Maine’s registered Democrats and Republicans will go to the polls next Tuesday and take part in a primary election to select candidates to represent their parties in the November election.

From the top of the ticket on down, there are contested primary races for many of the statewide positions. Two Democrats, Rep. Tom Allen, a six-term congressman from Portland, and Thomas J. Ledue, an educator from Sanford, are squaring off for the right to run against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Six Democrats are vying to represent the party in the race for Allen’s vacated seat in the 1st Congressional District. They are former state Sen. Chellie Pingree of North Haven, state Sen. Ethan Strimling of Portland, former state Sen. Michael Brennan of Portland, attorney Adam Cote of Portland, Dr. Steve Meister of Portland, and York County District Attorney Mark Lawrence of Kittery.

On the Republican side, former state Sen. Charles Summers of Scarborough and businessman Dean Scontras of Eliot are competing to be their party’s nominee for the 1st District seat. Scontras’ formal name, C. Peter Scontras, will appear on the ballot.

For state Legislature, there are a number of contested races among party members for seats in both the Maine Senate and the Maine House of Representatives.

Leaders of both parties expressed confidence going into the primary. They said they were excited to have the many qualified candidates who stepped forward.

The Senate is composed of 35 seats, 18 of which are currently held by Democrats and 17 by Republicans. The House has 151 seats, 90 of which are currently held by Democrats, 59 by Republicans and two by independents.

The Maine Democratic Party’s communications director, Rebecca Pollard, said that while the party does not take positions or endorse candidates during the primary, it was pleased that so many candidates had stepped forward this year. She said the Democrats have a candidate for every statewide seat and were confident they would retain the seats they already have.

“Primaries are certainly good for the process. Bringing new candidates into the fold and new voices into the process is always a good thing,” Pollard said. “A good turnout is great for the process, and we feel positive that we will hold on to our majorities and even pick up a few more seats.”

The Maine Republican Party’s executive director, Julie Ann O’Brien, said that while some candidates perhaps would prefer to be alone on the ballot, primary races offer an opportunity to gain confidence and experience.

“We will all be watching these races closely and be ready to bring the winners into the fold,” O’Brien said. “Primary races for the Legislature are a good thing. It forces people to pound the pavement beforehand and get ready for the general election. For you, it can be a real positive. You’ve gotten through that fear of knocking on that first door and asking people for help. But once you get through that, you’re on a roll.”

Voters taking part in the June 10 primary election also will determine the fate of a $29,725,000 bond issue aimed at raising money for agricultural, natural resource and transportation infrastructure. The bonds would be used to leverage an additional $29,750,000 in federal matching funds. The estimated lifetime cost of the bonds is $38,308,094, representing $29,725,000 in principal and $8,583,094 in interest, assuming an interest rate of 5.25 percent over 10 years.

If approved, the bond issue would provide the Department of Transportation with $23,025,000 to be spent on highway and bridge improvements, passenger and freight rail improvements, bus facilities, bicycle and pedestrian trails, and airport, ferry and port improvements. It would provide the Department of Environmental Protection with $4,400,000 for the cleanup of hazardous waste and grants to help replace malfunctioning septic systems, address pollution problems at landfills and replace obsolete air quality monitoring equipment. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife would receive $2 million to upgrade fish hatcheries and repair state-owned dams.

wgriffin@bangordailynews.net

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