Leaders of Maine’s Democratic Party have missed no opportunity since the Nov. 3 election to congratulate themselves for retaining control of the Legislature. Lots of crowing, backslapping, high-fiving.

They say they have the vision. They say they have the agenda. They say they have all the other goodies it takes to lead Maine into the 21st Century. There’s one thing they aren’t saying:

Thanks, Tom Connolly.

Thanks for coming from nowhere to run a vigorous gubernatorial campaign. Thanks for eloquently expounding the ideals that form the theoretical soul of our party. Thanks for entering a race no established Democrat dared to. Thanks for spending $40,000 of your own hard-earned money. Thanks for saving us from a monumental embarrassment.

Remember, if Connolly had not jumped into the primary last spring, the Democratic nominee may have been Joe Ricci, owner of Scarborough Downs racetrack and the Elan substance-abuse treatment center. Under normal conditions, the outspoken and feisty Ricci likely would have received the 5 percent needed for Democrats to retain official party status.

But events can conspire. A few weeks before the election, Ricci said he would resist a Connecticut grand jury subpoena regarding a murder investigation, claiming anything he may have heard about the case from an Elan client was protected by therapist/patient privilege. A week before the election, a former Elan client said Ricci brought up the murder during a group counseling session, which, if true, demolishes Ricci’s privilege claim.

The legalities of subpoenas and privilege aside, this is not the type of news a gubernatorial candidate needs on the front page in the closing days of a campaign. Suddenly, that 5-percent bar looks awfully high. And had Ricci failed to clear it, the quirky story that would have had the network anchors shaking their heads on election night would not have been Minnesota’s choice of a former pro wrestler for governor, but the demise of the Democratic Party in Maine.

This is not the first time Democratic leaders have bailed out on a race they had little chance of winning. Nor is it the first time an energetic newcomer has stepped into the breach. Nor is it the first time the energetic newcomer has been tossed aside after the polls closed. At some point, the Democrats will run out of energetic newcomers.

The 1998 election was not, contrary to what seems to be the operative belief among Democratic leadership, the last election that will ever be held. Retaining control of a legislature already under control is not that significant an accomplishment. More formidable challenges, more uphill climbs, lie ahead. Two seats in the U.S. Senate, now held by popular Republicans, will be contested in 2000 and 2002. Will Democratic leadership once again stand on the sidelines and hope for the best?

The reason political parties exist is that they supposedly stand for something; ideals, principles, values. Running on his own steam and his own money, Connolly reminded voters what the Democrats stand for. When Democrat leaders are through with their group hug, they might thank him for it.