1st District candidates take aim at each other

By KEVIN WACK
Portland Press Herald
Reprinted from Article March 27, 2008

1st District candidates take aim at each other Election 2008: The U.S. House race gets more heated as seven would-be representatives question their foes — regardless of affiliation.

The race to represent southern Maine in Congress took a contentious turn Wednesday during a debate that featured pointed discussions of the war in Iraq, the minimum wage and the sinking U.S. economy.

Much of the heat was generated by the debate’s format. Unlike in previous forums, the candidates had a chance to ask questions of each other — and they used that chance to draw distinctions between their positions and those held by their adversaries. With seven Democratic and Republican campaigns represented on stage, the questions that the candidates asked shed light on their various strategies.

When it was Democrat Michael Brennan’s turn to pose a question, he turned to fellow Democrat Ethan Strimling, a state senator, and asked about a Strimling-supported bill that would give tax breaks to housing developers. Strimling responded that the bill would create more affordable housing. “So, yes, I absolutely do support it,” he said.

Strimling and Brennan are both from Portland, and they’re competing for support in the 1st Congressional District’s largest city. They recently engaged in another back-and-forth about a bill that would require the state to divest from companies that do business with Iran. Later in the evening, Strimling, who supports raising the state’s $7 minimum wage to $8.40 an hour, asked Democrat Adam Cote about his view on a minimum wage hike.

Cote is running closer to the political center than some of his Democratic opponents, and he responded by saying that he supports raising the national minimum wage, but he thinks it’s a mistake to do so in Maine, because it would hurt job creation here. Maine’s minimum is due to jump to $7.25 in 2009.

Three of the Democratic candidates put questions to Republicans in an effort to draw distinctions on issues where the Democrats feel they might have an advantage this fall. Cote, a veteran who has made the war in Iraq a centerpiece of his campaign, asked the Republicans whether they have a plan for getting out of Iraq.

That question drew a rebuke from Ruth Summers, who was representing her husband, Charlie, a Republican, because he is serving with the Naval Reserves in Iraq. She said that her husband was recently home for rest and relaxation, and he reported seeing progress in Iraq.

“These are huge, huge movements in the right direction,” Ruth Summers said. “And the reason that you don’t see it in the newspaper right now? Because if it doesn’t bleed, it doesn’t lead.” Democrat Chellie Pingree sought to draw attention to a plan for leaving Iraq that she recently signed, handing a copy to Republican Dean Scontras.

Scontras also came under questioning from Democrat Steve Meister, who asked whether he would support regulation of the mortgage industry, given the current housing crisis.

Scontras, a supporter of free-market economics, said he opposes a government bailout. “I think over the course of time, that drives bad behavior,” Scontras said. The seven candidates are vying to replace Democratic Rep. Tom Allen, who is leaving the seat to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Each party holds a primary on June 10, with the winners squaring off Nov. 4.

The campaign’s eighth candidate, Democrat Mark Lawrence, did not participate in the debate because his father passed away last weekend. The debate was co-sponsored by the League of Young Voters, and it attracted a younger audience than most debates. It was held at Space Gallery, a downtown Portland venue that often features live music. Beer was available at the bar.