Posted on 07/24/2002 9:39:43 AM PDT by SheLion
AUGUSTA - Gubernatorial hopeful John Baldacci continues to lead all other candidates with a little more than $900,000 raised through July 16, but he finished third in the critical area of available cash on hand, according to campaign finance reports filed Tuesday.
The undisputed leader among the four competing candidates in that category was Green Independent Party nominee Jonathan Carter of Lexington Township. The publicly funded candidate reported $227,372 in available funds, more than the combined total of his two major party rivals.
David Flanagan, the Manchester independent who pulled out of the race last week, held the distinction of lending the most money to his campaign. Of the $690,264 the former president of Central Maine Power had raised for his Blaine House run, the candidate and his wife provided $580,400.
Filed with the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices, the 42 post-primary campaign finance reports reflected unwavering support among contributors for the two major party bidders.
Baldacci, a Bangor resident who is serving out his fourth term as representative for the state's 2nd Congressional District, raised $187,480 for the filing period, which ran from May 31 through July 16. Baldacci's contributions to date totaled $904,236. The Democrat, who faced no primary opponent, spent more than $800,000 on his campaign thus far, including $350,156 in advertising. The campaign reported $94,095 in cash left on hand.
"Every single day we're picking up more support," said Donna Gormley, Baldacci's communications director. "We're thrilled with our progress and we're looking for another burst of support this fall as more and more people become aware of our message."
Peter Cianchette, a South Portland Republican, raised $200,789 during the filing period, including a $50,000 loan to himself. Cianchette's total contributions to date, including loans, are $652,820. The GOP nominee, who easily fended off a primary challenge from James Libby of Buxton, reported $103,238 in campaign cash left as of July 16.
"It's all about cash on hand - and we just came out of a primary," said Roy Lenardson, Cianchette's campaign manager. "Obviously, we're pretty happy with where we are right now."
Carter, who has said he is saving his campaign cash for a major post-Labor Day offensive, has received $328,782 in public funds after qualifying under the Maine Clean Actions Act. He is eligible to receive $573,820 in additional public funds to compete with the privately financed candidates.
John Michael, the fourth candidate in the gubernatorial race, is an Auburn independent who acknowledged Tuesday he had yet to kick his fund-raising effort into gear. Michael contributed $2,800 to his own campaign during the filing period bringing total contributions to $7,638. He reported $370 in cash on hand.
Flanagan managed to attract $18,515 in private contributions for the filing period, an amount that the candidate conceded last week was insufficient. Flanagan cited unimpressive polling results and lackluster fund raising as key factors in his decision to withdraw from the race.
aardvark, it all comes down to money. And this is sick.
It's scary to think that our guys can't win because they didn't "get the funding" they needed.
I don't know, everything in the Maine Headlines today is all about MONEY.
Well, it's been my experience that the BDN is and has been a liberal rag.
I can't put my finger on it yet, either, aardvark, but I am studying it. Trying to "read between the lines."
There was another article out not long ago:
Baldacci win not a sure thing, observers say
"They hated him,” he said. “But for the last eight years, he’s been down in Washington marching lock-step with Bill Clinton and others. That’s fine when you’re in Washington, but it may be a harder sell in the most heavily taxed state in the nation.”
... marching lock-step with Bill Clinton and others.
When we first came to Maine in 1983, Brennan was Governor. All seemed well. Then he lost to John Kernan? (Snowe's husband. Don't shoot me, but I wasn't much into politics at that time). But I thought he did well.
Then, along comes Angst. And for the past 8 years, Maine has become so bloated, it's mind boggling. And with what correspondence with Baldacci I have had, Maine will continue on this same old track of bloat if he sits in that seat.
What scares me is: a lot of the public doesn't keep up on the news, and when they go to the voting booth, they think and think who to vote for. Then, the person (Baldacci) who's name is in the headlines the most, gets the vote. They know nothing about the person, just that he is always in the news, so he must be good. This is a bad way to vote for anyone or anything.
Right now, WAGM and WLBZ carry only Chillie Pingree ADS. We are so fed up, that I emailed Susan Collins asking if she had any ads to get on TV! I received an answer, that they indeed do, have ads for TV. Maine being so liberal.....I just figured that the TV stations were leaning more for getting Chillie's name out there.
I am THIS close to emailing the TV channels telling them we are a little sick of seeing Chillie every hour.
Of course it is, how else is he going to win, by knocking on all the doors of the 1.2 million who live here?
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