Alliance for Maine’s Future

The Ethics Commission received two independent expenditure reports today and one yesterday, indicating last-minute expenses by outside groups.

The Maine Prosperity PAC, run by the Alliance for Maine’s Future, spent $1,610 on a Portland Press Herald ad warning against 23 Cumberland and York county legislators up for reelection who voted for the beer, wine and soda taxes passed at the end of the last session. The report was filed yesterday.

“They voted to raise your taxes by $70 million. Please don’t give them a chance to do it again,” the ad reads.

The Vote for Maine PAC sprung $6,883 for phone banking for 10 Republican state House candidates, all of whom are in close races.

The Alliance for Maine's Future has spent $5,158 for mailers and newspaper ads opposing 19 candidates for the state legislature and supporting one.

The ad accuses the candidates of having poor economic records, hitting them for raising beverage taxes and voting for a tax shift. It urges people to vote against them.

Except in some races, people can't. Three of the candidates targeted are running unopposed - Reps. Emily Cain (D-Orono), Hannah Pingree (D-North Haven) and Richard Wagner (D-Lewiston).

Note: PolitickerME received further information and comments from several sources after Wednesday’s story was posted about an ad campaign opposing candidates who support the Employee Free Choice Act.

While Sen. Susan Collins agrees with the message in several ads that attack opponent and U.S. Rep. Tom Allen for his support of the Employee Free Choice Act, she doesn’t believe such ads have a place in Maine politics, a spokesman for her campaign said Wednesday.

Allen’s campaign has called on Collins to denounce the ads. Kevin Kelley, spokesman for Collins, said the Senator does denounce this ad campaign with a blanket denouncement of all ads produced independently of the campaigns.

“Senator Collins has always denounced third party ads,” Kelley said.

Carol Andrews, spokeswoman for Allen, released a statement Wednesday criticizing Collins for not speaking up about the ads.