LEWISTON – No one has made it official, but two Republicans are considering a run against U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine, said Maine Republican Party Executive Director Dwayne Bickford.

They are Brian Hamel, president of the Loring Development Authority in Aroostook County, and retired banker Bob Stone of Lewiston. In 2002 Stone ran against and lost to state Sen. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston.

“There’s been an awful lot of pressure put on me to run,” Stone said Tuesday. To make a serious attempt at winning, any campaigning and fund-raising should have started last summer, Stone said, adding that he assumed that former candidates Kevin Raye, Timothy Woodcock or state Sen. Rick Bennett, R-Norway, would run. They didn’t, for various reasons.

Stone said he sees Michaud as a formidable opponent. Not only is he an incumbent, “he’s well-funded and has been running since the day he was elected. It would be a real challenge,” Stone said.

So far Michaud has raised $500,000 in his re-election campaign, said his press secretary, Monica Castellanos.

This year’s congressional race is dramatically different from two years ago when there were 10 candidates. Six were Democrats: Michaud, Susan Longley, John Nutting of Leeds, David Costello of Lewiston, Sean Faircloth and Lori Handrahan; and four were Republicans: Stavros Mendros of Lewiston, Dick Campbell, Woodcock and Raye. Raye won the Republican primary, and lost in the November election.

Raye, the former chief of staff for U.S. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, said Tuesday he’s exploring running for the state Legislature as a senator, and is not challenging Michaud in Congress.

“It doesn’t feel like the right time, personally,” Raye said. His family recently learned that his father has lung cancer.

The lack of challengers does not mean that Michaud is unbeatable, Raye said. Michaud will have to respond to questions about what he has accomplished since taking office. “His record will be open to inspection.”

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