PORTLAND (AP) – The Maine stereotype holds that the people who populate the southern 1st Congressional District are a bunch of liberals who like taxes and gay rights and dislike hunting. They’ve elected Democrats in 11 of the past 12 elections.

In other words, this isn’t the kindest territory for a Republican seeking to get elected.

But don’t tell Democrat Chellie Pingree or Republican Charlie Summers that the race to fill the seat vacated by six-term Democratic Rep. Tom Allen is a shoo-in.

Maine voters, after all, have a history of being independent. That’s why Maine has two Republican senators and two Democratic congressman, and why it’s had two independent governors in recent history.

“It’s the independent voter that will decide this election,” Summers said. “It’s not simply a partisan vote.”

Pingree, for her part, knows the mood can shift – and fast – despite voter frustration with the Bush administration that favors Democrats on Nov. 4.

“While this district is predisposed to vote Democrat, and perhaps more so this year, Maine people expect you to never take their vote for granted,” she said. “They vote for the person more than the party.”

Differences, similarities

Pingree and Summers offer voters a clear choice in the 1st District, which includes southern and coastal Maine. Pingree, 53, of North Haven, has traditional Democratic views; some call her liberal. Summers, 48, of Scarborough, is a moderate Republican.

Both moved to Maine from other states, both served in the state Legislature, both have run small businesses.

Pingree made a name for herself when she sponsored the bill to create the Maine Rx Program designed to reduce prescription drug prices in the state. Summers served as the state director for Sen. Olympia Snowe.

Both have also run for higher office: Pingree lost to Susan Collins in the 2002 Senate race; Summers lost to Allen in the 2004 1st District congressional race.

After her 2002 loss, Pingree became head of Common Cause, the Washington-based government watchdog group. After his 2004 loss, Summers became the New England regional administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration. He is also in the U.S. Navy Reserve and served in Iraq from July 2007 until last spring.

But the similarities end when it comes to issues.

On taxes, Summers supports the Bush tax cuts, Pingree opposes them.

On Iraq, Pingree wants to begin withdrawing troops immediately in a “responsible manner.” Summers supports maintaining the current troop levels for the next 12-18 months.

On energy, he supports oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She does not.

On health care, Summers opposes and Pingree would support a single-payer system toward the goal of universal health care.

The candidates have fundamentally different philosophical views on government.

Summers: “Smaller government is a good thing.”

Pingree: “I think I see a more serious role for government than somebody like Charlie.”

The 1st Congressional District has been strongly Democratic since Joe Brennan, fresh off two terms as Maine’s governor, won the seat in 1986. With only one exception, Democrats have won every election since.

“I wouldn’t want to call the 1st District a Democratic lock, but it’s close,” said Mark Brewer, a political science professor at the University of Maine. “That’s not to say a Republican couldn’t win, but it would take unique set of circumstances and candidates.”

The only Republican victory in the past 22 years came in 1994, when Republican James Longley Jr. narrowly beat Democrat Dennis Dutremble.

Longley had two things going that year. First, he had high name recognition from his father, James Longley, who won the governor’s race as in independent in 1974. Second, 1994 was the year of the “Republican Revolution” that gave the party control of the House for the first time in 40 years.

This time around, the circumstances appear to favor Democrats with the recent financial meltdown, the plunge of the stock markets and President Bush’s dismally low approval rating.

But Summers sees hope in the independent voting bloc, which at 36 percent represents more than either the Democrats (34 percent) or Republicans (28) in the district. He’s trying to connect one voter at a time through his “30 Jobs” campaign initiative, where he has spent time taking orders at McDonald’s, picking corn, making rope, scooping ice cream, pumping heating oil, running a skidder, pumping gas – and even washing hair at a beauty salon. “The key is to work hard and let people know you’re no different than they are,” he said.

Summers has attempted to make an issue of Pingree’s ties to hedge fund manager S. Donald Sussman of Greenwich, Conn., chairman and CEO of Paloma Partners management company, who Pingree has been dating for nearly a year.

Summers said Pingree should give back the more than $100,000 that Sussman and employees at his Paloma hedge fund have contributed. Voters are angry at the nation’s economic turmoil and weary of politicians who take money from Wall Street, he said.

“When you’re saddling the American taxpayer with the (problems) of Wall Street, I don’t think that looks very good,” he said. “I think people expect you to hold yourself to a higher standard.”

Pingree countered that she would never compromise herself because of political contributions or her relationship with Sussman. She opposes the Bush tax cuts, she said, and supports changing tax rules around hedge funds.

As for her fundraising edge, she said it’s because of hard work. Through Sept. 30, she had raised just shy of $2 million, nearly four times Summers’ $530,000, according to the Federal Election Commission.

“Of course they want me to give the money back,” she said. “I have a lot more support and sometimes it’s from people giving me 15 bucks and sometimes it’s people giving me $2,300. But I’m still completely independent in what I think and what I do.”