Margaret Chase Smith

As the new Legislature is sworn in, women politicians are entering a phase of unprecedented prominence at the state level.

State Sen. Libby Mitchell (D-Vassalboro) and state Rep. Hannah Pingree (D-North Haven) were elected as leaders of their respective chambers. Mitchell was the first woman to serve as speaker of the House, and is now the first woman to have led both chambers.

She is the third consecutive woman to serve as Senate president, preceded by Beth Edmonds (D-Freeport), who served two terms in the position, and Beverly Daggett (D-Augusta), who served one term.

Chellie Pingree is the first Democratic woman ever elected to either the US House or US Senate from Maine, just 68 short years after Mainers elected Republican Margaret Chase Smith to the US House. Smith also served in the US Senate. She was the first woman to serve in both Houses. Olympia Snowe was first elected in 1978, the youngest republican woman at age 31. Also, Senator Snowe is the only member of Congress to serve in both houses at the State level and in Congress.

If Susan Collins wins re-election, she will become the state's fourth three-term United States Senator directly elected by the voters.  Wallace White (elected in 1930, 1936 and 1942), William Cohen, and Olympia Snowe were the others.  Three Senators -- Frederick Hale, Margaret Chase Smith and Edmund Muskie -- were elected four times.  If Collins loses, she joins Ralph Brewster as the state's only two-term Senator. Charles Johnson, Frederick Payne, William Hathaway, and Arthur Gould were one-term Senators.

At the Republican National Convention this week, most of the buzz was over Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska), the first woman to be named as a Republican vice presidential candidate.

In the Maine delegation, this gave many a reason to remember former Sen. Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman to be nominated for President on the floor of a convention.

In 1964, Smith placed fifth of nine candidates in the initial round of balloting at the Republican National Convention in 1964, with 27 of 1,308 votes. She refused to drop out for the second round of balloting, so Barry Goldwater’s nomination was not unanimous.

MINNEAPOLIS -- While the 2008 election has ignited sharp partisan exchanges, First Congressional District candidate Charlie Summers(R-Scarborough) said what Mainers really want to see is candidates who are willing to reach out across the aisle.

Maine is traditionally a blue state, and the Republicans who do best there are the moderates, such as current Sens. Susan Collins (R-Bangor and Olympia Snowe (R-Auburn).

It’s not just about the candidates being moderates, but about their ability to reach out to independent voters, Summers said.

“People need t

The name “Collins” is all over downtown Caribou. There is a Collins Street, a Collins pond, and most significantly the S.W. Collins Company.

The family has been in Caribou for five generations. So has the family business, a lumber, building material and hardware supplier. Established in 1844, it supplies both the area carpenters and the do-it-yourselfers.

Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins grew up in this Northern Maine town. Now she lives in Bangor. She is running for a third term in the U.S. Senate against U.S. Rep. Tom Allen.

The Collins’ are a family of lumber, potatoes and public service. Both of Collins’ parents served as mayor of Caribou, and Susan’s dad, Donald Collins, spent nine years in the Legislature. He was part of the “Gang of 13” who, in 1991, shut the state down over the Worker’s Compensation issue.

The family business is in the hands of Sam Collins, Susan’s younger brother. Gregg Collins, another brother, is vice-president and in charge of their Presque Isle store. They also have a store in Houlton.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins is touting her perfect voting record this legislative session. As an added bonus, she’s gone home on weekends to visit constituents, according to a press release from her office.

Collins now has a 3,679 vote streak – that’s every one since she was sworn into office in January 1997, according to the release. Collins said she was inspired by former Sen. Margaret Chase Smith, who only missed one vote because of surgery.

“It continues to be my great honor and privilege to serve in the U.S. Senate representing the people of Maine,” Collins said in the release. “I take my responsibilities in the Senate seriously and know that Mainers expect me to be in the Senate chamber for roll call votes.”