AUGUSTA – Both of Maine’s senators have made a very exclusive list. They are among eight women considered possible candidates for president in 2008 in a national survey being conducted by Parade Magazine.
“No, no other state has two on the list, ” Lee Kravitz, editor in chief of Parade Magazine said last week. “This is a project we did before, in 1998, and it generated over 100,000 votes.”
He said Parade teamed up with The White House Project, a nonpartisan organization that advances women’s political leadership to develop this year’s list that includes Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.
“It must be something in the water up there,” Kravitz joked.
Both senators said they are honored to make the list and said they owe their election to the state’s long history of supporting women for political office at all levels
“I was elected to Congress in 1978 when I was 31,” Snowe said in an interview last week. “Maine has a long tradition of women in leadership positions in the Legislature and in local government, and we all look upon Sen. Margaret Chase Smith as a role model.”
Snowe was serving in the state Senate when first elected to the House. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1994.
Collins agreed and said her personal involvement in politics stemmed from a meeting with Smith when a high school student. But, she does not see herself running for president in 2008.
“I am proud of what I have accomplished, but I don’t see that happening,” she said. “I suspect you will see me on the ballot in 2008, but it will be running for re-election as Maine’s senator.”
Collins noted she had promised to act as an adviser to U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., should he seek the presidency in 2008. She joked she plans to call McCain before he sees the Parade article.
“That thought immediately occurred to me, that I had better tell John, don’t worry, I am still with him,” she said.
Collins was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996 after an unsuccessful run for governor in 1994. She had not held elective office before winning her seat.
Bowdoin College Government Professor Chris Potholm said Mainers should be “excited” that the state has two women on the list. He said both are in the mold of Sen. Smith.
He said while both say they are not interested in running for president in 2008, he said either could be a contender in a later election if they are chosen as the vice presidential nominee.
Both senators chuckled at the speculation they could be on the ticket in 2008 as the vice presidential nominee.
“I can tell you all my conversations with John (McCain) have been whether I would help him if he decides to run,” she said. “We have never, ever had a conversation like that. But, I am flattered that I would be mentioned for either.”
In addition to Snowe and Collins, the list includes New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sibelius.
Individuals can “vote” for their choice on line at thewhitehouseproject.org or by writing the group at 110 Wall St., 16th floor, New York, NY 10005. The results will be tabulated after March 18 and will be published in Parade in April.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.