Campaign visits point up Maine’s battleground role

PORTLAND – A high-profile surrogate for presidential hopeful John Kerry and a member of President Bush’s Cabinet plan to visit next week, underscoring Maine’s role as a battleground state in November’s election.

Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, who staged his own bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, will visit Bangor and Portland on Tuesday on behalf of Kerry. Two days later, Treasury Secretary John Snow will address a luncheon sponsored by the Portland Regional Chamber in Portland.

Heather Layman of the Republican National Committee said Snow’s trip is likely official rather than political, though the Treasury secretary is expected to focus on the strength of the economy, a key Bush campaign issue.

Analysts describe Maine as one of about 17 states that could go either way in this year’s presidential race.

Bush and Kerry were tied at 35.5 percent, according to the latest quarterly survey by Strategic Marketing Services. But when those leaning toward the candidate were added to those who intended to vote for him, Kerry had a slight edge, 43.5 percent to 41 percent.

Ralph Nader had 4.5 percent, and 11 percent were undecided.

Clark is expected to fly to Bangor on Tuesday afternoon after a stop in New Hampshire, according to Kerry’s campaign in Maine.

Snow will visit Portland Thursday to discuss the rebounding economy and the improving employment outlook. He will deliver remarks at a $25-a-head luncheon Thursday at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland.

Although Clark’s visit is clearly political and the GOP claims Snow’s visit is not, both campaigns concede that Maine is critically important.

Despite Maine’s few electoral votes, the state is one of only two that split their electoral votes instead of using a winner-take-all system. Two of the state’s four electoral votes go to the statewide winner, one goes to the top vote-getter in the 1st District and the other goes to the winner in the 2nd District.

“Maine is definitely an important state in this election,” said Heather Layman of the Republican National Committee. Layman predicted that Clark will parrot Kerry’s “doom and gloom” message during his visit.

Jesse Derris, spokesman for Kerry’s campaign, said Clark will ask veterans for their support and highlight Kerry’s commitment to social service programs.

“If Maine stays as competitive as it is right now, you can expect to see a lot of Democrats coming out and talking,” Derris said.