Charlie Summers

SOUTH PORTLAND -- A small group of about 75 supporters of Republican congressional candidate Charlie Summer eagerly awaited his arrival hoping for a victory party here at the Thomas Room banquet hall.

Moments before Summers walked into the room, they waved campaign signs and shouted "Charlie, Charlie."It might have been a small group at this conference room, but their level of support was heard loud and clear.

Summers (R-Scarborough) is vying for a seat vacated by Democratic U.S. Rep. Tom Allen in the 1st Congressional District. Summers' primary opponent is Dean Scontras who has never before run for office.

Congressional candidate Chellie PingreeUPDATED, 11:22 p.m. | The Bangor Daily News reports that U.S. Rep. Tom Allen is leading Tom Ledue in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate. With 75 percent of the vote counted, Allen has 85 percent of the vote in to Ledue’s 14 percent.

In the Democratic primary for the U.S. House race for the 1st Congressional District, Chellie Pingree leads with 44 percent. Adam Cote, Ethan Strimling, and Michael Brennan trail with 26 percent, 12 percent, and 11 percent, respectively,

In the Republican primary for the 1st district seat, Charlie Summers leads Dean Scontras by a 59 percent to 40 percent margin.

For more, see the Bangor Daily News.

SCARBOROUGH -- At the state's largest polling station and Charlie Summer's hometown, the election warden, called today's voting participation "a dead day".

At 5:30 p.m. today about 1,300 voters. They had predicted to see some 2,000 voters but the total might reach 3,000 said Tody Justice, town clerk. There are 13,561 registered voters in Scarborough in a city of about 18,000.

Unlike other towns in Maine, Scarborough only had the state referendum, U.S. Senate primary and the Congressional races on the ballot. Other towns had school budget issues, legislative primaries and other local issues on the ballot. There is nothing here, Gledhill said.

Talk about horrible timing … PolitickerME has been out with a nasty flu for the past few days.

Here’s a quick rundown on what’s been going on in the days leading up the primary.

Monday, June 2:

Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist has endorsed Dean Scontras (R-Elliot), saying he will be "A leader in congress on immigration reform and border security," according to the Scontras campaign.

Scontras is currently battling Charlie Summers (R-Scarborough) to secure the Republican nomination for Maine's 1st Congressional District.

"I'm proud to accept Mr. Gilchrist's endorsement in the Republican Primary," said Scontras in a statement. "Border security is an issue that Maine Republicans are concerned about and that I've worked hard to do something about during this campaign.  Mainers have my pledge to make securing our borders and cracking down on the sanctuary cities, states and companies which encourage the flow of illegal immigrants into America a top priority when I am elected to Congress."

2008 is proving to be a whacky election year in Maine, and it doesn’t look like things are going to change. 

Three TV ads from First Congressional District candidates hit the airwaves this week.

Republican Charlie Summers made his TV debut, thanking his volunteers for helping out while he was in Iraq, and talking about his experience that will aid him in Congress.

As gas prices near $4, Democrats Chellie Pingree and Ethan Strimling both released ads promising to fight the oil companies. Strimling talks about his experience in and support of alternative energy. Pingree’s ad also promises a commitment to alternative energy as a means of bringing jobs to Maine.

With 37 debates down and several more to go, candidates for the First Congressional District have answered all kinds of questions about what they will do when they get to Congress.

At a Portland area Chamber of Commerce breakfast Thursday morning, question-writers asked something else. In front of a crowd of about 200 people involved with greater Portland businesses, Republican and Democratic candidate were asked to first say what they will have accomplished after two years in office, and then to use that information to make a sales pitch to voters.

Click on the links for audio.

Democratic candidate Steve Meister was unable to make the debate.

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.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney endorsed Charlie Summers for Congress today.

Romney, a former presidential candidate, won the Maine Republican caucuses in February before dropping out of the race.

In a statement, Romney said:

"Conservatism's strength is based in the belief in family, the individual, and the goodness of America and Charlie Summers embodies that strength. His experience in the private sector combined with his service as a Maine State Senator, as head of the Small Business Administration in New England, and most recently his service in Iraq make him the ideal person to represent Maine in the United States Congress. Charlie embodies the qualities necessary to effectively represent his constituency from the moment he is sworn-in as Maine's next First District Congressman.

"Today, I am proud to endorse Charlie Summers and I encourage all my Maine supporters to actively campaign and vote for Charlie on June 10th.”

Summers said: "I am honored by Governor Romney's support. Maine voters strongly showed their support for Governor Romney during the March Presidential caucuses and his strength among Maine voters will continue to build the momentum of this campaign through the primary and on to a win in November."

Summers is running as a Republican in the First Congressional District.