Emery seeks guidance on gubernatorial run

AUGUSTA – Republican David Emery, who announced last month he is exploring a possible gubernatorial bid, is indeed at the exploratory stage.

He has asked the state ethics commission “what act triggers a candidacy for regulatory purposes” and how he might begin to organize a campaign while preserving his option to seek public financing.

“A campaign for governor is a large and complex enterprise that differs in many significant respects from a campaign for state representative or state senator,” Emery wrote to the commission in a letter this week.

“Among the more obvious differences are the much greater cost, duration, complexity and structure, as well as the nature of the personal commitment of the candidate and his family.

“For these reasons, it is necessary to conduct some pre-campaign activities in order to evaluate statewide support and to determine if a campaign for governor is a realistic and viable endeavor,” Emery wrote.

Emery, whose political career began in the Maine Legislature, served in the U.S. House from 1975 to 1982 and ran for the U.S. Senate seats in 1982 but was defeated by the incumbent Democrat, George Mitchell.

Emery subsequently served in the Reagan administration as deputy director of the U.S. Arms and Disarmament Agency and in 1990, lost a race for the 1st District congressional seat to Democrat Thomas Andrews.

To date, he is one of three potential challengers to Democratic Gov. John Baldacci who have expressed an interest in entering the race for the Blaine House. Baldacci, first elected governor in 2002, has said he will run for a second term.

Nancy Oden of Jonesboro, who worked for independent Ralph Nader’s presidential campaign in Maine last year, filed paperwork with state officials in March to start the process toward becoming a publicly financed candidate for governor. Oden filed as an unenrolled candidate.

Also filing for public funding was Stephen Stimpson of Bangor, a Republican, according to the commission.