Lewiston

Photo: Voting at the Lewiston Armory. 

LEWISTON – At the Lewiston Armory, which serves as the polling location for Wards 1 and 3 in the city, poll workers have seen an a flux of students from Bates College coming to vote. They have also seen a number from the city’s Somali population.

At 1 p.m., 779 people had voted in Ward 1, and 760 had voted in Ward 3.

The students came in droves in between classes, with a very large group showing up at 10 a.m. There was a bit of confusion – many of them were new registrants and Bates dorms are located in both wards.

Standing outside the armory was state Rep. Richard Wagner (D-Lewiston). Wagner is unopposed in this election cycle, but said he came out because he is encouraged to see people out and voting.

He also said that he has seen a lot of Somalis – a population that has grown in the city in recent years.

“It’s wonderful to see them voting and being part of the process,” Wagner said.

Also outside the armory were several people doing exit polling for the national media.

PolitickerME.com is on the trail with U.S. Rep. Tom Allen (D-Portland) and former Sen. George Mitchell as they make four stops in Waterville, Skowhegan, Portland and Lewiston. Allen is challenging U.S. Sen. Susan Collins for her seat this year.

LEWISTON – People crowded into the basement of the Franco-American Heritage Center in Lewiston Tuesday evening, lining up for hot dogs and baked beans, and filling every table to hear former Sen. George Mitchell and U.S. Reps. Tom Allen and Mike Michaud speak.

This was one of a number of “conversation for change” community suppers Allen’s campaign has hosted. This year he is challenging U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Bangor) for her seat.

Mitchell was the first to speak, and reminisced about his first run for office in the 1980s.

Blogger Kevin Wack points out one reason why a handful of voters might have a grudge against Senate candidate and U.S. Rep. Tom Allen (D-Portland).

Wack covered politics for the Portland Press Herald up until several months ago, and left when they offered voluntary buyouts as a means of cutting staff. Since then he has started a blog following Maine’s U.S. Senate race between Allen and incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-Bangor).

In a post Tuesday, he recalled a situation in Lewiston-Auburn in December 1999, when the U.S. Postal Service was considering relocating a Portland distribution center to the twin cities, which would have meant jobs for the area.

State Sen. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston, stood up on the Senate floor in defeat today.

This weekend she lost a wager with state Sen. Nancy Sullivan, D-Biddeford. The two made a friendly wager last week over the high school state championship hockey game.