Fido, is State Sen. Peter Mills the odds-on favorite to get the GOP nomination ? There are two others running, including former Congressman Dave Emery and State Sen. Chandler Woodcock. If Mills does get the nod, to make matters more confusing, a "Veterans Party" candidate named Bob Mills could cause us problems in the general.
I've read that Emery is the frontrunner, but I don't know for sure.
I don't really know who is leading, maybe someone wired into the Maine Republican party could tell you. There have been plenty of surprises in the posturing for the '06 race.
Maine politics have been driven by the very blue southern coast, (why on earth would a numbnut like Tom Allen get RE-elected?) but the Democratic leadership has been terrible the last few years. The left fringe of that party is arrogant and underhanded, even while Baldassi's popularity has slithered into the 30's. It is interesting to note that there have been 2 major rat defections since Kerry came to Maine a few weeks ago to support Baldassi and the rats here. The fringe just does not get it.
I think we are seeing the Democrats that still have some touch with reality see the train is roaring down the tracks and are revolting from the lunatic fringe that is running amok.
It is important for the pubs to tie Baldassi to his true politics - the guy is a raving moonbat in the Grey Davis tradition - but his people have tried to portray him as a middle class working man's Democrat.
Watch, though, the state economic picture the next few months - remember the huge budget crises of years past? Well, the budget period of '06 is headed towards the perfect storm - Baldassi's recklessness with programs, Medicaid, Dirigo and creative accounting will all be coming home to roost - and revenues will get clobbered - car sales (which account for a quarter of sales tax revenues) are WAY down, and there will not be much boost from the income tax due to sluggish capital gains caused by a comparatively flat stock market over the last few years. The biggest gain for Mainers - real estate - is mostly exempt from taxation due to the residential gain tax exclusion.
Remember the half-billion dollar deficit? Think it went away? It has been working out during the last year or so, doing one-handed pushups and lifting weights, and will be back with a vengance.
Mark my words on this.
see www.millsforgov.com