Sen. Olympia Snowe is deemed so popular that it would be impossible to defeat her....so it came as a surprise to me that two possible strong Dem candidates are emerging, the state's AG Steven Rowe and one of its two congressman, Tom Allen.
However, in looking at Maine's senatorial history, this is not a state that senators should sit easy in. Margaret Chase Smith, longtime GOP senator, lost her bid for reelection in the early 70s. Also in the 70s, Sen. Hathaway lost his bid for reelection. Maine state party registration is 31% Dem, 29% GOP and the remainder is unaffiliated. This seems to be a state that would rather see one Dem and one GOP senator. Sen. Snowe was relected with nearly 70% of the vote in her last race. Sen. Collins won with significantly less, 58%. The question is, which of these two would be first to fall.
Here are the bios for the two potential Dem candidates:
ALLEN, Thomas H., a Representative from Maine; born in Portland, Cumberland County, Maine, April 16, 1945; graduated from Deering High School, Portland, Maine, 1963; B.A., Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, 1967; Rhodes Scholar, B. Phil., Oxford University, Oxford, England, 1970; J.D., Harvard University Law School, Cambridge, Mass., 1974; lawyer, private practice; staff, Governor Kenneth B. Curtis of Maine, 1968; staff, United States Senator Edmund S. Muskie of Maine, 1970-1971; Portland, Maine, city council, 1989-1995; mayor of Portland, Maine, 1991-1992; elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Fifth and to the four succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1997-present).
G. Steven Rowe was sworn in as Maine's 54th Attorney General on January 5, 2001. Attorney General Rowe's previous state government service includes four terms in the Maine House of Representatives from 1992 to 2000, serving as Speaker of the House in his last term. As a member of the Maine Legislature, Attorney General Rowe worked for affordable access to quality early child care, health care and higher education. He also worked to increase economic opportunities and protect Maine's environment.
As you can see, two very promising candidates, although neither has been elected statewide. The AG is an appointed position in the state. However, Rowe was speaker of the Maine legislature. Congressman Allen was mayor of the largest city in the state. I am a firm believer that all senate seats in states such as Maine should be contested with strong candidates. The GOP defeats seemingly powerful senators all the time; we should get into the game here. Don't assume anyone is safe! Was Margaret Chase Smith popular at the time of her defeat? How popular is Sen. Santorum in Penn? We are strongly contesting that seat as well!