MAINE
Population (1994): 1,240,000 (up 1.0% from 1990), 0.5% of U.S. total
Voting-age population: 931,000; 1994 turnout, 54%
Median age: 33.9 years
Median household income: $30,316 ($1,948 below U.S. median)
Unemployment: 5% (0.6% below U.S. average, March 1996)
Last presidential election: Clinton (D): 39% Bush (R): 30% Perot (I): 30%
Congressional delegation: One Democrat, three Republicans
Maine is still mostly rural, and its people--from the potato farmers of Aroostook County to the lobstermen of the choppy Atlantic--retain a well-developed delight in the American gift of independence. Once the barometer of the country--"As Maine goes, so goes the nation"--the Pine Tree State has become a bit of a political aberration: there are more minor-party or unaffiliated voters there than either registered Republicans or Democrats. In 1992 a third of Maine's voters opted for third-party presidential candidate Ross Perot, and in 1994 each of its congressional districts switched parties in sending a Representative to Washington.
JOSEPH BRENNAN (D) SENATE (OPEN SEAT)
BORN: Nov. 2, 1934, Portland EDUCATION: Boston College, B.S., 1956, M.A., 1958; U of Maine, LL.B., 1963 FAMILY: Divorced; two children RELIGION: Roman Catholic MILITARY: Army, 1953-55 OCCUPATION: Lawyer POLITICAL CAREER: Maine House, 1965-71, Senate, 1973-75, Attorney General, 1975-79, Governor, 1979-87; U.S. House, 1987-91 ADDRESS: 100 Middle Street, Portland 04101. Tel.: 207-761-1667
Brennan has one of the longest political resumes in Maine history. To cap his 30-year career in elective office, the former Governor wants to return to Washington (he says he "got a lot of calls from Democrats" asking him to run) by building on his tried-and-true labor base and co-opting G.O.P. issues like the balanced budget, line-item veto and term limits. Whether he can get the statewide support he'll need is uncertain; he lost his bids for Governor in 1990 and 1994.
THE ISSUES
Budget NO Medicare YES Defense NO Abortion NO Guns YES Gays YES Bosnia NO NAFTA NO Welfare YES National Service YES (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)
QUOTE OF NOTE: "I'll see you in a few years, when I'm running for dogcatcher."
SUSAN COLLINS (R) SENATE (OPEN SEAT)
BORN: Dec. 7, 1952, Caribou EDUCATION: St. Lawrence U, B.A., 1975 FAMILY: Single RELIGION: Roman Catholic MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: Small Business Administration regional director; state financial regulation commissioner; congressional aide POLITICAL CAREER: Republican nominee for Governor, 1994 ADDRESS: P.O. Box 1096, Bangor 04402. Tel.: 207-942-9600
Collins is running primarily on her business credentials. After serving as an adviser to retiring Senator William Cohen, she ran a regional office of the SBA and was director of the Center for Family Business at Husson College in Bangor. She supports a cut in estate taxes and has fought to preserve funding for destroyers built at Bath Iron Works, Maine's largest employer. The G.O.P.would like to keep this Senate seat, but beating Joe Brennan is no piece of cake.
THE ISSUES