Catching up with Maine politics: House race

PolitickerME.com has been off for a couple days, and came back today to a flooded inbox. Here are some things we’ve missed in the Maine House race:

LCV endorses Pingree

The League of Conservation Voters has endorsed CD1 Congressional candidate Chellie Pingree, calling her someone who can stand up and fight for environmental issues.

“In a state that has shown itself a leader on the environment, Chellie stands out as the one candidate in the race who can most effectively bring Maine’s leadership to Washington,” said LCV President Gene Karpinski. “Time and time again Maine has lived up to its motto: Dirigo—I lead. And on more than one occasion, the moving force behind that leadership has been Chellie Pingree.”

Click here for more on the endorsement.

Portland’s best politician

Ethan Strimling has been elected “Portland’s best politician of 2008” by readers of the Portland Phoenix.

The Phoenix’s editors write: "The well-liked state senator has won two encore terms, and his work as executive director of the social-service non-profit Portland West is more than just a political prop. Now, his task is to translate that electoral success to the big stage in his bid for Congress."

More fundraising analysis

Democratic candidate Adam Cote’s campaign says they have the second most primary cash on hand. Candidates can only accept a maximum of $2,300 from each donor. Then they are allowed another $2,300 – but that has to be stashed away for the general election.

Cote only trails Chellie Pingree in this category, with his $273,097 cash on hand. Click here for more from the Cote campaign.

Lawrence addresses Human Rights torch relay

CD1 Democratic candidate Mark Lawrence spoke at the Human Rights torch relay in Portland Saturday. The rally sought to call attention to China’s human rights abuses.

“I am proud to be a part of this rally,” Lawrence said in a release. “By participating, we are telling the world that the Chinese communist party needs to stop the repression of its citizens, and to stop backing genocidal regimes across the world.”

He added: “Human rights needs to be a strong focus of the United States in our foreign policy,” Lawrence said. “We should work to build civil society in countries under repressive regimes. This is necessary both for global justice and our national security.”