Dem Allen appeals to Maine independence

2007-10-23

Source: The Politico

Rep. Tom Allen of Maine is taking a page from the Democrats' playbook from last year's congressional wave in his bid to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Whether that approach works in 2008 is an open question.

Allen is attacking Collins over her initial support of the Iraq war and her past stewardship as chairwoman of the Senate’s lead oversight committee.

He has invoked an oldies-but-goodies list of past GOP bogeymen - some stretching back nearly a decade - in arguing why Maine voters should oust the popular two-term senator.

"Many people in Maine understand she has this label of being a moderate, but if you compare her to George Bush, Dick Cheney, Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay, there's a reason for the label," Allen said in an interview last week.

The anti-war, anti-GOP strategy was a gold mine for Democrats in 2006, as they defeated Republican Senate incumbents in fairly conservative territory, including Virginia, Missouri and Montana.

If the environment is still as bleak for Republicans, that strategy would be primed to pay dividends in Maine, a state that has been friendly territory for Democrats lately. The stakes are high, as Democrats consider Maine a top target to defeat incumbent Republicans, along with Oregon, Minnesota and neighboring New Hampshire.

With Democrats looking to significantly expand their current 51-49 majority in the best political environment in years due to Bush's broad unpopularity, Maine is a key plank in Democrats' efforts to come within striking distance of a 60-seat, filibuster-proof majority when smoke from the 2008 election cycle clears.

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