Commerce Commercials
If you were wondering how Steve Abbott, a candidate with a great deal of institutional support within the Republican Party but with little cash on hand, was going to be able to compete with well-funded opponents like Les Otten and Bruce Poliquin, the answer is apparently a little help from his friends.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is now running ads in favor of Abbott's candidacy.
Where can I get a Steve Abbott wallpaper for my cell phone?
This endorsement and independent expenditure comes despite the fact that Abbott is one of the few Republicans in the 7-candidate field without a business background. The Chamber spent heavily in 2008 to support Abbott's boss, Senator Susan Collins, in her race against Tom Allen.
Abbott's statements railing against "special interest groups" and "issue entrepreneurs" suddenly ring a bit more hollow.
A Dis-endorsement
Matt Jacobson, one of the candidates who has been running on his business-friendly bonafides, quickly went on the attack against both Abbott and the Chamber.
"The last thing that Mainers need are more suggestions from the special interests in Washington," said Jacobson campaign manager Bill Becker in a release. "Insiders like this engage when they want to protect their interests and their Washington connections."
He also faulted the Chamber for their position on immigration reform.
A Platform to Stand On
According to Glenn Adams at the AP, not one of the Republican candidates for governor were willing to reject their party's new tea-party inspired platform, despite its outright lunacy.
Youthful Energy
Steve Rowe had his own endorsement to announce last night. The Maine League of Young Voters has declared him to be their man, saying in a release that "Steve's experience, out-of-the box thinking and commitment to Maine's future make him an ideal candidate for Governor."
According to an independent expenditure report, it appears the League has also endorses Peter Mills in the Republican primary.
Beardsley's Broadcasts
Republican Bill Beardlsey is now on the air with a series of ads that look like they were filmed with a camcorder and edited in iMovie.
All four 30-second spots can be viewed on the campaign's YouTube page.
Naming Names
Despite all the hoopla above, a new Critical Insights poll of 600 "likely primary voters" shows that 42% of those surveyed couldn't name a single one of the 11 candidates in the upcoming primary.
Here's the name recognition breakdown from those voters who could name a candidate:
Otten - 30%
Mills - 16%
Abbott - 8%
Poliquin - 8%
LePage - 7%
Jacobson - 3%
Beardsley - 2%
Mitchell - 16%
Rowe - 11%
McGowan - 9%
Scarcelli - 7%
No mention of if they separated the questions and respondents by party.
