Huck’s Central Maine "army" gets mobilized

Several people wanted to volunteer for Mike Huckabee in Maine, but no one would step up to lead the group.

Finally, a stay-at-home mom with no campaign experience grabbed the torch.

Hartland resident Amy Hale was later pleased to find out that the people leading volunteer efforts in New Hampshire and Rhode Island were also stay-at-home moms and political outsiders.

Huck’s (Kennebec County) army mobilized Tuesday night, when Hale met nine strangers at the Ground Round in Augusta to talk about what they could do for Huckabee. They found each other through Meetup.com.

They liked Huckabee for different reasons. Skip Strong of Readfield said it was Huckabee’s pro-life stance that was attractive. For Matt Sargent of Waterville it was Huckabee’s track record while he was governor of Arkansas. Hale said she found herself agreeing with him during the debates.

But none of them knew where to start.

Slowly, over sodas, salads and burgers ideas began to unravel. They based their ideas on the following argument: Very few people will go to the Republican caucus. Therefore, if Huckabee supporters flood the place, they will win. So how do they find the Huckabee supporters?

One woman was tapped to mine Facebook, another to make a post on As Maine Goes. They all were charged to recruit several Huckabee supporters from every town in the county. Look for signs. Hang up fliers. Ask around town.

“There are many Huckabee supporters out there who think they are alone,” Hale wrote in an e-mail to the group after the meeting. “They may want to help but just do not know what they can do to help and do not know who to contact.”

Step 2: Get them to the caucus. Make sure they know where and when it is. Contact town chairs.

The Christian Civic League of Maine has endorsed Huckabee, and both Executive Director Michael Heath and Administrator Mike Hein were at Tuesday’s gathering. This is the first time the league has endorsed a candidate in the 25 years Heath has been involved in the organization.

“Christians are reluctant to be too close to politics,” Heath said, because of the separation of church and state. “We thought we should be involved to help people make up their mind on who to vote for.”

In the release announcing the endorsement, the league praised Huckabee’s “Winsome manner in the face of withering anti-religious attacks.”

Hale said the media is blowing Huckabee’s religious views out of proportion. It’s his ability to relate to the “common man,” not his faith, which brought her on board.

“I saw him on the debates and I was impressed,” she said. “The more I read and heard of him, the more I liked him. He’s really optimistic and upbeat.”

She said she hasn’t been this excited about a campaign since Ronald Reagan, and has never gotten involved before.

The idea of meeting nine strangers in a restaurant was nerve-wracking, she said, but she felt Tuesday’s meeting was productive.

“We got some good ideas,” Hale said. “What we need to do next is get the word out and recruit people.”