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AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. John Baldacci has told state agencies they have a week to come up with ways to cut $150 million from current state spending as state revenues fall further behind projections. “We are in a recession,” he said in an interview Wednesday. “I don’t want to cut, but I have an obligation to balance the budget.” Baldacci said Maine is not the only state facing steep declines in revenues, and he is having discussions with legislative leaders about whether to have a special session this month to make cuts he cannot make under the budget curtailment law...

After a convincing Pine Tree State win for Sen. Barack Obama, the fifth consecutive Democratic presidential candidate to prevail in Maine, many analysts wondered Wednesday just how blue the state has become. “I think at least on the president level, Maine does seem to be a safe blue state,” said Amy Fried, a political scientist at the University of Maine.

Mrs NHD and I are in the process of relocating to mid-coast Maine from NH. (2 years ago we would have thought this to be a big step downward in terms of the political environment but unfortunately NH's conservative ethic is rotting away quickly.) Are there any active conservative groups in Maine or in that area?

IL, ME, MA, CT, NJ, MD called for Obama by FoxNews.com

AUGUSTA, Maine - Gov. John Baldacci is urging Mainers to vote against repealing the new taxes on beer, wine and soda, saying the revenues are needed if Maine is to ever provide universal health coverage.

The Maine Campus Online Current Issue: October 30, 2008 John McCain coming to Maine Heather Steeves Issue date: 10/30/08 Section: News The GOP announced John McCain will visit Maine in the near future. The exact time and place were not available by press time. "He will be here before Election Day. That's all we're willing to say at this point," said Jennifer Webber, communications director of the Maine GOP. "It shows Maine is still a competitive state for John McCain." The GOP sent a press release at 4:23 p.m. yesterday to this effect. "He would be a great rallying point...

All the hand-wringing about whether Obama can hold Pennsylvania - forget it, he's got it. Virginia? McCain - no question. I was having dinner a night ago with a friend of mine who is a statistician for a well-regarded private polling company. They do some work for Republicans in California, but most of the work they do is for Democrats or Democrat-leaning operations (Unions, etc.). Anyway, her shop was retained to do a few Presidential polls for targeted states on behalf of a union so the union could decide where to spend their ad dollars for the last week. They...

WCSH6.com Looks like a big crowd

Sarah Palin asked the crowd of a few thousand screaming supporters in an airplane hangar in Bangor, Maine what they thought of her running mate’s debate performance last night. Upon hearing the right answer she shouted, “Yes! Yes!” She then laid out the differences between the two candidates and not surprisingly praised John McCain and went after Barack Obama, “It’s the choice between a politician who puts his faith in government and a leader who puts his faith in all of you,” Palin said. “The choice between a politician who wants to raise taxes and redistribute your hard earned money...

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) _ Vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin will appear at a rally Thursday in Bangor as she winds up a series of campaign stops taking her from the South to New England. The Maine Republican Party said the doors will open at 8 a.m. at the Bangor International Airport maintenance hangar, where the rally is scheduled to start an hour later. Party Chairman Mark Ellis encouraged supporters to arrive early because a big crowd is expected. "We are already seeing enormous interest in Gov. Palin's visit to Maine," said Jeff Grappone, spokesman for the McCain-Palin campaign in New...

BANGOR DAILY NEWS PHOTO BY BRIDGET BROWNTodd Palin (center) chats with WVII ABC-7/Fox 22 anchor Cindy Michaels (left) after signing a side-by-side photograph of Michaels and Palin's wife, Sarah, on Saturday at Moosehead Trail Trading Post in Palmyra. Upon meeting Michaels, Palin turned to his friend and four-time Iditarod champion Martin Buser (right) who was traveling with him from Alaska, and said, "That's pretty close, huh, Martin?" PALMYRA, Maine — Alaska’s “First Dude” Todd Palin received an enthusiastic welcome to Maine Saturday afternoon while attending a barbecue and pressing the flesh at the Moosehead Trading Post. Palin, husband of...

Maine — Alaska’s “First Dude” Todd Palin received an enthusiastic welcome to Maine Saturday afternoon while attending a barbecue and pressing the flesh at the Moosehead Trading Post. Palin, husband of Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, apparently prefers the “First Dude” moniker, as many of the women in the estimated crowd of 500 that filled the trading post’s parking lot in anticipation of pallin’ around with Palin, were wearing pink sweat shirts emblazoned with the phrase “Maine’s 2nd District welcomes Alaska’s 1st Dude.”

Is it wrong to have a serious crush on the “First Dude” of Alaska and the future Second Gentleman of the United States? Because if crushing on Todd Palin is wrong, then man, we do not want to be right. We just want to listen to him talk about snowmachines and huskies and hockey for hours and hours and hours. When we met him in St. Louis the weekend of Palin’s announcement as VP, we couldn’t even talk, we just kind of giggled and stared and the only thought in our head was TODD. TODD. Oh, it was stupefying…and it...

PORTLAND, Maine - Todd Palin, husband of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, is coming to Maine to campaign for John McCain. Palin will appear on Saturday will appear at a barbecue at the Moosehead Trail Trading Post in Palmyra on Saturday afternoon, according to the McCain campaign. Doors open at 2 p.m. Palin will appear at another barbecue at noon on Sunday at Harry’s Motor Sports in Presque Isle.

I noted with interest stories today discussing McCain and Obama opening up campaign offices in some far-flung places: McCain in Bangor, Maine and Obama in Omaha, Nebraska. Maine and Nebraska do not have reputations as swing states, so what the heck are these guys up to? Part of it is to head off the possibility of something like this occuring:

Election 2008: Maine Presidential Election Little Change in Maine, Obama by Five Saturday, October 04, 2008 Email a Friend Email to a Friend While Barack Obama has lengthened his lead over John McCain in many states over the past few weeks, little has changed in Maine. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Maine voters—conducted October 2--finds Obama with 51% of the vote and McCain with 46%. That’s virtually identical to the results from mid-September when Obama up by four. Both men are viewed favorably by 55% of voters. (Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news,...

While Barack Obama has lengthened his lead over John McCain in many states over the past few weeks, little has changed in Maine. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Maine voters—conducted October 2--finds Obama with 51% of the vote and McCain with 46%. That’s virtually identical to the results from mid-September when Obama up by four. Both men are viewed favorably by 55% of voters.

Maine voters in November will consider a ballot question seeking to overturn a newly-minted state law that changes the funding method for the Dirigo Health Program.

Not a big vanity guy, but I find this fascinating. Yesterday we were told that McCain's campaign planned to redirect some of it's Michigan resources to various other states where they feel they have a better chance. One of those is the state of Maine. As most of us know, Maine is one of two states that splits electoral votes, Nebraska being the other. McCain has a decent chance at picking up 1 electoral vote from the nothern Republican leaning part of the state. Olympia Snowe is on the ballot for reelection and running quite strong. On it's face, it...

Politico on the electoral map after McCain's dramatic decision to abandon Michigan: The count is so tight that Maine could be the new Ohio. To explain: McCain is moving staff into Maine because it’s not a winner-take-all state (the only other one that splits its electoral vote is Nebraska).  The McCain aides, perhaps optimistically, are suggesting he can win one electoral vote by picking up one of the Pine Tree State’s two congressional districts.  The Maine congressional district McCain is eying is the northern one, District 2, the larger of the two districts, which covers most of the state...