MAINE

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

Budget NR Medicare NR Defense NR Abortion NR Guns NR Gays NR Bosnia NR NAFTA NR Welfare NR National Service NR (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "I will be on the front lines, fighting to reduce the high taxes and onerous regulations that can literally drive a small company out of business."

THOMAS H. ALLEN (D) District 1 (South--Portland; Augusta)

BORN: April 16, 1945, Portland EDUCATION: Bowdoin College, B.A., 1967; Oxford U, B.Phil., 1970; Harvard U, J.D., 1974 FAMILY: Wife, Diana; two children RELIGION: Protestant MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: Policy consultant POLITICAL CAREER: Portland city council, 1989-95, mayor 1991-92 ADDRESS: P.O. Box 17766, Portland 04112. Tel.: 207-774-9696

When Maine voters go to the polls, they'll face a ballot initiative to ban clear-cut logging--an issue that has spotlighted the environment and could help Allen unseat the man who last year called the epa "arrogant" and "inflexible." A former mayor of Portland, Allen won the Sierra Club's endorsement; but in a state often rent by the "payroll vs. pickerel" debate, he promises to protect the economy as well as the earth.

THE ISSUES Budget NO Medicare NO Defense YES Abortion NO Guns YES Gays YES Bosnia NO NAFTA YES Welfare NO Medical Leave YES (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "I'm running for Congress to fight for the jobs and wages of Maine people...not to promise people a deceptive tax cut that no one can deliver."

JAMES LONGLEY JR. (R) District 1

BORN: July 7, 1951, Lewiston EDUCATION: College of the Holy Cross, A.B., 1974; U of Maine, J.D., 1980 FAMILY: Divorced; two children RELIGION: Roman Catholic MILITARY: Marines, 1976-79; Marine Corps Reserve, 1979- OCCUPATION: Lawyer; insurance company owner POLITICAL CAREER: U.S. House, 1994- ADDRESS: P.O. Box 7770 DTS, Portland 04112. Tel.: 207-772-9696

Longley represents a district with a substantial--and vocal--environmental movement, which hasn't taken kindly to his criticism of the epa, or his zero rating from the League of Conservation Voters. He has also been the object of publicity stunts by groups such as the afl-cio, which parked a steamroller outside his office to protest the "steamrolling" of juvenile and elderly interests. But these shenanigans could actually help him in independent-minded Maine, which bristles at outsiders attacking the folks "Down East."

THE ISSUES

Budget YES Medicare YES Defense NO Abortion YES Guns NO Gays YES Bosnia YES NAFTA NO Welfare YES Medical Leave NO (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "I'm not going to have someone come into this state and say I don't care about the environment."

JOHN BALDACCI (D) District 2 (North--Lewiston; Auburn; Bangor)

BORN: Jan. 30, 1955, Bangor EDUCATION: U of Maine, B.A., 1986 FAMILY: Wife, Karen; one child RELIGION: Roman Catholic MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: Restaurant owner POLITICAL CAREER: Maine Senate, 1982-94; U.S. House, 1994- ADDRESS: 79 Palm Street, Bangor 04401. Tel.: 207-942-9696

Growing up at Mama Baldacci's restaurant in Bangor, son John learned a thing or two about business and Italian cooking--and in politics he uses both. As a member of the Small Business Subcommittee, he drafted a bill to help businesses that want to export goods and services, and he has financed part of his campaign with $2-a-head spaghetti dinners. Baldacci has strong support with local moderates despite being the first Democrat in this seat in more than 20 years.

THE ISSUES

Budget NO Medicare NO Defense YES Abortion NO Guns YES Gays YES Bosnia NO NAFTA NO Welfare NO Medical Leave YES (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "It is my strong belief that small businesses will benefit from increased trade...Promoting export is one of the best means to that end."

PAUL YOUNG (R) District 2

BORN: Nov. 29, 1960, Fort Fairfield EDUCATION: Catholic U, B.A., 1983, M.A., 1986, Ph.D., 1991 FAMILY: Single RELIGION: Roman Catholic MILITARY: Navy Reserve, 1986- OCCUPATION: Professor; software-company executive POLITICAL CAREER: Maine House, 1993-95; sought Republican nomination for Governor, 1994 ADDRESS: P.O. Box 185, Limestone 04750. Tel.: 207-753-1996

While on a Fulbright Scholarship in Germany, Young witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall, an experience he's used as a major theme in his campaign. Young, who grew up in the vast woods of Aroostook County and picked potatoes for his spending money, pledges to empower Americans by tearing down the wall-like structures of Big Government. He wants to cut taxes, protect private property and generally get Washington out of the way of citizen prosperity.

THE ISSUES

Budget YES Medicare YES Defense NO Abortion YES Guns NO Gays NO Bosnia YES NAFTA NO Welfare YES Medical Leave NO (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: "No government [pulled down the Berlin Wall]... People did that."