February 2012

BREAKING NEWS: Senator Olympia Snowe will not seek re-election

by The State of Maine February 28, 2012 Election 2012

Senator Olympia Snowe has just announced that she will not be seeking re-election this year. Snowe had this to say about her decision to retire: After an extraordinary amount of reflection and consideration, I am announcing today that I will not be a candidate for re-election to the United States Senate. After 33 years in [...]

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U.S. Supreme Court rejects NOM appeal

by Mkazas February 28, 2012 Campaign Finance

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to not hear one of two appeals brought by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) regarding campaign financial disclosures. NOM has been trying to overturn a Maine law that would require it to disclose its donor list. Monday’s decision upholds Maine’s strict campaign disclosure law. In the 2009 election NOM poured [...]

Tagged as: campaign disclosure, NOM, Same sex marriage

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LePage wants floor fight, new candidate at Republican convention

by MountainMan February 25, 2012 Election 2012

Interviewed by a Politico reporter at the National Governors Association meeting Washington, Gov. Paul LePage suggested that infighting among the four remaining Republican presidential candidates had damaged the party’s chance of success in November. He called for the party to nominate an entirely new candidate at its summer convention. “I’ll tell you, I’m pushing for [...]

Tagged as: National Governors Association, Republican Nation Convention

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Treasurer Poliquin refuses to answer tree growth question at town hall meeting

by The State of Maine February 24, 2012 Ethics

On Thursday evening, State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin issued his first public statement about recent allegations regarding his use of the Maine Tree Growth tax program, but failed to directly address the matter. At Gov. LePage’s Somerset County “Capital for a Day” town hall meeting, Poliquin was asked about recent claims regarding his potential use of [...]

Tagged as: Bruce Poliquin, Poliquin Ethics, Poliquin Treasurer, poliquin tree growth, Poloquin

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AG Schneider flip-flops on contraception access

by The State of Maine February 22, 2012 Health Insurance

Maine Attorney General William Schneider has apparently reversed his position on access to contraception. On February 10, Schneider joined 13 other Republican state attorneys general in signing a letter urging President Obama to reverse his stance on requiring employee health insurance to cover contraception. The AGs maintain that requiring contraception coverage is unconstitutional. But in signing [...]

Tagged as: Schneider contraceptive access, William Schneider, William Schneider Contraception

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Press Herald: Poliquin may need to step down as treasurer

by The State of Maine February 14, 2012 Ethics

On Friday, Maine Attorney General William Schneider opened a new chapter in the ongoing controversy over Treasurer Bruce Poliquin’s business dealings with a letter stating that Poliquin should cease actively participating in his businesses. The Portland Press Herald thinks that the AG let Poliquin off the hook and that lawmakers should press for legislative action. [...]

Tagged as: Bruce Poliquin, Dirigo Holding LLC, Mark Dion, Popham Beach Club, Portland Press Herald, PPH Poliquin, William Schneider

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Study: superhighway not worth it

by The State of Maine February 14, 2012 Economy

The Legislature’s Labor Committee is reportedly hearing testimony today on LD 1671, a bill to fund a feasibility study for an east-west superhighway across Maine. Sponsor Sen. Douglas Thomas (R-Ripley) says the highway will foster economic growth in the northern part of the state. However, a 1999 east-west highway economic impact study found that a [...]

Tagged as: East-west superhighway

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How Romney forgot to buy Maine Republican votes

by MountainMan February 11, 2012 Election 2012

Romney’s decision to stick around the Pine Tree State for caucus day comes as Ron Paul’s chances for victory here steadily rise. The former Massachusetts governor is undoubtedly kicking himself for giving Maine the short shrift. An analysis of campaign finance data shows the extent to which Romney took Maine for granted. A November 2011 report [...]

Tagged as: Mitt Romney, Olympia Snowe, Paul LePage, Republican caucus

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Maine Attorney General issues response about Poliquin’s business dealings

by The State of Maine February 10, 2012 Ethics

Maine Attorney General (AG) William Schneider has issued an opinion in regards to State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin’s business dealings. Representative Mark Dion had written twice to the AG asking him to decide if Poliquin’s involvement with both the Popham Beach Club and Dirigo Holdings LLC violated Article V, Part 3, section 3 of the Maine Constitution. [...]

Tagged as: Bruce Poliquin

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Report paints dismal picture of LePage job creation efforts

by admin February 8, 2012 Economy

A new report by the nonpartisan Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) shows that in 2011, Maine led the nation in per-capita job loss. In fact, Maine was one of only 6 U.S. states that lost jobs as the national employment market gathered steam. The full report, available here, found that Maine lost 7,200 jobs [...]

Tagged as: Jobs, Maine Center for Economic Policy

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