Brian Hamel has the right idea, but he jumped the gun with his press conference Monday and missed a golden opportunity.

Hamel is challenging Rep. Michael Michaud in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District. On Monday, Hamel chided his opponent for the early stages of a negative campaign. Michaud has hired a political research firm that Hamel says plays dirty.

But, as the Associated Press reported, Hamel acknowledges that he hasn’t seen or heard any negative ads based on information collected by the consultant. He should have held his complaint until he had something to complain about.

The voters in the 2nd District would benefit from a clean, issue-based campaign that avoids the nastiness that has become so endemic in modern politics. And while both candidates have said they would run campaigns without smearing their opponent, that remains to be seen.

The 2nd District is targeted by the national political parties. Republicans hope they can pick up the seat in Congress and win the district for President Bush. Both the National Republican Congressional Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee are likely to be involved with advertising.

That’s often where things turn ugly. These outside groups tend to run tougher campaigns and have deep pockets. Candidates can also disavow their methods, even while reaping the benefits.

Hamel had an opportunity Monday when he decried negative campaigns. He could have asked outside groups to stay out of the race.

That would be a good move for both him and Michaud, if they’re serious about keeping the campaigns out of the gutter.