Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tom Allen, trailing incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins by double-digits in recent polling, is getting support for his candidacy from current, and possibly future colleagues.

On Thursday, Allen and U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman of California, Democratic chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, made appearances in Portland and Westbrook.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, joined Allen on Friday in Portland, Paris and the Nezinscot Farm in Turner, and discussed rising energy costs. Tester was an organic farmer and state Senate president in Montana before his election to the U.S. Senate two years ago.

On Saturday, Allen is back in Lewiston, this time joined by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. Brown, like Tester, was also elected to the Senate in 2006. Brown and Allen served together in the House for five terms.

Collins fundraises; hits Greek festival

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican running for re-election this year, brought her tour bus to Auburn on Wednesday to attend a women’s luncheon fundraiser hosted by her campaign at the Hilton Garden.

Collins, facing a challenge from Democratic Congressman Tom Allen, has held similar luncheons across the state, meeting with more than 800 Maine women and raising about $70,000, according to her campaign.

After personally greeting the approximately 100 women who attended the $40-a-plate meal, Collins spoke of the importance of female role models before launching into a brief stump speech focused on jobs, the economy and energy policy.

Collins also warned the group to prepare themselves for “the biggest barrage of negative ads we’ve ever seen,” citing that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has reserved between $1.9 and $4 million in Maine advertising time.

On Friday, Collins was joined on her bus by firefighters, police officers, EMTs and paramedics. Dubbed the ‘First Responder’ Bus Tour for the day, Collins and her supporters made stops in eight towns throughout southern Maine before making the last stop at the Lewiston-Auburn Greek Festival.

“My goal is to carry Lewiston,” she said at the luncheon Wednesday. “We came within two points last time, can we do it this time?”

Attorney General candidates

At least three Democrats are actively lobbying for the job of Maine Attorney General. Steven Rowe, who has held the post for the last eight years, is prevented from running again due to term limits.

State Reps. John Brautigam of Falmouth, Sean Faircloth of Bangor and Janet Mills of Farmington have all confirmed they are in the running for the position.

In Maine, the attorney general is elected by the Legislature in a secret ballot rather than by residents. The vote often falls on party lines, which could be why no Republican has publicly expressed ambitions for the spot in the face of a Democratically-controlled Legislature.

Faircloth, who currently holds the third-highest House leadership position, has decided not to run for re-election to the Legislature in favor of concentrating on his AG bid, but Mills and Brautigam are.

– Rebekah Metzler

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