Cote, Summers mentioned in USA Today

Two candidates for Maine’s First Congressional District got a mention in Tuesday’s USA Today.

At least 30 Iraq War veterans are running for Congressional seats around the country – 10 Democrats and 20 Republicans. This includes Democrat Adam Cote and Republican Charlie Summers in Maine.

This is twice the number that ran in 2006. There are no Iraq War veterans running for Senate.

The only Iraq War veteran currently serving in Congress is Patrick Murphy, D-Pa. Murphy has endorsed Cote.

Reporter Martha Moore writes:

Despite the unpopularity of the war, it's unclear if a candidate's connection to Iraq will drive voters in November. The economy has surpassed the Iraq war as the issue of top concern to voters, points out Nathan Gonzales, political editor of the independent Rothenberg Political Report.

Veteran candidates "are going to have to prove they can speak on a wide variety of issues including the economy," he said. "They're going to have to run a real campaign, raise a whole lot of money and make the case why the incumbent should be fired."

Click here for the article.