Maine Senate race drawing outside money

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WASHINGTON – Sen. Susan Collins has received more money from her congressional colleagues than any other member of Congress, and Rep. Tom Allen has received more money from out of state than any other House member.

Collins, a Republican, and Allen, a Democrat, are pitted against each other in Maine’s 2008 Senate race. They have raised a combined $5.5 million since 2006 for the election, according to their latest filings to the Federal Election Commission.

“There is no doubt it will be the most expensive race in Maine, by far,” said Mark Brewer, assistant professor of political science at the University of Maine in Orono.

Collins is running for her third Senate term, and Allen, a six-term representative from District 1, is making his first bid for the Senate.

Brewer said national attention on the race is a big factor in why so much money is being raised.

“National Democratic leadership and liberal groups have identified it as one they can take,” Brewer said in a phone interview Thursday. “Susan Collins is relatively popular, but the fact that she has been closely tied to George W. Bush could make her vulnerable.”

Collins also appears to be closely tied to her fellow members of Congress.

As of Sept. 30, the end of the most recent reporting period, Collins’ total receipts of $3,339,299 included more than $250,000 from other federal politicians, including contributions from Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the Connecticut independent, and Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research group that analyzes campaign financing.

Individual lawmakers can donate up to $1,000 from their own campaign committees to a candidate per election. But many lawmakers create leadership political action committees that are allowed to give up to $5,000.

Steve Abbott, Collins’ chief of staff, said the campaign is proud of the support she has received from her peers.

“Support from her colleagues is very gratifying. This is from people she works closely with, and it reflects on the work that she’s done,” Abbott said in a phone interview Thursday.

Brewer said this support is relevant to the race.

“She is popular among her colleagues. They value her and are willing to contribute money,” he said. “Republicans really know they are up against it this election cycle, and they want to stop the bleeding.”

Massie Ritsch, communications director for the Center for Responsive Politics, said the nationwide attention to Maine’s Senate race will result in major funding from outside the state.

“This Senate race in Maine is on the national radar. People are funneling a lot of money into it,” he said in a phone interview Thursday.

Allen’s out-of-state fundraising success illustrates Ritsch’s assessment.

Allen is tops in the House for raising money from individual donors outside the home state, according to the center.

Of his $2,156,346 in receipts through Sept. 30, more than $500,000, or about a fourth, came from donors not living in Maine, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

This does not include money from political action committees, or PACs, which are allowed to give more money to campaigns and usually contribute based on specific ideological beliefs or on single issues.

Valerie Martin, Allen’s campaign manager, said the out-of-state fundraising reflects his widespread support.

“Since [Allen] announced he was running for Senate back in May, a lot of people have been willing to help,” Martin said in a phone interview Wednesday. “He’s using his own personal network and expanding it into people who care about these races and people who care about the war in Iraq.”

Beyond his own “personal network,” Allen’s out-of-state fundraising success also can be attributed to evolving technology.

The Internet Web site ActBlue.com, created in 2004, lists Democratic candidates and provides links that allow people from anywhere to donate directly to their campaigns. More than 1,000 people have contributed money to Allen’s campaign by way of ActBlue.com, according to the site.

“It’s not necessarily about the individual candidate – many of the donors I bet have never met [Allen] and probably never will,” Jonathan Zucker, the chief operating officer of ActBlue, said in a phone interview Wednesday. “But they can use our site to package him in with the rest of the party. It’s not so much about Tom Allen; it’s more about changing the population of the U.S. Senate.”

Brewer of the University of Maine warned that garnering too much money from outside of Maine could hurt Allen.

“Mainers will care a bit that there is outside money in the race, particularly at this point with the Allen campaign,” Brewer said.

Martin said that despite the out-of-state fundraising, “Tom is running a campaign that is very focused on Maine; it is Maine-based.”

Martin also said the campaign was “proud of where we are” in terms of the funds raised so far.

“The fact that we have been raising from individual donors, it’s basically a healthier list than getting a lot of PACs or a lot of industries to contribute,” Martin said, referring to a Collins fundraising strength.

Collins has received more than $800,000 in PAC money since her re-election in 2002, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Abbott, Collins’ chief of staff, said the PAC money Collins has received reflects the variety of issues she has worked to support while in office.

“In the PAC money, you’ll find broad support from the business, health care and education communities,” Abbott said.

PACs contributing to Collins’ campaign include those representing doctors, building contractors, banks, insurance companies, small businesses and even florists.

Abbott also said “money is important” and agreed with experts who predict this will be Maine’s most expensive political race ever.

“I expect we will raise between $6 [million]-$8 million, and I assume [Allen’s] goals will be the same,” Abbott said. “We are clearly on track to be the most expensive race in Maine history.”