Maine Dems poised to convene Weekend event likely to draw thousands

AUGUSTA – Democrats from around the state, and at least one from away, are gearing up for their annual state convention this weekend.

A handful of well-known Democrats and thousands of lesser-known party members are expected to attend the three-day convention, scheduled for May 30 through June 1 at the Augusta Civic Center.

The keynote speaker for the convention will be U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois. He is scheduled to make his address at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Gov. John Baldacci and the state’s two congressmen, Tom Allen and Michael Michaud, are among other prominent Democrats scheduled to attend and to address the conventioneers. Tom Ledue, a Sanford educator who is challenging Allen for the Democratic nomination for the Senate race, also is expected to speak at the convention.

Durbin, the U.S. Senate’s assistant majority leader and majority whip, is known for his work helping small businesses, his efforts to improve health care, and his opposition to the Iraq war “from the very start,” according to a press release from the Maine Democratic Party. Elected to the Senate in 1996, Durbin was named in April 2006 by Time magazine as one of America’s top 10 senators.

“We are really thrilled to have someone as respected and as well-liked as Senator Durbin come to Maine,” Arden Manning, the state party’s executive director, said in the press release. “The fact he is willing to take time to come here shows how important Maine’s Senate race is to the rest of the country in terms of the Senate’s ability to bring about change next year.”

Despite Ledue’s bid to win his party’s nomination, the Senate race is viewed by most observers as a contest between Allen and Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent. Between the two of them, Allen and Collins have raised a total of more than $9 million for their Senate campaigns, which is a record for campaign fundraising in a Maine election.

To help kick off this weekend’s convention, the Maine Democratic Party announced this week that it has launched a redesigned Web site with a new logo and slogan. The logo features a backward “e” in the word “Democratic.” The “e” and the “m” are green and the rest of the word is blue, highlighting a backward spelling of “me” in the logo. The slogan is “Change starts with me in Maine.”

Party officials say the logo and slogan will be highly visible at the convention, which is expected to draw some 3,000 delegates.

Allen, Baldacci, and Michaud are scheduled to speak during the convention’s opening ceremonies, which are expected to run from 5:30 to 8 tonight. Allen will speak again Saturday, as he and Ledue will make separate speeches just before Durbin’s keynote address at 6 p.m.

Democratic candidates hoping to win the party’s nomination for the 1st District seat, which Allen is vacating for his Senate run, are scheduled to speak between 2 and 5 p.m. Saturday. Michael Brennan, Adam Cote, Mark Lawrence, Stephen Meister, Chellie Pingree and Ethan Strimling are the Democrats competing to represent the party on the ballot for the U.S. House of Representatives race in November.

Besides the speeches, various committee meetings, caucuses and workshops will be held during the convention to discuss the party’s platform and rules, among other topics.

The convention is expected to adjourn early Sunday afternoon.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.