Charlie Summers

Charlie Summers, the Republican candidate for the First Congressional District, said Gov. Sarah Palin will take a strong stand in making sure the country drills its own resources to solve the energy crisis.

His full statement:

Note: The video below of U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) is from the Pingree campaign 

ME-1 candidate Chellie Pingree (D-North Haven) picked up two endorsements this week.

Pingree is running against Charlie Summers (R-Scarborough) for the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Tom Allen who is running for Senate.

U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) campaigned for Pingree in Maine this week. Edwards was elected this year in a special election.

Pingree also picked up the endorsement of the JStreetPAC this week, a national group designed to promote American leadership to end the Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Isreal conflicts.

She was one of 10 Democrats endorsed by them this week.

First Congressional District candidate Chellie Pingree (D-North Haven) is skipping her party’s national convention.

Campaign spokesman Willy Ritch said she is staying in the district to campaign.

Her daughter, Maine House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree (D-North Haven) is going as a Party Leader/Elected Official delegate for Barack Obama.

Chellie Pingree’s opponent, Charlie Summers (R-Scarborough) is going to the Republican National Convention as a delegate.

There were two endorsements in the ME-1 race today.

The Maine State Employees Association endorsed Chellie Pingree (D-North Haven).

Pingree’s opponent, Charlie Summers (R-Scarborough), today announced the endorsement of the Republican Main Street Partnership.

Former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman said Thursday that Republicans do have an obstacle to overcome this election year resulting from negative views of the Bush administration.

To overcome this perception, she said, Republican candidates must focus on their messaging to prove to voters that they can work across the aisle and show they can reflect their constituents’ values.

Former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, visited Maine this week to campaign for Charlie Summers, a Republican running for the First Congressional District.

Whitman is a co-founder of the Republican Leadership Council, which has endorsed Summers. She is also a former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Check back in a bit for more details on her visit.

Video: Whitman talks to reporters Thursday morning before touring two Westbrook businesses.

Charlie Summers, the Republican candidate for the First Congressional District, has gotten the endorsement of Vets for Freedom, a group of Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans who seek to educate Americans about achieving success in the current overseas conflicts.

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Locally, a coalition of veterans has formed in support of Republican Presidential candidate John McCain. The group will work to build support within Maine’s veteran community.

CQ Politics is an insider's publication for political junkies, and is generally very reliable for straight forward analysis of federal races.  They have released their latest analysis of the races in Maine.

They give the nod to Obama, although they do spin the old First CD versus Second CD story - holding out the possibility of a McCain victory in Maine's second district. 

Don't hold your breath.

New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman will be in Maine Thursday and Friday to campaign with Charlie Summers, Republican candidate for the First Congressional District.

Whitman was the co-founder of the Republican Leadership Council and a former Administrator of the Enviornmental Protection Agency under President Bush.

The Council has endorsed Summers.

During the visit, Whitman and Summers will place emphasis on energy issues.

In a press release, Whitman said:

Project Vote Smart is a non-partisan organization that, according to their website, is about "A battle to protect all of us from the selfish interests that strip us of the most crucial component in our struggle to self-govern -- access to abundant, accurate, and relevant information." 

One of the dreadful things they do is ask politicians to fill out a lengthy questionnaire.   It used to have some benign sounding name, however, in the interest of maintaining their do-gooder status they renamed it the "Political Courage Test"

In Maine, only two candidates have found the time to complete the survey, Senator Collins who is running for reelection against Congressman Tom Allen and Chellie Pingree, who is running against Charlie Summers in the First Congressional District.