Posts Tagged ‘Maine’

A slew of new Republicans learn the ins and outs of the State Legislature in Maine.

From Kennebec Journal:

New lawmakers — some totally new to legislative service and others who took a break or switched chambers — began four days of training Monday that will teach them about the state budget, what’s in the law library, what ethics rules apply to them and what’s going on in other states.

“I’m looking forward to everything about the whole process,” said Rep.-elect Deborah Sanderson, R-Chelsea. “There’s so much to absorb at once.”

Unlike the first round of training that took place shortly after they were elected, these sessions would be more policy-oriented, said David Boulter, executive director of the Legislative Council.

“This week will be a little more substantive,” he said.

The 53 nonincumbent House members out of a total of 151 — and 14 nonincumbent senators out of 35 — started the day in their respective chambers to get some lessons in legislative etiquette.

In the House, one new member wanted to know when he would be assigned a seat. Majority Republicans are still working on that, but would likely be done by the end of the day, said House Clerk Millie MacFarland, who will be leaving legislative service now that Republicans have taken over the chamber.

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From Bangor Daily News:

Democrats have the numbers and history on their side to win legislative races. Republicans see voters’ discontent over taxes and state regulations as their secret weapon.

But neither side is predicting which party will win control of the House or Senate when voters have their say Nov. 2.

GOP state Chairman Charles Webster stopped short of making bold predictions, but said, “I’m optimistic we will do far better than anyone expects in the House and Senate.”

“We always take these races very seriously,” said Arden Manning, manager of the Democrats’ Coordinated Campaign.

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From Republican Journal:

Noting that the deadline coincided with Maine Statehood Day, Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap announced March 15 that 551 individuals had filed as candidates for the June 8 primary elections for various federal, state and county offices.

Filers included 12 candidates for governor and four candidates for the United States House of Representatives. Additionally, 426 candidates for the 186 seats in the Maine State Legislature submitted petitions. Of those 426 legislative candidates, 77 filed for the 35-member State Senate and 349 filed for the 151-member House. There are also 109 candidates seeking various county offices.

“This is an important moment in the 2010 election cycle,” said Dunlap. “Today’s deadline establishes the pool of candidates for the June 8 primary election. Voters can now evaluate the field of candidates and begin their decision-making process.”

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