Primary Day!

The results are in! Governor Baldacci won an overwhelming victory in the Democratic Primary yesterday, capturing approximately 75% of the vote.

The Governor traveled to both ends of Maine, Kittery to Presque Isle, to meet with voters and discuss the relevant issues of the race. He started out his day in Kittery at 5:30am, where he met with workers at the gate of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. He greeted them and discussed how important it is that we keep jobs in Maine. Nobody in the region will forget how the Governor worked with the congressional delegation to fight the Base Re-Alignment Commission and save the Shipyard. A special thanks is owed to Dave Schofield, Peter Bowman, and York County District Attorney Mark Lawrence for rounding up the troops and standing with the Governor so early in the morning!

Afterwards he went to three restaurants; Square Toes in Kennebunk, Jonesy's in Biddeford, and the Golden Rooster in Saco. Having been brought up in his family restaurant, Momma Baldacci's, the Governor enjoyed meeting with folks from the area as they enjoyed their breakfasts. At Jonesy's (where my parents used to take me as a child, and I still love today) he even grabbed a coffee pot and gave everyone warm-ups!

After an excellent stop in Portland, where he walked around local businesses around Monument Square, he traveled up to Bath to meet with BIW workers at the Local S-6 headquarters. They sat around a conference table for a conversation about Dirigo and Maine jobs. The Governor stressed the importance of leveling the playing field so that workers get more access to affordable health care and highlighted his work against trade deals that leave Maine workers behind.

After traveling up to Lewiston to have lunch at Montello Elementary School with Donna Tardiff, Deanna Nadeau and a big group of kindergarten and 1st grade students, Governor Baldacci hopped on a plane to Presque Isle, where he had a wonderful reception, and got a great haircut from Dwight the Barber!

Then he flew down to his hometown--Bangor. He and Mrs. Baldacci voted at the William S. Cohen School, where they were met by an enthusiastic group of supporters and news cameras.

We all ended the day at Momma Baldacci's restaurant, where it all began for the Governor years ago. To show his appreciation for everyone's help, he told everyone to sit down and he personally served us pizza and breadsticks as we watched the election returns come in. Everyone cheered loudly when the news cameras went live from the deli. Afterwards, most people stayed around to talk, eat, and check out the results of the other races.

It was a long and tiring day, but a wonderful day nonetheless. There's something about a sunny day and people exercising their constitutional right to vote that makes me feel good inside. The Governor was in great spirits as he traveled through the state--Kittery to Presque Isle to Bangor is quite the strenuous schedule, but he enjoyed it immensely.

Everyone who worked with us to make Main Streets Across Maine a rousing success is owed a debt of gratitude. Now we're focused on November, where the Governor and a wide array of candidates will engage in a great debate about which direction the state should head. We're confident that when Election Day arrives, voters will understand that only John Baldacci can keep Maine headed in the right direction.

A Great Convention!

What a weekend!

It has been an exhausting but exhilarating few days here at the Baldacci campaign. Our staff and our amazing corps of volunteers worked tirelessly all weekend to make the 2006 Maine Democratic Convention a rousing success!

First and foremost, a huge thank-you is owed to Julius Erdo, the man responsible for the best booth at the convention. Julius constructed a replica of an Italian Restaurant, called "Baldacci's," complete with wooden counters, pillars, romantic lighting, hanging plans, and the appearance of a brick oven. Nothing in Augusta this weekend looked quite like this booth. And nothing represents the values of John Baldacci better than a warm, inviting, family restaurant. This booth was truly the talk of the convention.

We could not have done it without our dedicated volunteers. Such as Diane Denk, who not only staffed the booth and helped put up signs on Friday morning, but also made trips to get us food! Also helping take care of volunteers was State Representative Linda Valentino from Saco, who brought us breakfast on Saturday. Tom Rodriques from Bowdoin College did an excellent job working with me for three days straight getting our signs up outside and inside the Augusta Civic Center. My good friend Kate Byrne also worked three days straight for us, from signs to working the booth. I do not know what I would have done without them.

For me, and I suspect most others involved, the highlight of the convention was Governor Baldacci's excellent speech on Saturday and the energetic floor demonstration that came before and after it. Marching out to the sounds of Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop"--a highly appropriate choice if you ask me--with a huge crowd of people behind him, the Governor stressed his record of accomplishments for Maine in contrast with the Bush Administration's record of failure in Washington.

The speech pumped up the crowd, pumped up our staff, and pumped up the Governor. We're ready to keep working as hard as we can to make the future even brighter for this great state.