The movie was the No. 1 box office draw last weekend nationwide, and some Mainers were clamoring to see it. People want to know “what is going on in this administration that Disney won’t show the film,” said Chris Harris, communications director for the Maine Democratic Party. (Harris was referring to Disney Co.’s refusal to distribute the film based on its policy of avoiding political content.) “And since we haven’t found a cooperative link between al-Qaida and Saddam, and since we haven’t found WMDs (weapons of mass destruction), people are wondering what is really going on,” Harris said.

Dwayne Bickford, executive director of the Maine Republican Party, disagreed, calling demand for the movie “nothing more than a public relations stunt. The fact that it is in limited distribution has only provided more hype for a movie maker whose last three movies are known for their factual inaccuracies.”

Moore’s “9-11” is just a movie, Bickford said, “and voters are smart enough to understand that there is an agenda behind it.”

Bickford said he doesn’t have much time for movies, but if he were going to watch “a fiction” he’d spend his money on “Spiderman.”

Office politics

The Maine Republican Party plans to open its Lewiston campaign office in mid-July, Bickford said.

The party’s effort, called Maine Victory 2004, is aimed at helping all Republican candidates who will appear on Maine ballots. That includes top-of-the-ticket candidates, as well as legislative candidates.

The party signed a lease starting July 1 at 159 Lisbon St., formerly World Fashions, clothing cosmetics and housewares.

“We picked it because it was great looking,” Bickford quipped.

The storefront windows are currently plastered with Bush/Cheney, Brian Hamel and Stavros Mendros campaign signs.

Two desks covered with campaign literature occupy the otherwise empty space.

Hamel, the GOP’s 2nd Congressional District candidate, said he planned to sublease part of the space for his Lewiston office.

He expects to do the same thing in the Maine Victory 2004 Presque Isle office. In Bangor, his three-person staff is in the process of moving into an office after signing a lease last week.

Cash and carry

During an interview with the Sun Journal’s Editorial Board earlier this week, Hamel said his campaign has more than $250,000 cash on hand. Mike Michaud has about $415,000, spokeswoman Monica Castellanos said.

Hamel, a certified public accountant, predicted the race would generate about $1.5 million in spending by the two candidates.

Of course, that doesn’t count efforts by the respective political parties, which doubtless will be seeking to influence the election outcome to the best of their abilities.

“With the National Republican Congressional Committee it’s important for me to raise a sufficient amount of money to build credibility,” Hamel said. “People are going to be extremely impressed with our cash-on-hand balance.”

That should trigger campaign contributions from political action committees and spending by the NRCC, Hamel said.

– By Staff Writers Bonnie Washuk and Christopher Williams