Everyone pretty much wrote off Maine when former Governor Angus King announced he would run as an independent for the seat vacated by Olympia Snowe. Everyone understood that King’s independence notwithstanding, he would caucus with Democrats.
King was far ahead in the polls, and then a funny thing happened. A Club for Growth related group ran some ads actually pointing out King’s record, and his numbers tanked. Via Marc Thiesen in WaPo (h/t Charles):
When Sen. Olympia Snowe announced her retirement last year, many Republicans wrote Maine off — and with it their chances of taking back the U.S. Senate. At the start of July, a Portland Press Herald poll showed independent former governor Angus King with a 28-point lead over his closest rival, Republican Maine Secretary of State Charlie Summers (Democratic state Sen. Cynthia Dill came in third with 7 percent).But then the Friends of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce got into the race, launching an ad campaign that declared the former governor the “King of Spending” and the “King of Mismanagement.”
“When King was governor, state spending skyrocketed to $2.6 billion,” the ad declared to the tune of medieval music. “When King left office, he left Maine with a $1 billion budget shortfall. Declare your independence from this king.”
Result: After just two weeks, King’s lead over Summers dropped 10 points.
Republican supporting groups also are running ads supporting the Democratic candidate, who has been abandoned by Democrats in favor of King:
A Republican political action committee began airing television advertisements Friday in support of Democrat Cynthia Dill’s Senate campaign.
A group calling itself Maine Freedom has purchased air time on four Portland television stations to broadcast a commercial in support of Dill, a state senator who is the Democratic candidate vying for Sen. Olympia Snowe’s soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat.
Maine Freedom’s treasurer is listed as Michael G. Adams, a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of law firm Dinsmore & Shohl. He serves as general counsel for the Republican Governors Association, according to his corporate biography…
This would be a somewhat analogous situation to what Democrats did to the Republican primary in Missouri, running something of a false flag operation to move the opposing party’s electorate.
I say good on them. If we can hold Maine, taking back the Senate looks a whole lot more likely, even if Akin stays in the race in Missouri.
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Dude! Seriously, how do you spend 2.6 billion on MAINE…!?!?
Did it go for moose bling?
no it went to stupid windmill crap and green crap like that.
boy I hope summers isn’t too prolife for you all or us up here in maine get old angus shoved up our rectum again.
IOW we chose a candidate…support him.
Worse than the absolute dollars, how do you spend 63% more than you take? You might expect it is difficult to accurately forecast the tax take by, say 10%. But not over 60%.
Here in the Northeast we are doomed to fail for as long as we don’t even try. New York is an awesome example. The state GOP dances the scozzafava and makes no real effort to provide an alternative to the Democrats. We have a solid candidate for Senate in Wendy Long (who, right?). Granted her solid conservatism is a problem in this blue state. But we don’t even try. New Yorkers actually are susceptible to a more conservative economic message. We don’t think about building a party that could elect more candidates in 10, 20, 30 years.
Oh, and here is a Professor Moriarity for you and CI 😉
http://boingboing.net/2012/08/24/liberal-professor-sends-video.html
Buckley voted for Lieberman.
Operation Chaos.
Call it what you will.
While people love to throw around “RINO” all the time, they must not remember the likes of Missing Link Chaffee and Lowell Weicker, whom Lieberman beat by running to his right as a Democrat in Connecticut.
Anything that gets 51 repub votes in the Senate to repeal Obamacare, I’m 100% for. I thought the ME seat was gone.
As for Akin, what a selfish buffoon. A completely winnable seat gone, and the debates will only expose him more. Brunner, Steelman, either of them would have been much much better. a winnable seat gone.
alex, damn I am sick of people beating up on Todd Akin for ONE stupid statement.
What is your alternative? Let Criminal (tax-dodging) Claire McCaskill win?
Newsflash, he is behind Claire Mcashill. I’m calling him a selfish buffoon because he clearly has damaged himself. If he believed what he believed but kept his damn mouth shut about rape victims having some magical way to stop a pregnancy, I would still have donated to him and rooting for him to evict that clown Claire.
But that is not where this race is at, that is a winnable seat, Brunner or Steelman, both also pro-life, and I’m not pro-life, would have easily won. That is why I call him and will continue to call Todd Akin a selfish buffoon. This is about 51 seats in the senate to repeal Obamacare. Nothing beyond that.
Brunner and Steelman cannot enter the race now. Missouri has a “sore loser” rule. Of course, there is a lot of yammering about Talent throwing his had in the ring, even after he lost to McCaskill in ’06.
So here is your choice: you support Akin in any way you can, or let McCaskill retain her seat.
Take an example from Professor Jacobson; his candidate in the primary was clearly Newt Gingrich. I don’t think the professor will now refuse to vote for Romney because his chosen candidate didn’t take the nomination.
It is what it is and unless we want McCaskill, who is a tax-dodging criminal, to retain her seat, we get behind Akin.
I’m not wasting a cent on this man Todd Akin, he can change this by withdrawing and letting any repub take his place. If he really cared about what he says he does, he would withdraw before sept 25th. Heck put Santorum in there, I cannot stand Santorum, yet I would donate to him.
I’m not putting my money down a rathole and a lost cause. I rather donate my money to other repub candidates who stand a good chance of getting elected.
“Brunner and Steelman cannot enter the race now.”
Not as I understand it. IF Akin withdraws, it is wide open.
One COLOSSALLY stupid statement.
One totally inept, unprofessional campaign for SENATE in a populous, highly diverse state.
One SET of feckless, half-assed apologies.
One SET of self-centered, narcissistic decisions to run AGAINST the Conservative movement.
One SET of cloying supplications to the likes of Hucksterbeee, giving them the chance to fracture the coalition needed to take the Senate and beat Obama.
Yeh. THAT guy.
Retire 05 Hang in there. You are entitled to your opinion. That you are getting this many negative responses means you are loved.
They can do what they did in Alaska and launch a write in campaign. Akin is not running for the senate. He deliberately sold out his party, his state and the entire country by staying in knowing he can not win he has rigged the election for the stupid blond obama lover.
Obama is running ads promoting P.P. as a vital cog in womens healtcare. AARP endorses Obamacare as a vital fix in another. Our side talks up Bill Clinton as good economically and acknowlege he was a success. He’s now in ads promoting Obamanomics as like what he did while Romneynomics is contrary and harmful. I’m frankly at a loss at what to say? To me the only way to combat this crap is a full frontal assult. Why do I fear our side will seek a half measure so as not to offend women and seniors. Come on GOP , prove me wrong !
A hold there would be a big help, but I think we’re going to take the Senate. ND, MT, & VA are going to be pick-ups and we have a shot a Florida, too.
I’m not even ready to write MO off yet. Akin has until September 25th to petition to get off the ballot – or a few days before, since that is the deadline date. If he does, we’re back to no worse than a toss-up, with McCaskill’s disapprove rating @ 60%.
And even if he stays in and has no money, it’s not unthinkable he could win. This is one of those situations where people wouldn’t necessarily tell a pollster they support the guy but might vote for him anyway. Long shot, sure, but not like a comet hitting.
“Can we do to Dems in Maine what they did to us in Missouri?
No.
I don’t think we do “false flag operations” very well.
We’re about telling the truth, not lying or deceiving.
Although we can be tactical with our votes, we don’t tend to be be herded in our decisions like the Leftists.
Just vote for the most conservative (Republican, as usual) and win or lose.
That’s how all the elections should be fought – including Missouri.
[…] the effectiveness of the Maine Republican Party in this venture. Of course the mighty professor of Le-gal-in-sur-rec-tion is all over it like a Fat Guy In Maine lords over his steaming bowl of fiddleheads. Share […]
If we can hold Maine, taking back the Senate looks a whole lot more likely, even if Akin stays in the race in Missouri.
And Akin’s prospects would be a lot better too if supposed “Republicans” and supposed “conservatives” would stop sliming him.
Honestly… honestly… just no. First off, a lot better won’t be good enough, from strong lead to down by ten in a week is telling. Secondly, There is nothing that man can do to recuperate his damaged image. Finally, even if he could fix his image in time for the election, would I want him? No. This was not a simple slip of words, or something taken out of context. This was a seriously miseducated man justifying making sweeping political decisions with bunk. Put plainly, I don’t like politicians that talk out of the wrong orifice. Here is what he should have said: “In the case of rape, I believe in defending the rights of the victim. But by allowing an abortion you are only creating another victim. A truly horrible act to one person, does not justify doing a terrible act to another life.”
This is about more than Akin. With each ,at this point counterproductive attack on him ,you make evangelicals who already feel marginalized by the GOP more likely to stay home. This has gone on far to long. Wise up ,at this point youre doing nothing but damage. . . Not that you will listen.
[…] Jacobson, of Legal Insurrection, has just written a piece that suggests that we may also be able to win Maine – a state the […]