AUGUSTA — The early support that Republican Sen. Susan Collins has received from national groups that typically back liberal candidates signals the uphill battle Democrat Shenna Bellows faces in unseating the popular incumbent, political observers say. Collins’ endorsement from the powerful environmental group, the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, on Monday came on the […]
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Posted inMaine
Democrat Bellows to replicate Republican tradition of ‘the Walk’ in quest for U.S. Senate
LEWISTON — When Shenna Bellows walks into Lewiston on Aug. 4, if all goes as planned, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate will be at least figuratively following in the footsteps of some mighty Maine Republicans. Bellows, the former executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine and the underdog challenger to […]
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Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Collins joins Democrats on student loan bill blocked by Republicans
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked legislation aimed at letting people refinance their student loans at lower rates, a pre-ordained outcome that gave Democrats a fresh election-year talking point against the GOP. But Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, was one of three Republicans who voted with the Democrats. The 56-38 vote fell short of the […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Bellows plans to campaign while walking across Maine
AUGUSTA — The Democrat aiming to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November said Friday that she’s planning a 350-mile trek across Maine where she hopes to listen to voters’ concerns and learn about thriving local businesses. Shenna Bellows’ three-and-a-half-week journey by foot from Houlton to Kittery will begin next month. On the trip, which […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
King endorses Collins in U.S. Senate race
Collins, a three-term veteran of the Senate, is running against Democrat Shenna Bellows in this year’s election. During a Town Hall meeting at the Margaret Chase Smith Library, King emphasized the close relationship he’s developed with Collins during his two years in the Senate. He said often, senators from the same state are in a […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Bellows calls for Collins to support student loan bill
BRUNSWICK — Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Shenna Bellows on Thursday prodded her Republican opponent, incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, to sponsor a bill that would drastically reduce the interest rates on many outstanding student loans. Congress last year passed a bill to reduce the interest rate on federally backed student loans to 3.86 percent, down […]
Posted inBusiness, Nation / World, sj-web
Republican senators fillibuster minimum wage bill
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans blocked an election-year Democratic bill on Wednesday that would boost the federal minimum wage, handing a defeat to President Barack Obama on a vote that is sure to reverberate in this year’s congressional elections. The measure’s rejection, which was expected, came in the early months of a campaign season in which […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Collins says she wants compromise on minimum wage bill
WASHINGTON — Moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins says she expects to oppose the Democratic effort to raise the federal minimum wage, all but dooming the election-year proposal. That election-year bill, on which the Senate is expected to vote Wednesday, would raise the current $7.25 hourly minimum to $10.10 over 30 months. It will need GOP […]
Posted inLetters
I. Bittues: Needed in Washington
It is time for a change in Washington. Shenna Bellows, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, promises to bring the breath of fresh air that Maine wants and deserves. Bellows has a proven record of strong leadership. As director of the ACLU of Maine, she fought to reinstate same-day voter registration and to establish marriage […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
U.S. Senate sends farm bill to Obama
WASHINGTON — The sweeping farm bill that Congress sent to President Obama Tuesday has something for almost everyone, from the nation’s 47 million food stamp recipients to Southern peanut growers, Midwest corn farmers and the maple syrup industry in the Northeast. After years of setbacks, the Senate on Tuesday sent the nearly $100 billion-a-year measure […]