Posted on 07/19/2010 5:02:06 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
Both the Republican and Democratic nominees have lost some support from voters this month in Maine’s gubernatorial race.
The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters shows Republican candidate Paul LePage receiving 39% of the vote, while Democrat Libby Mitchell picks up 31%. Democrat-turned-independent Eliot Cutler now earns 15% support. Three percent (3%) favor some other candidate, and 12% are undecided at this point.
In Rasmussen Reports’ first look at the race last month, LePage led his opponents with 43% support, while Mitchell picked up 36%. Cutler only earned seven percent (7%) of the vote at that time.
(Excerpt) Read more at rasmussenreports.com ...
The news is generally good in this race, though the independent makes it unpredictable.
I think LePage will win. This guy is a potential star for us, the GOP Conservative version of Ed Muskie who was a transformative figure for Maine in the ‘50s-onward.
FYI Ping
Is this Democrat Mitchell any relation to George?
Mitchell is her married name, but other than that, I don’t think she’s related. The good news is that the last time she ran statewide was back in 1984 against Sen. Bill Cohen. He obliterated her by a near 3-to-1 margin.
I don’t believe so. Mitchell’s father’s surname was originally Kilroy.
Libby Mitchell is married, but I don’t know if she uses her maiden or married name.
She uses her married name. Both her children have run for office in ME, both named Mitchell.
Note the independent candidate-Demorat turned independent.
Same thing happened four years ago. Incumbent Demorat won with less than 50% of the vote.
Democrat turned independent sounds like a Republican but splits Republican vote-Demorat base turns out and Mitchell (a true blue moonbat) wins.
Do you know what her maiden name is?
To try to lift support for Dems up there?
It would be awesome if ME got a Repub Gov.
Trying to locate it, but can’t seem to. I don’t know whether the “H” is her middle name or maiden name.
Those are strong words. Could LePage really transform Maine politics for a generation? I’d be happy with him winning in 2010 and pulling in hs fellow French-Canadian in ME-02, and maybe help get a conservative elected over Snowe in 2012.
Note I prefaced my comments with “potential” (as we’ve seen many “potentials” over the years that didn’t pan out). This fella has an incredible life story, by all accounts probably should’ve ended up either in prison or a bum on the streets. He had a spectacular primary victory (where he was effectively ignored by both the media and the party elites) and emerged as the favorite to win the general (I think he has yet to trail in the polls).
Libby Mitchell, by comparison, is a tired, 70-year old candidate who has been in politics since she was 34 and although has served in leadership capacities in both bodies of the legislature, she has never been able to make the jump to higher office. LePage is more the “change” candidate and could be the brightest star ME Governor in eons (most have been lackluster, especially Olympia Snowe’s husband, Jock McKernan).
Hopefully he will, like Muskie, make the jump to the Senate if he has a successful tenure in Augusta (or perhaps higher). It will be nice to have some potentially great Governors in New England again (besides just Don Carcieri, who sadly can’t run again and is likely to be replaced by the execrable Missing Linc Chafee).
That would be terrific. Maine is one of those states crying for a conservative in high office.
I admit I totally forgot about the Republican primary for this office.
I take it the GOP brass supported someone else in the primary?
I had had my eye on it, if only because one FReeper (can’t recall who) had raved about LePage as being a really special candidate and Conservative to support. It appeared the establishment had 3 RINOs, a businessman (Les Otten), a State Senator (Peter Mills), and a staffer for Susan Collins (Steve Abbott). LePage was so ignored that it looked like he’d be lucky to place 4th (or lower). I personally had no idea how he was going to do, and I think the presumption on the part of the media and the ME GOP was that either Otten or Mills would take it. As it turned out, LePage not only won (with 37%), he won with more than twice as much as the combined vote of both Otten and Mills (Otten with 17%, Mills with under 15% and Abbott with 13%).
It’s quite possible any of those other RINOs might’ve won the general election simply because of the weaknesses of Libby Mitchell and another liberal Dem Indy running, but they would’ve been scarcely much different than too many of those underwhelming RINO Governors have been. LePage is apparently quite different, but yet manages to get his agenda through despite having a local Dem majority in Waterville. LePage might even end up with a majority in one body or the other, too (since the legislature is competitive for us).
I figured Mills (the only one I’ve heard of before this year) would win.
We’re close (20-15) in the Senate where I’d guess the rats have never held a commanding edge.
The rat edge in the house is bigger but before 2006 there was a mere plurality of rats with a few indies.
It would be nice to hit the trifecta. And remove Michaud. And Pingree too if possible. I haven’t heard anything about Pingree’s race but it’s worth keeping on eye on, she makes the Twins look conservativesqe.
maine is appealing if I can excape from the heat wave and excape from these apathetic teapartiers in this absurd place called Connecticut.
I am annoyed to the max.
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