Dems, GOP galvanizing candidates for fall battles

AUGUSTA – While the two major parties have had their state conventions with the floor demonstrations and campaign hoopla, both conventions held intense planning and training sessions for the fall battle over control of the Legislature.

“Work on the election started months ago because it had to,” said Sen. Elizabeth Mitchell, D-Vassalboro, Senate majority leader. “You have to start early with candidate recruitment and working with those that want to run. It is not easy.”

Mitchell is a former House speaker and has been involved in several legislative campaigns over the years. She said even though a seat in either the House or Senate is a part-time job, it takes a lot of time and effort to campaign.

“In Maine, politics is really up front and personal,” she said. “People want to know and see the people they are voting for.”

On that, leaders in both parties agree. Mainers expect candidates to knock on their doors, introduce themselves and listen to their concerns. Because of the local nature of legislative races, the leaders agree that even seats that may “lean” to one party or the other are vulnerable.

“People want you to listen to what it is that concerns them,” said Rep. Josh Tardy, R-Newport, House minority leader. “It really is about how much the individual candidate connects as they go door to door.”

Because the old adage “all politics is local” holds true in Maine, he said, a major concern is that candidates actually do the campaigning they have said they would do.

“That is so true,” said Rep. Hannah Pingree, D-North Haven, House majority leader. “What we have going for us is the strong feeling in the country that people want change, and we have candidates that feel they can bring change.”

Pingree said that in every election there are candidates who say they are working hard but are not. She said there always have to be efforts to “encourage” candidates to go door to door and attend various candidate forums and other events.

This year, she said, Democrats already had held three training sessions before the state convention, and some candidates unopposed in the primary election already are going door to door in their districts.

“People want to talk with candidates,” she said. “They want the candidates to listen to them, and the candidates that do a good job listening and address the concerns are the ones that get elected.”

Pingree pointed to the two party turnouts at their February caucuses as “proof” the Democrats have the momentum this election year. The Democrats had 46,000 attend their caucuses, while the GOP had about 5,000 attend theirs. Over the weekend, more than 3,700 Democrats registered at their convention.

But Republican leaders believe they can use Democrat votes in the Legislature to blunt the national Democratic tide, particularly since the majority of voters in local contests vote for the individual, not the party.

“I think the momentum will swing to the Republicans as the voters understand what the Democrats have done to them in the Legislature,” said Sen. Carol Weston, R-Waldo, Senate minority leader. “People realize the number of votes in the Senate that were 18 to 17 and that it means more taxes for the people of Maine.”

Democrats have the majority, 18 senators to 17, in the state Senate.

Weston agreed with the other legislative leaders that in Maine, either party can win any seat in the House or Senate depending on the candidate in the race. She said that is why both parties have worked hard to recruit candidates for the fall.

“I really think people are paying much more attention, and they are going to vote for the candidate that is going to vote for less state spending by the Legislature,” Weston said.

But not all candidates are “real” in either party. There are several “placeholder” candidates that will be replaced by candidates being recruited to be on the ballot after the placeholder candidates withdraw in June and July.

“I think we have the fewest in years, maybe six or seven seats,” Pingree said.

Tardy said there are about the same number of placeholder GOP House candidates.

Currently there are 90 Democrats in the House, 59 Republicans and 2 independents.

“We are also running a write-in effort in some districts where we don’t have a candidate on the ballot,” Tardy said.

With fewer seats, the Senate leaders said they have their candidates set except for regular last-minute changes. Some candidates do decide to withdraw after winning the nomination of their party.

Under state law, candidates can withdraw for any reason by July 15, and the parties have until July 28 to replace them.

“This fall you are going to see the Democrats the most energized and organized they have ever been,” Mitchell said. “It is going to be a Democratic year.”