Making a statement in the 2nd District

For political candidates, home is often where one believes one can get the most votes.

It’s no surprise, then, that in the 2nd Congressional District, Democratic incumbent Rep. Michael Michaud and Republican challenger Brian Hamel have very different beliefs.

Hamel, who lives in Presque Isle, will soon open his headquarters in downtown Bangor, a favorite base camp for Republicans over the years.

Michaud, from East Millinocket, has already opened shop in the Democratic stronghold of Waterville, the newest addition to the northern congressional district – geographically the largest east of the Mississippi River.

But choosing a city to base a campaign – any campaign -is always less about practicality and more about strategy, say political analysts.

“Candidates often choose headquarters for symbolic reasons,” said L. Sandy Maisel, a professor of government at Colby College. “You don’t make the decision on a whim.”

For presidential hopefuls Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, their respective headquarters in Little Rock, Ark., and Plains, Ga., sent the message that they were Washington outsiders, Maisel said.

The same could be said for then Gov. George Bush, who in 2000 based his first presidential run from Austin, Texas. During the Democratic primary that year, Vice President Al Gore moved his national headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Nashville, to help shed his insider image.

In Maine, the Bush re-election campaign opened its state headquarters in Bangor, a tacit admission some said that southern Maine was not particularly fertile ground for the president.

For Hamel, Bangor is the largest city close to his Aroostook County base. Add to that the fact the city has been relatively kind to Republicans in past elections, particularly those from northern Maine.

Although Bangor has trended Democratic in recent years, Hamel said the Central Street office did suit his political needs. Plus, Hamel added, he hoped to pick up “good vibrations” from one of Bangor’s most successful Republicans, former U.S. Sen. Bill Cohen, who once had a campaign office nearby.

“Bangor is obviously very important,” said Hamel, who is on a leave of absence from his job at Loring Development Authority. “It is a community where we want to send a message … that we’re very interested in your needs.”

In working class Waterville, Michaud, a 30-year papermaker, couldn’t have found a more compatible city.

The first recognized Franco-American lawmaker from Maine, Michaud isn’t expected to have much trouble in this heavily Franco city, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 2 to 1.

“We don’t take anything for granted,” said Michaud spokeswoman Monica Castellanos. “Waterville is a new part of the district, and we want to provide an opportunity for the people there to get to know their new congressman.”

Just as the Bush campaign later opened a satellite office in South Portland, both congressional hopefuls plan to open smaller offices later in the summer.

For Michaud, he plans on having a presence in Lewiston – the site of his 2002 headquarters – Bangor and Presque Isle, Castellanos said. Hamel also plans to open offices in Lewiston and Presque Isle, he said.