527's

Don't you just love McCain-Feingold?

Earnest politicians on both sides now have to proactively distance themselves from things that might or might not occur.  Tom Allen held a press conference in which he condemned any attacks on his opponent or himself.  The best line of the press was his statement directed at outside groups:

If you plan to attack Senator Collins, don't. That won't help your cause and it has no place in the conversation I intend to have with the voters of Maine. If you want to help bring change to Maine and America, stick to the issues and talk about my record and my plans to solve our problems. If you plan to run advertisements in Maine about this race, do it positively and factually.

This was a great political move, as the first major attacks on his campaign are likely just weeks away

A group calling itself the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace is touting a new poll that shows Susan Collins (R) with a 23 point lead over her expected rival Tom Allen (D)