Ralph Nader

Independent Presidential candidate Ralph Nader will be in Maine Monday for a rally in Portland.

The event will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Congress Street.

Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign has an answer to the Lieberman – McCain connection: "Maine Republicans for Obama."

They held an event in front of Portland City Hall to officially kick off the coalition with Robert Monks, the former chairman of the Maine Republican Party and Sherry Huber, who served in the Maine House of Representatives from 1976-1982.

Ralph Nader, a hopeful presidential candidate, submitted 5,500 signatures to the Maine Secretary of State’s office today.

This is more than the 4,000 needed.

The Portland Press Herald has details here.

Other coverage: Maine’s third party: A look at the influence of the state’s Green Independent Party; History, barriers and misconceptions; The candidates; Coming: The Greens’ influence on the city council

For more information, the national Green Party takes a comprehensive look at the history of Maine’s party here.

The first Green Independent to be elected to a public office was Ben Meiklejohn of Portland, who eight years ago was elected to the Portland School Committee.

Meiklejohn and Ben Chipman both been involved with the campus Greens at the University of Maine at Orono, Jenkins said. After graduating they moved to Portland and helped form the Portland Green Party, which has since become a presence in the city.

“Portland desperately needed a second party,” said Dan Jenkins, a candidate for the Maine House. “The Democrats have had a super-majority on every (local government) body for the last 40 years.”