Maine parties target seats they view as vulnerable State House control could hinge on a few races

Don’t look for either political party to claim sweeping majorities in the Legislature come November, elections experts say, with the battle for control of the closely divided State House likely to come down to just a few key races.

“It’s anybody’s call,” said Tim Storey, an analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures, which last week listed Maine among its top 10 battlegrounds in the 2006 midterm elections. “Control could come down to seats you can’t even predict.”

With the election still more than two months away, state party officials aren’t necessarily making predictions. But they are setting their sights on specific races they think will tip the balance of power.

As it stands, Democrats hold a 74-73 advantage in the Maine House of Representatives and a 19-16 edge in the Maine Senate.

To maintain or build upon those majorities, Democratic Party leaders on Tuesday cited four seats they believe they can wrest from Republican hands.

Two of those races are in Aroostook County, where Democrats hope to claim the District 34 Senate seat being vacated by Republican Dean Clukey of Houlton.

In that race, Democrats are pinning their chances on Chip Beckwith, a local potato farmer, who will run against Republican state Rep. Roger Sherman of Hodgdon.

Sherman occupies the House District 8 seat, which is also the other targeted race on the Democrats’ list. In that race, Democrats will field Richard Cleary, a Houlton lawyer, against Republican Dale Flewelling, a Houlton city councilor.

At the opposite end of the state, Democrats are eyeing a win in what expects to be a close race for the District 1 Senate seat being vacated by Mary Black Andrews, a York Republican. In that race, Democrat Peter Bowman, a former commander at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, will face former state Sen. Ken Lemont of Kittery.

Democrats also hope to pick up the House seat being left by Rep. Jeff Kaelin, R-Winterport, who bowed out of the race after a drunken diving charge.

Ben Dudley, chairman of the Maine Democratic Party, said, as always, that “the winners of these races will be the ones who do the work.” But he expected voter discontent with the country’s Republican leadership to help his party keep the reins in Augusta.

Maine Republican Party political director Ben Gilman said voters would look closer to home when deciding which party to blame for the current state of affairs.

“We have the environment to make a change in Maine,” said Gilman, blaming the majority Democrats in Augusta for the state’s economic malaise. “The people are ready for a new direction.”

With the margins so close in each chamber, Republicans can taste victory in November. To that end, Gilman said he aims to claim a few Democratic seats along the way.

Among Gilman’s targets is the District 32 Senate seat held by Democrat Joseph Perry of Bangor. Perry, who is seeking a second term, will face a well-known and well-financed Republican challenger in former Bangor Mayor Frank Farrington.

Gilman also plans to topple Sen. Art Mayo, a Bath Democrat. Mayo, Gilman said, angered a lot of voters when he switched parties after his re-election, thus putting the seat in play for Republican contender Paula Benoit, a local businesswoman.

In the House, the GOP has its sights on the open District 33 seat last held by termed-out Democratic Rep. Eddie Dugay of Cherryfield.

Also on the GOP list, according to Gilman, is the House District 43 seat held by Walter Ash, D-Belfast. Ash, who narrowly defeated Republican Jane Crosby Giles of Belfast in 2004, will face her again this year.