FORT KENT – Residents of northern Maine received little new information Monday night from the candidates for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat, except maybe from the Socialist Equality Party candidate. Incumbent Democrat Michael Michaud, Republican hopeful Brian Hamel and Carl Cooley of the Socialist Equality… Read More
FORT KENT – A former Democratic congressman from Indiana was in northern Maine Monday pushing for the election of Sen. John Kerry as president in order to stem the loss of jobs in the region. Jim Jontz, president emeritus of Americans for Democratic Action Inc.,… Read More
Message and money go hand in hand in a political campaign’s final days, and if the most recent finance reports are any indication, Democratic Rep. Michael Michaud at least has more of the latter. Michaud, serving his first term as the 2nd District congressman, had… Read More
WATERVILLE – With an actress’s dramatic flair, Sharon Stone on Saturday used a Colby College student to drive home the reality of the Iraq war. Best known for her role in the 1992 movie “Basic Instinct,” Stone asked 17- or 18-year-olds to stand at the… Read More
AUGUSTA – A Democratic state senator seeking re-election to his midcoast district is cranking up anxiety levels by promoting funding cuts to state programs in northern and eastern Maine as a way to reduce taxes. Sen. Chris Hall, D-Bristol, confirmed Friday that during campaign speeches… Read More
OLD TOWN – American Indian tribal leaders from across the state gathered Friday to show support for presidential candidate U.S. Sen. John Kerry. “I believe that Kerry and Edwards are the people that are going to make a difference, not just for Native Americans, but… Read More
We are now in the final days of preparation for Election Day. Of course, anyone not aware of this has probably had his or her head in a bucket for the last three months. The ads began long ago, folks have been “stopping by for… Read More
On Nov. 2, we will have a very critical presidential election. This election will help determine how our nation will unfold as we progress through this new century. Not only will many internal and national concerns be affected by the results of our presidential choice, our international relationships… Read More
Not long ago, in Washington, D.C., I visited the Jefferson Memorial and noted this quotation from Thomas Jefferson’s writings: “Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever.” I agree with Jefferson that a nation… Read More
Not many pastors I know take sides publicly when it comes to presidential politics. Every pastor I know has strong, carefully considered positions and a strong personal choice of the candidate to vote for. That seems contradictory, but the choice not to advocate strongly for… Read More
AUGUSTA – With the looming presidential election expected to turn on a handful of electoral votes, governors from within and beyond Maine’s borders are pulling out the stops to secure votes for both major parties. Former independent Gov. Angus S. King has already endorsed Democratic… Read More
Supporters of Question 2 on Thursday issued a harsh critique of an economic study released last month by their rivals, who estimated that Maine could lose as much as $62 million if bear baiting, trapping and hunting with dogs is banned by voters. The pro-ban… Read More
BANGOR – Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. John Edwards, assured a Bangor audience Wednesday that her husband and his running mate Sen. John Kerry, care more about protecting the health, safety, jobs, world standing and environment of Americans than protecting the profits of major… Read More
BANGOR – Although the contest’s first debate ended just hours before, 2nd Congressional District contenders Democratic Rep. Mike Michaud and Republican Brian Hamel kept the barbs flying Wednesday over a pair of television ads each said was misleading. Hamel called on the incumbent to pull… Read More
More than $1.7 million has been raised to sway voters on Question 2, the referendum to ban bear trapping and bear hunting with bait or dogs, according to campaign finance reports filed Tuesday. About three-quarters of all the money reported thus far – $1,261,243.31 –… Read More
AUGUSTA – New campaign finance reports show that opponents of the proposed property tax cap that Maine voters will consider next month have raised $876,000 and spent $562,000, and still held the upper hand over proponents financially heading into the final weeks of the campaign. Read More
WATERVILLE – U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud and his Republican challenger, Brian Hamel, faced off for the first time in a wide-ranging debate Tuesday evening that put the candidates at odds over tax cuts, the Iraq war and how best to create jobs. “I’ve used my… Read More
The two religious organizations that represent most of Maine’s congregations took opposite stands Tuesday on the tax cap referendum. Citing the potential harm to the state’s poor, the Maine Council of Churches is urging voters to oppose the tax cap referendum, while the Christian Civic… Read More
The sight of congressmen on a golf course is hardly a rare one. Odds are, however, Maine’s 2nd District Rep. Mike Michaud won’t be among them. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for… Read More
BANGOR – With the final presidential debate being held tonight, Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards, is visiting Maine to talk with voters in Bangor and Lewiston. This is her first trip to Maine during the presidential campaign. In Bangor, Edwards… Read More
PORTLAND – Democratic Rep. Tom Allen and Republican challenger Charlie Summers traded jabs over tax cuts, prescription drugs, the war in Iraq and the best way to create jobs Tuesday in the second of five debates in their race in the 1st Congressional District. Summers… Read More
LINCOLN – If you see “misunderestimated,” “Internets” or a few other Bushisms scrawl across the screen during the presidential debate tonight, don’t blame Peggy Thompson. At least, she hopes you won’t. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
WASHINGTON – Four years ago, Ralph Nader had a seat on the Sunday talk shows, a spot on 43 state ballots and a gutsy low-budget campaign that was packing in supporters. Unbowed at age 70, he’s back this year sounding the same pox-on-both-your-houses message. But this time he… Read More
BANGOR – Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and a group of military mothers Monday offered some of the harshest criticism to date of the Bush administration and its rationale for invading Iraq, calling the conflict a “war of choice, not necessity.” “But getting… Read More
It must be his hundredth handshake of the day and it’s not even noon. “Everything’s going according to plan,” Republican Brian Hamel said with a smile to a man who inquired about his campaign for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat during a recent electioneering stop… Read More
WASHINGTON – The Democratic Party and 18 senators are objecting to a broadcasting company’s plan to air on 62 TV stations a critical documentary about John Kerry’s anti-war activities after he returned home from Vietnam three decades ago. Sinclair Broadcast Group has asked its television… Read More
YARMOUTH – A local man who produced the memorable 1988 Republican TV ad showing Democratic presidential hopeful Michael Dukakis wearing a helmet while riding in a tank is putting his imprint on this presidential election as well. Greg Stevens works out of his home as… Read More
PORTLAND – Lawyers will be stationed in many voting precincts in anticipation of ballot fights in a hotly contested presidential race. Officials for the campaign of Democrat John Kerry say they have recruited more than 100 Maine lawyers. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
STOCKTON SPRINGS – George Bush and John Kerry might want to stop in this town if they plan on being president next year – if only for superstition’s sake. Voters in this riverside Waldo County village – like only four other Maine towns – have… Read More
The candidate, admittedly a little nervous, fumbled a bit with the microphone upon taking his place behind the podium during a recent speech at the University of Maine in Orono. “It’s time to reject the Republicans and the Democrats,” Carl Cooley, a socialist running for… Read More
PORTLAND – Campaign fraud charges have been filed against four Green Independent Party members who were involved in the campaign for a Maine legislative candidate from Biddeford. A York County grand jury indicted Philip Castora, 78, of Arundel and Fred Dolgon, 75, of Old Orchard… Read More
BANGOR – A new poll released Thursday indicates that Question 2 – the referendum to ban bear trapping and hunting with bait and dogs – is behind, with just a small portion of the electorate undecided. Of voters who said they were certain about their… Read More
BANGOR – Mainers are split in more ways than one over a proposed property tax cap, according to a poll released exclusively to the Bangor Daily News on Thursday. Overall, Maine voters were evenly divided over the issue with 47 percent in favor and 46… Read More
AUGUSTA – An informal survey of town and city clerks, as well as interviews with political operatives, indicates there could be a record number of new voters this election and a record number of absentee votes. The total number of new voters could be the equivalent of adding… Read More
BANGOR – With a presidential election, several hotly contested state and local questions, and a host of city, state and national elective positions to fill on Nov. 2, Bangor is bracing for heavy voter turnout. While there’s no way to predict how many voters will… Read More
PORTLAND – A visibly agitated and disappointed Ralph Nader lashed out Tuesday at the Maine Democratic Party which has decided to appeal a Superior Court ruling that allowed the independent presidential candidate to remain on the state ballot. “It’s pretty reprehensible,” Nader said of the… Read More
President Bush and Sen. John Kerry could end up dividing Maine’s four electoral votes. Unlike most states, which have winner-take-all systems for their electoral votes, Maine gives two to the statewide winner and one to the victor in each of Maine’s two congressional districts. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
HOULTON – With less than a month until Election Day, bright signs urging voters to cast their ballots for certain candidates are popping up all over town. Town Clerk Cathy O’Leary said Friday she expects voters to turn out in force to elect local, state… Read More
PITTSFIELD – Area voters will have an abundance of new choices on Election Day, due to redistricting, term limits and the death of a veteran commissioner. On Nov. 2, Pittsfield voters will be selecting three county and legislative representatives, deciding races for two Town Council… Read More
BANGOR – A former U.S. ambassador under President Clinton maintained Friday that Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John F. Kerry definitely held the upper hand in his first debate Thursday against President Bush. Meanwhile, General Joseph Tinkham, retired Adjutant General of Maine and Homeland Security adviser… Read More
PORTLAND – Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and conservative activist William Bennett on Thursday debated the strengths and weaknesses of President Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry. Their appearance before 600 people at the conference of the American Council of Engineering Companies came just hours… Read More
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Sen. John Kerry accused President Bush Thursday night of a “colossal error in judgment” in ordering the invasion of Iraq. “The world is better off without Saddam Hussein,” the president shot back in campaign debate, adding his rival once said so… Read More
ORONO – A handful of students gathered Thursday night to watch the presidential debate at the University of Maine’s Memorial Union, and the majority were Kerry supporters. About 30 students divided between the Bear’s Den and the University Credit Union lounge on the second floor… Read More
AUGUSTA – One of the state’s leading polling organizations will be closely gauging reaction to Thursday night’s presidential debate in an effort to make a conclusive determination on how Mainers will vote Nov. 2. Patrick O. Murphy, president of Strategic Marketing Services of Portland, said… Read More
BANGOR – The Bush twins touched down Wednesday in Maine like a pair of Texas tornadoes, dusting up a commotion with admirers and supporters wherever they went. Barbara Bush, the brunette, and her sister, Jenna, the blonde, brought their 22-year-old political perspective to this battleground… Read More
STILLWATER – Forget what the Swift Boat Veterans for Bush say. Jim Rassmann was there, and he is here today thanks to the heroism of John Kerry, he told local Democrats on Wednesday. Rassmann, 56, a former Green Beret who served in Vietnam in 1968… Read More
PORTLAND – Some people who live in Maine like to say there are really two Maines: the liberal, populous and relatively wealthy southern portion and the more conservative, rural, less wealthy northern district. How these two different Maines vote on Election Day could make a… Read More
UNITY – When it comes to national polls – or even national recognition – David Cobb doesn’t even show on the radar screen. His standings aren’t listed on the most recently released polls, and national media coverage of the November election doesn’t mention his name. Read More
LEWISTON – The Kerry-Edwards campaign announced Friday that John Edwards will return to Maine on Sunday, Sept. 26, for a campaign stop in Lewiston. The visit will be the Democratic vice presidential candidate’s second to Maine this month. He held a rally at the University… Read More
ELLSWORTH – It’s fall. The air is crisp and the political skies in Hancock County should remain clear of the clouds of campaign controversy during the final month or so before the Nov. 2 election. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
PORTLAND – A statewide poll released Thursday as President Bush rallied supporters at Bangor International Airport had the Republican incumbent locked in a close race with Democrat John Kerry. The poll by Critical Insights put Kerry at 45 percent and Bush at 42 percent among… Read More
BANGOR – As supporters on the tarmac at Bangor International Airport waved dozens of large red W’s in the air Thursday, President Bush delivered a vigorous defense of his administration’s policy in Iraq and told Mainers he needed their vote on Nov. 2. Speaking to… Read More
BANGOR – As Air Force One took off into the Bangor sky after the president’s speech Thursday evening, a man in a rubber George W. Bush mask stood alone in a gravel parking lot holding a sign reading, in part, “Deport Bush.” In some ways… Read More
AUGUSTA – President Bush’s stop in Bangor today arrives at a pivotal moment in his re-election campaign according to one prominent Maine pollster who said Republicans sense the state’s four electoral votes could be within reach. Since 1992, Maine has voted Democratic in presidential elections,… Read More
BANGOR – People were lined up Wednesday to get tickets, temporary parking bans near the airport were in place, and police officials were going over extra security measures in preparation for today’s campaign visit from President George W. Bush. Republican officials are anticipating a crowd… Read More
WASHINGTON – In what is being called the largest grassroots mobilization in support of public education to date, 4,000 “house parties” were held Wednesday night in private homes and community centers across the nation. The initiative, called the National Mobilization for Great Public Schools, is… Read More
Incumbent Democratic Congressmen Michael Michaud and Tom Allen have wide leads over their Republican challengers, based on a new poll released Wednesday. The poll, conducted for WLBZ-TV in Bangor, WCSH-TV in Portland and the Bangor Daily News, show Michaud with a 21-point lead over Brian… Read More
MACHIAS – Candace Gingrich has a national profile but a very local message: Young people need to vote. The younger sister of former U.S. House Speaker and famously conservative Newt Gingrich, Candace Gingrich is touring the country on her own terms. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
AUGUSTA – Preparations continued Tuesday for the president’s planned visit to Bangor, but not all of the events propose to offer a warm welcome. The Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine plans to bring its own greeters to Bangor International Airport where President Bush… Read More
LEWISTON – A tendency to visualize political goals through the prism of religion makes notorious terrorist Osama bin Laden and President Bush more similar than different according to the running mate of independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader. Speaking to about 50 students and supporters Monday… Read More
BANGOR – Thousands of people signed up for tickets Monday to hear President Bush campaign on the tarmac at Bangor International Airport on Thursday. The outdoor event, which starts at 4:15 p.m., may draw 10,000 people, according to Randy Bumps, executive director of the state… Read More
BANGOR – President Bush, a familiar sight at his family’s southern Maine estate, will venture north Thursday for a Bangor rally. Not everyone wanting to hear Bush will be allowed to attend the event, scheduled for 4:15 p.m. at a location to be determined. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
YPSILANTI, Mich. – Five Democratic governors on Friday said President Bush’s health care and economic policies have endangered the economies in their states. The governors said their states would be better under a John Kerry presidency. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
AUGUSTA – President Bush is poised to peel off one of Maine’s four electoral votes, according to an analysis released by Cable News Network on Friday – six weeks before the election. Aired during its morning broadcast and posted on the network’s Web site, CNN… Read More
ORONO – Their very name suggests they’re a tough crowd. Their posters, which feature the Statue of Liberty brandishing a baseball bat, erase any remaining doubt. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for… Read More
ORONO – Carl Cooley, the little-known socialist candidate for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat, on Thursday painted himself as the contest’s only anti-war candidate and told voters to reject the two major political parties. “The millions of anti-war Democrats have been effectively disenfranchised,” said Cooley,… Read More
ORONO – The candidates for vice-president of the United States will square off Oct. 5 in a man-to-man debate, leaving Green Party vice presidential nominee Pat LaMarche fuming on the sidelines. Speaking to about 20 University of Maine students Wednesday at the Memorial Union, LaMarche… Read More
BANGOR – Maine’s seniors, typically the most vote-conscious contingent in the state, now have a new tool to keep them even more informed on local races for the November elections. The Maine chapter of AARP – the nation’s largest senior advocacy group – has more… Read More
New advertising on Question 2, the November referendum to ban bear trapping and bear hunting with bait and dogs, Tuesday sparked old arguments about the proper role of state employees in political campaigns. Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife bear biologist Jennifer Vashon is featured… Read More
BANGOR – One is a wartime president. The other a wartime veteran. For the country’s roughly 26 million veterans, choosing between President Bush and Democrat John Kerry is not expected to be as cut and dried as it has been in elections past. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
PORTLAND – President Bush and John Kerry were evenly divided in a statewide poll of likely voters conducted for the Maine Sunday Telegram. Kerry and Bush had 43 percent each, Ralph Nader 3 percent and 10 percent were undecided, according to the Zogby International poll. Read More
BANGOR – There have been no public debates, no television ads and just a handful of face-to-face meetings between the candidates for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat. But Republican challenger Brian Hamel said Monday that, behind the scenes, Democratic incumbent Rep. Michael Michaud has set… Read More
HAMPDEN – Noting the similarities between Maine and her own state, former New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen urged Mainers on Monday to head in the right direction by voting for U.S. Sen. John Kerry in November. Shaheen, the former three-term governor and first woman elected… Read More
WASHINGTON – President Bush opens the fall campaign with a slight lead over Democratic Sen. John Kerry, an Associated Press poll shows, as voters express growing confidence in the direction of the country and the performance of the incumbent. Seven weeks before Election Day, the… Read More
ORONO – Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards told a crowd of thousands here Wednesday the Bush administration has forsaken the nation’s working class while seeking to divide the country over the threat of terrorism. Edwards, speaking on the mall at the University of Maine,… Read More
ORONO – The University of Maine was getting ready Tuesday for today’s arrival of vice presidential candidate John Edwards. The gates to the Edwards rally will open at 4 p.m. today on the mall at UM. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
NEW YORK – In a passionate address Thursday night that brought tears to the eyes of some delegates, President Bush pledged to build a safer world and a more hopeful America as he formally accepted his party’s nomination for a second four-year term. The president… Read More
Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader should keep his place on the Maine ballot, according to a draft report released Thursday by the Secretary of State’s Office. The report, although not the final word on the matter, comes as a blow to Maine Democrats, who challenged… Read More
NEW YORK – All of the delegates were especially excited to be at Madison Square Garden Thursday night to watch President Bush officially accept his party’s nomination for a second term. But Mark Ellis, a delegate from Augusta, and Sen. Susan Collins also were thrilled to see 1976… Read More
NEW YORK – Ground zero. The two words immediately trigger the graphic image of the burning twin towers at the World Trade Center and have been a persistent theme in most of the speeches delivered at the Republican National Convention this week. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
NEW YORK – Maine delegates to the Republican National Convention were urged Thursday to place the United States economy in perspective when they return home to solicit votes for President Bush. Bush did not carry Maine four years ago in his campaign against Al Gore,… Read More
OLD TOWN – Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry’s days as a solider in Vietnam have helped define the candidate like few before him, analysts say. To his supporters, he is a bona fide war hero and a principled anti-war advocate. To his opponents, he is… Read More
BURNHAM – When it comes to presidential politics, this is no party town. Those in this small, Waldo County village of just over 1,000 people aren’t prone to pick sides before Election Day, having the highest percentage of independent, or so-called “unenrolled,” voters in the… Read More
AUGUSTA – Independent presidential hopeful Ralph Nader might have secured enough signatures to place him on the Maine ballot, Democrats challenging his candidacy conceded Tuesday. But potential problems with the paperwork nevertheless should disqualify the consumer advocate from running in Maine, lawyers for two Maine… Read More
AUGUSTA – Supporters of independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader on Monday accused Democrats of “malicious bullying” in their attempts to keep the consumer advocate off the Maine ballot. “They’re the spoiler party,” Nader backer Nancy Oden said during a break in a sometimes heated hearing… Read More
AUGUSTA – Hours after helping to polish portions of a 91-page proposed platform for next week’s Republican National Convention in New York, Mark Ellis hustled down to Wall Street on Friday and rang the bell to open trading at the New York State Exchange. The… Read More
BANGOR – Former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell on Thursday panned the Bush administration’s foreign policy initiatives – particularly its handling of the Iraq war – as fundamentally flawed and in large part responsible for a rift between America and many of its allies. “American power… Read More
HAMPDEN – It was just another sunny, late summer Tuesday morning around the patio set at the home of and Chris and Shannon Cox. Typical, that is, had it not been for the television cameras, the congressman, the former Clinton administration official and the protesters. Read More
AUGUSTA – Supporters of independent candidate Ralph Nader predicted Tuesday the veteran consumer rights activist will be on the fall ballot in Maine, a targeted battleground state in the race for the presidency. After Democrats in New Hampshire accused Republicans of trying to split the… Read More
BANGOR – The Republican challenger for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat has competed in several marathons, but Brian Hamel admits he’s a relative stranger to the big race he’s in now. Hamel, former president and chief executive officer of Loring Development Authority, officially opened his… Read More
AUGUSTA – A public drawing held Tuesday in the secretary of state’s office determined the order of two citizen initiatives scheduled to appear on Maine’s November ballots. The two questions on property-tax limits and bear-hunting restrictions will appear as follows: googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
AUGUSTA – Newly released campaign finance reports indicate Republican challengers for Maine’s two congressional seats are nipping at the heels of the state’s Democratic incumbents, who continue to lead the GOP nominees in fund raising. According to reports available Friday from the Federal Election Commission,… Read More
The question that should be posed to Susan Cockrell (BDN, July 13) and her animal rights allies is this: why are you trying so desperately to muzzle the scientists and bear experts at Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife? Cockrell’s inflammatory BDN column, attacking… Read More
Maine’s status as a hotbed of presidential campaigning was on display Thursday when separate gatherings brought together supporters of both President Bush and Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry. The big topic of discussion on each side was the U.S. economy. Maine Bush supporters said they… Read More
AUGUSTA – Democratic, Republican and Green party leaders are hustling to find replacements for 40 legislative candidates who have dropped out of the running this year, mostly because of competing personal commitments. The major parties have until July 26 to fill the vacancies, which were… Read More
The referendum to end trapping, hounding and baiting of bears should have generated numerous opportunities for respectful, rational discussions of bear-hunting methods among Maine voters. Instead, a coalition of extremists, including commercial bear baiters and out-of-state trophy hunters led by SAM (Sportsmen’s Alliance of Maine),… Read More
Tom Hennessey’s three-part series on the bear referendum was shamelessly biased in what was more subjective editorializing than an attempt at balanced reporting. The proponents of this referendum have three main issues in the killing of close to 4,000 Maine black bears each year with the use of… Read More
BANGOR – Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, campaigning in the city Tuesday for the newly printed Democratic ticket of John Kerry and John Edwards, blasted President Bush for his handling of the Iraq war, telling a group of veterans here that the administration doesn’t hold exclusive claim to patriotism. Read More
WASHINGTON – Presidential candidate John Kerry on Tuesday chose former rival John Edwards as his running mate, selecting the smooth-talking Southern populist over more seasoned politicians in hopes of injecting vigor and small-town appeal into the Democratic ticket. “I trust that met with your approval,”… Read More
Editor’s note: Final of three parts Since there is no scientific or conservation reason for restructuring Maine’s bear-hunting regulations, the obvious question is, What will the referendum accomplish if enacted? The answer: Nothing positive. In addition to encouraging more anti-hunting effrontery and impeding bear management,… Read More