A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a column about Democratic state Senator Ethan Strimling of Portland and his plans to run for the 1st Congressional District seat in 2008 (see "Scary Guy," December 15). That prompted e-mails from a number of readers, many of them so eager to express their opinions they may have neglected to take the recommended dosages of their prescribed medications.
Most of these folks were incensed because, while I mentioned that Strimling would likely face primary challenges from other Dems, the only potential challengers I named were former House Speaker John Richardson of Brunswick, state Senator Bill Diamond of Windham and ex-state Senator Michael Brennan of Portland. So, before I get to this week’s topic, let me update that list, and ease the strain on the mental health system.
Among those whose possible candidacies appear to have found favor with a high percentage of the wacked-out population are: House Speaker Glenn Cummings of Portland, Attorney General Steven Rowe of Portland, Senate President Beth Edmonds of Freeport, York County District Attorney Mark Lawrence of Kittery, former state Representative Joanne Twomey of Biddeford and recently arrested Portland School Committee member Jason Toothaker.
I’m kidding about one of those people.
OK, two.
I also left out a name. The chances are you’ve never heard of a 1st District candidate named Adam Cote. And, if I have anything to say about it, you never will. That’s because a political unknown like Cote, with no money and no experience, has no business running for the US House.
He should run for the US Senate.
Right now, the conventional wisdom is that the ’08 Senate race will be a heavyweight bout between incumbent Republican Susan Collins and Democrat Tom Allen, the current holder of the 1st District seat. But I think Allen will be so enchanted with his newfound power as a member of the congressional majority, he’ll stay put. If that happens, I doubt there’ll be much interest among the aforementioned House candidates in squandering their political careers in a long-shot bid to displace Collins.
But Cote has no political career to squander. He’s never run for office, never donated significant money to a campaign, never showed up on TV saying something stupid. That gives him an often-overlooked advantage:
No baggage.
Here’s another plus: his resume. Cote, 33, was born and raised in Sanford and now lives in Portland with his wife and two kids. He graduated with honors from Colby College and cum laude from the University of Maine School of Law. He put in a year of active duty with the Maine Army Reserve in Bosnia hunting down war criminals and volunteering to teach English. Then, he did a year in Iraq with the Army National Guard rebuilding schools and hospitals. He’s been under mortar attack, narrowly escaped a suicide bomber, and practiced law. (I’m not sure how those three things ended up in the same sentence, but they seem to fit.) He’s an expert on international energy issues and real-estate matters.
Unlike his potential opponents, Cote said he didn’t “learn about issues in conference rooms.” He experienced them, sometimes by dodging flying shrapnel. “We have a pattern of electing people . . . who are political animals, pushing themselves to the next level,” he said. “I’m not that guy.”
His positions: Iraq needs to be partitioned. “I don’t have faith the Bush administration will do it,” he said. “But it worked in Bosnia.” He’s pro-choice and supports civil unions for same-sex couples. He regards our dependence on foreign oil as “a national security issue, like Pearl Harbor or September 11th.” He lists global warming and rising health care costs at the top of his agenda.
OK, he’s every bit as liberal as Tom Allen. But he comes off less as an Allenesque policy wonk and more as a guy who likes to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty.
Could he beat Collins? Probably not. Even if Cote weren’t trying to unseat an incumbent, it’s difficult to imagine the voters of Maine choosing a guy with no political experience to represent them in the Senate. In fact, it hasn’t happened since 1846, when James Bradbury of Parsonsfield got elected without ever having held, been appointed to or even run for any state office. Like Cote, Bradbury was a Democrat, a lawyer, a builder of schools in barbaric places (not Iraq, but New Hampshire), and had little taste for politics. After one term in Washington, he refused to run again.
Will Cote take on Collins? Again, probably not. He said he finds the idea of campaigning in the compact 1st District less daunting than my suggestion that he organize a statewide race. But he didn’t completely rule it out.
“I’d obviously think about it,” he said. “I’d strongly consider it. But that question isn’t before me, right now.
“I still think Tom would be the strongest candidate against Susan.”
Strongest? Maybe.
Best? Maybe not.
Email the author:
Al Diamon:aldiamon@herniahill.net.
