State Dems outpace GOP in fund raising

AUGUSTA – Newly released campaign finance reports indicate Republican challengers for Maine’s two congressional seats are nipping at the heels of the state’s Democratic incumbents, who continue to lead the GOP nominees in fund raising.

According to reports available Friday from the Federal Election Commission, U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud, D-East Millinocket, who will oppose Brian Hamel, R-Presque Isle, in the 2nd Congressional District this fall, has raised $200,128 during the reporting cycle that began May 20 and ended June 30.

Michaud’s year-to-date contributions now total nearly $1 million and the candidate reported having nearly $600,000 in cash on hand as he prepares for the Nov. 2 general election.

Hamel raised $171,805 during the reporting period, bringing his year-to-date total to $340,486. Hamel reported having about $284,000 in cash on hand at the close of the reporting period.

In Maine’s 1st Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Tom Allen, D-Portland, raised $84,725 during the period, bringing his total for the campaign to $518,877. Allen reported having $312,076 in cash on hand for his campaign. His challenger, Charlie Summers, R-Scarborough, raised $74,516 for the reporting period and has accrued a year-to-date total of $194,357. Summers has $46,321 in cash on hand.

Michaud, former president of the state Senate, first was elected to Congress in 2002, when he narrowly defeated Republican Kevin Raye. The incumbent has received large contributions from political action committees, or PACs. Some of Michaud’s larger industry contributions included the Build Political Action Committee of the National Association of Home Builders, $14,000 and the National Beer Wholesalers Association PAC, $17,500.

Hamel is the president and chief executive officer of the Loring Development Authority, which works to restore jobs lost because of the closing of Loring Air Force Base in 1994. In addition to numerous small individual contributions, Hamel also accepted $15,000 from the Associated Builders and Contractors PAC; $10,000 from the NFIB Safe Trust PAC and $6,000 from the Maine BankPac. In a prepared statement Friday, Hamel said his year-to-date total of nearly $350,000 during the first four months of his candidacy was truly “amazing.”

“It shows that people are rallying around my campaign and my message to revitalize the economy of Maine,” he said.

Hamel campaign manager Ben Golnik claimed the GOP candidate received 85 percent of his support from individuals and maintained Michaud’s contributions represented individual support of less than 38 percent.

That figure was disputed by Monica Castellanos, communications director for Michaud, who said the former millworker had received just over 50 percent of his total contributions from individuals, “90 percent of whom were from Maine.”

“So I don’t know where that 38 percent figure comes from,” Castellanos said. “Our average contribution is just over $100. The congressman is very pleased with the amount of money we’ve been able to raise.”

Rep. Tom Allen, who will be running for a fourth term in the 1st District, received numerous individual contributions in the $250 range and some large PAC contributions, including $15,000 from the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and $13,000 from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Summers is a longtime aide to U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and a member of the Maine Senate for two terms, from 1991 to 1994. In addition to personal contributions, he received two PAC contributions totaling nearly $25,000 from Associated Builders and Contractors.

Carl Cooley, a 77-year-old former teacher and sheep farmer from Jackson, is running for the 2nd Congressional District seat as a member of the Socialist Equality Party. He was not required to file with the FEC since he did not meet the fund-raising threshold.

Further FEC information concerning Maine congressional candidates can be found at http://www.fec.gov/financereports.html.