Okay, admittedly this information is a bit out of date, but in the spirit of better late than never, here’s a quick look at some notable names who have given to Maine’s gubernatorial hopefuls.
The data comes from the “latest” state records, but for the privately funded candidates that means money given through the end of 2009. Only those candidates who declared they were running before then have entries, so Republican candidates Steve Abbott and Bill Beardsley aren’t included.
For the Clean Elections candidates, the information is a little more up to date, and comes from filings due April 1.
Candidates seeking Maine Clean Election Act funding must raise at least $40,000 from private donors, with individual donations capped at $100. Candidates running using privately raised funds can raise unlimited funds, but individual donations are capped at $750.
The next crop of campaign reports are due with the state ethics commission on Tuesday, April 27.
Democrats
Pat McGowan, a Clean Elections candidate, earned $100 contributions from many traditional Democratic donors, including 13 members of the Beliveau family. Patriarch Severin Beliveau is a powerful Augusta lobbyist and longtime Democratic fundraiser.
Though Gov. John Baldacci hasn’t officially endorsed anyone, five related Baldaccis gave the $100 max to McGowan, a former fundraiser for the sitting governor. McGowan also recently resigned from his post of commissioner of the Department of Conservation.
Former Democratic congressman Tom Allen and his wife, Diana, each gave $100.
Kurt Adams, a top official at First Wind, a wind power company with developments in Maine, and former chair of Maine’s Public Utilities Commission, also gave $100. Current PUC Commissioner Jack Cashman also gave $100 to McGowan, as did Central Maine Power spokesman John Carroll and leading expert on composite technology at the University of Maine at Orono, professor Habib Daigher. Daigher’s composite technology is expected to play a key role in efforts to development off-shore wind generation.
McGowan also received $100 from Harold Ickes, who served as White House deputy chief of staff in the Clinton administration.
Libby Mitchell, the sitting Senate president and Clean Elections candidate, received $100 contributions from many familiar faces in Augusta, including lawmakers and lobbyists.
Tim Belcher of the MSEA-SEIU, Shenna Bellows of the Maine Civil Liberties Union, Paul W. Cottrell Jr. of Pine State Trading Co. and John Williams of the Maine Pulp and Paper Association.
Peter Vigue, chairman of the Cianbro Corp., also donated $100 to Mitchell. Vigue has announced his support for Republican candidate Steve Abbott.
John Richardson, another Clean Elections candidate, also received $100 from Belcher, Beliveau, a pair of Baldaccis and Daigher.
He also received $100 donations from the senior vice president of project development at Penn National Gaming and his wife, both from Pennsylvania. Penn National owns Bangor’s Hollywood Slots. Cheryl Timberlake, an Augusta lobbyist representing Hollywood Slots, also contributed $100, as did Governor Bill Nicholas of the Passamaquoddy Tribe.
Richardson, who recently resigned as commissioner of Maine’s Department of Economic and Community Development, also boasts a $100 donation from Linda Greenlaw, the Maine author of “The Perfect Storm.”
Steve Rowe, running on privately raised funds, received $750 from Shep Lee, another longtime Democratic fundraiser. Rowe most recently served as Maine’s attorney general until he was termed out in 2009. Belcher gave $100 to Rowe’s campaign and former banker Jeanne Hulit, who now serves as the U.S. Small Business Administration’s regional administrator, donated $200.
Rosa Scarcelli, who runs an affordable housing company in Portland, is also running on private funds. Her list of donors includes many from outside Maine, likely due to her work as a fundraiser for the Obama campaign in 2008 presidential election.
Celebrity author Kitty Kelley, who’s latest unauthorized tell-all on Oprah came out this week, gave Scarcelli $750. Kelley hails from Washington, D.C.
Republicans
Matt Jacobson, running on private funds, received $100 donations locally from Tom Shields of Auburn, a former state legislator, and Jason Levesque, an Auburn businessman who is running for Congress in Maine’s 2nd District. State Rep. Bruce Bickford, R-Auburn, and his wife, Margie, gave Jacobson a total of $50.
Paul LePage, also running on private funds, got $100 from former congressional candidate John Frary of Farmington and state Rep. Dale Crafts, R-Lisbon. Levesque also donated $100 to LePage, who is currently the mayor of Waterville.
Peter Mills, who currently serves as a state senator from Cornville, is the only Republican running as a Clean Elections candidate. He received $100 donations each from both Peter and Gene Geiger, the brothers who head Geiger in Lewiston, and from siblings Janet and Paul Mills.
Auburn residents Levesque and Shields, along with Shield’s wife, Bethel, also each gave Mills $100.
Bob and Millicent Monks each gave Mills $100, even though Bob Monks serves as treasurer for Eliot Cutler, who is running as an independent.
Les Otten, running on private funds, got $200 from Auburn Mayor Dick Gleason’s Gleason Media Services and $200 from Steve Barber, former owner of Portland-based Barber Foods.
Chi Bang, a Boston-based personal trainer who used to have Boston Red Sox David Ortiz as a client, gave Otten $50. Otten used to be a minority owner of the Boston Red Sox. Check out Bang’s Web site.
Bruce Poliquin, another privately funded candidate, received a lot of support from Wall Street, thanks to his ties to the community as a former investment fund manager.
He received a $500 from Bath Iron Works President Jeff Geiger; Poliquin used to manage worker pension funds for BIW. Poliquin also got $100 from Auburn’s Levesque.
Independents
Eliot Cutler, running as a privately financed candidate, drew support from several well-known Washington, D.C. insiders, including $750 donations each from Steve Elmendorf, a D.C. lobbyist for companies such as Citi, Northrup Grumman, Phrma, Time Warner and Verizon, and from Tony Podesta, another D.C. lobbyist, who’s clients include Bank of America, Boeing, General Dynamics, General Motors, Harrah’s Entertainment Inc., Nestle USA and Walmart.
Cutler received $500 from Vernan Jordan, a former Clinton presidential adviser, who works at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer and Feld LLP, a D.C. lobbying group, which Cutler also worked for.
Cutler also got $750 each from Bob and Millicent Monks; Bob Monks serves as his campaign treasurer.
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