The Governor Marathon 2010: Republicans. (In alphabetical order)

What a difference a week makes! It would appear that the Republican ranks for the 2010 race for governor are not as small after all. (Thanks, again, to readers for their tips!)

Rick Bennett. Like several other Republicans on the 2010 list, former Senate President Rick Bennett spent a considerable amount of time thinking about running in 2006. Some insiders have wondered aloud if Senator Bennett's active participation in the campaign to stop the term limits extension was a way for him to keep his name out there in preparation for a 2010 run. Bennett can raise money and knows how to campaign, but he may have trouble with hard core Republicans for his fairly liberal environmental record. In a 50-way primary, the wingers are not a group you can afford to lose.

Peter Cianchette. Peter can raise money and is very good at working the crowd. His 2002 effort against John Baldacci was seen by most folks on the right as a great effort against difficult odds. He remains well liked among the party faithful However, his decision to run, then not run in 2006 left many Republicans unhappy and may very well hurt his chances in 2010. The usual chit chat among insiders is that Peter "doesn't have the fire in the belly."

Dana Dow. Seriously, that's the word on the street -the good senator from Waldoboro is thinking of running for governor. It's hard to describe Senator Dow; it's almost as if Elmer Fudd and Mrs. Einstein had children together. Anyway, when folks like Senator Dow are thinking of running you get a sense that there could be 50 or more candidates in a Republican primary.

Kevin Hancock. Apparently he is a Republican. He spent several months trying to convince himself to run in 2006, and was obviously not all that convincing. Republicans can expect the same in 2010-more talk that is.

 

Peter Mills. The question is not IF the State Senator from Somerset County and Portland will run again for Governor-the question is when he runs will he do so as an Independent? Boundless energy, a human idea factory and years of institutional knowledge place him head and shoulders above most candidates. That's nice when you want to be a University President; it's an exercise in campaign insanity unless controlled. Assuming Peter will use clean election funds, the only thing he will need after the signatures and 5 dollar checks is a prescription for Ritalin.

Kevin Raye. The Senator from Washington County is alleged to have his eye on a possible Blaine House run. It has been a tough month for Senator Raye with the defeat of the Washington County Racino. His support for that racino will hurt him in most of the Yuppie suburbs in greater Portland and York County, but will certainly help in more rural parts of the State. Of course, he will have to contend with his pro-choice position with those same rural folks. It is difficult to see how he could pull together any cohesive message. Then again, in a 50-way primary you just need your base. Unless of course your base is disappearing as fast as the population of Washington County!

Josh Tardy. Josh can raise money. He is a great talker and a decent retail politician. Unfortunately, continued losses of State House seats may pull him down as folks begin to question his ability to bring the ball across the finish line. Still, 2010 is far off and time is always forgiving. The big test for Representative Tardy will be House election results in 2008.

Who did I miss? Send me your tips to politickerme@aol.com.

Next up: Independents, Greens and other possible candidates.