped a major absentee ballot push would bolster turnout. Democratic and Republican parties each mailed absentee ballot applications to about 200,000 registered voters.