Incumbents Rule Money Roost
By Jenna Wolf
WASHINGTON- Rep. Mike Michaud (D-Me.), who will face off against Republican Brian Hamel in the second district this fall, has raked in more than $500,000 for his first reelection campaign, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Hamel announced his candidacy last month and is not required to report campaign contributions to the FEC until March. Incumbents usually raise more money than challengers and are difficult to defeat, but Hamel said he is “confident” he will be able to “raise enough money and win this campaign.”
Michaud, former president of the state Senate, first was elected to Congress in 2002, when he narrowly defeated Republican Kevin Raye.
Hamel is the president and chief executive officer of the Loring Development Authority, which works to restore jobs lost when Loring Air Force Base closed in 1994. While Hamel has just begun to solicit funds from individuals and groups, Michaud finished 2003 with more than $300,000 in cash on hand, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-profit organization that examines campaign finances.
Michaud has received nearly two-thirds of his campaign money from political action committees, or PACs, primarily from labor unions. A former mill worker, Michaud received $123,750 from unions, more than one-third of the $341,509 he got from all PACs, according to the FEC.
Michaud’s top contributor is AmeriPAC: The Fund for a Greater America, a Democratic leadership PAC sponsored by Rep. Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland , the second-highest ranking Democrat in the House. AmeriPAC has given Michaud $10,500, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
“I support Mike because he is one of the strongest voices in the House of Representatives for protecting American workers and jobs,” Hoyer said in a statement. “Because of his job with the Great Northern Paper Mill, he has seen first-hand the struggles of his constituents and the harmful effects of Republican economic policies on his district.”
Rep. Tom Allen, who will be running for a fourth term, is likely to face Republican Charlie Summers, who has not officially announced his candidacy, according to Maine political officials. Dottie Melanson, chairwoman of the Maine Democratic Party, said Summers had been circulating campaign papers in the district.
Summers is an aide to Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Me.) and was a member of the Maine state Senate for two terms, from 1992 to 1994. In 1994, he ran for Congress and placed second in the GOP primary. The winner, Jim Longley Jr., served one term in Congress before losing to Allen in the next election.
If Summers does contest Allen’s seat, he is not required to submit financial reports to the FEC until the spring.
As of Dec. 31, Allen had raised $278,257 and had $172,132 cash on hand, the FEC reported. He has received nearly two-thirds of his money — $183,134 — from individuals, as opposed to PACs.
Like Michaud, Allen has received significant PAC contributions — $38,500 — from labor unions, according to a breakdown by the Center for Responsive Politics. His top contributor was the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which gave him $5,000. The business sector gave Allen $34,554, and lawyers and lobbyists gave him $18,500.
During the 2002 election, Allen outspent his Republican opponent Steven Joyce substantially. He spent more than $500,000, four times more than Joyce, and won 64 percent of the vote. In each of his four elections, he has outspent every Republican challenger and beaten each in a landslide.
