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Sportsman's Alliance of Maine Events Raffles Merchandise Contact us 205 Church Hill Road, Augusta ME 04330 Telephone: 207-622-5503 FAX: 207-622-5596 |
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Candidates Get Grades and Endorsements A record number of candidates applied for SAM PAC grades and endorsements this year, a good indication of the political clout and influence of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine. SAM’s political action committee is one of the state’s most active, surveying candidates, awarding grades and endorsements, and providing detailed information about the candidates’ positions on major outdoor issues. In the key race for governor, SAM opted to give incumbent governor John Baldacci and his Republican challenger Chandler Woodcock grades of A, while choosing not to make an endorsement. Second District Congressman Mike Michaud, a long-time champion for Maine sportsmen, received SAM’s endorsement, as he has in every election. When he served in the Maine legislature, Michaud was the go-to-guy for anything sportsmen needed. He was especially effective on the financial front as a leader of the powerful Appropriations Committee. Michaud took his work ethic to the U.S. Congress, where he has won two major grants totaling $600,000 for the Maine Warden Service – the first time in history that game wardens received significant federal funding. That money was used to buy laptop computers for every warden, and provide training in their use for search-and-rescue as well as other conservation law activities. Among other things, the computers will allow wardens to retrieve information quickly, allow electronic filing of reports, and facilitate operations and communications at all levels. In the First Congressional District, incumbent Tom Allen got a B- and challenger Darlene Curley received a grade of A, although the PAC made no endorsement in the race. All candidates receive a detailed SAM PAC Questionnaire following the June primary election and must return the questionnaire to be considered for endorsement. Each candidate receives a grade based on his or her responses to the questions. SAM uses the survey to build support for the projects and legislation the organization anticipates in 2007. Indicative of SAM PAC’s influence, applications from legislative candidates were up 33% over the 2004 election, with 153 applications from House candidates and 56 from Senate candidates. All of SAM PAC’s grades and endorsements can be found here on SAM’s website, along with detailed information about the major candidates. Many sportsmen actually vote before November 7, by absentee ballot. Those ballots are now available at town offices, if you’d like to get this fall chore done early. |