Maine (5/30/06)

Incumbent popular liberal Republican senator Susan Collins (wow that was a mouthful) could win a third term if she wants. However she says that she is retiring, which totally changes the dynamics of the seat. The Maine GOP is so weak that they're going to have a difficult time finding a credible person to hold this seat. They don't have anybody elected to a statewide office, and the state legislature is tilted Democratic. Their best candidate might be state representative and current congressional candidate Darlene Curley, although she doesn't have the high name recognition (for that matter, neither do any Maine Republicans). The Democrats, on the other hand, have a great candidate in Congressman Tom Allen. Allen is pretty liberal (in the mold of Russ Feingold) but has charisma and is one of the state's two federal Democratic officials, so he should have no problem with statewide name recognition. The real wild-card could be Collins herself who will take her time deciding whether to renege on her term-limit pledge. But for now, let's assume that she won't run and that this race will be very close. If she does run, chances are she will be reelected. If she doesn't, well, anything could happen with this race.

Potential GOP Candidates: Senator Susan Collins (http://collins.senate.gov/)
State Rep. Darlene Curley (http://curleyforcongress.com/)

Potential Dem Candidates: Congressman Tom Allen (http://www.tomallen.org)

Current Rating: Toss-Up