PORTLAND, Maine — Benjamin Pollard, who trailed his three competitors in early primary election returns in the race for the Democratic nomination to run for U.S. Senate, said Tuesday night that he will continue his campaign as a write-in candidate.
As of about 10:30 p.m., Pollard, a builder, had garnered about 8 percent of the vote, which he said was a sign that his message of fiscal conservatism had resonated with Democrats.
“It looks like I am not going to win the primary, but I would definitely like to stay involved,” said Pollard during a telephone interview from his home in Portland. “I feel like what we need is not an independent senator from Maine but someone who can reform the Democratic party. One thing I don’t do is toe the party line.”
Asked whether he is concerned that his write-in candidacy would siphon votes from another candidate, making him a spoiler, Pollard said he suspects he could attract as many Republican and independent votes as Democratic ones. If early November rolls around and it’s clear Pollard has no chance of winning the election, he said he would bow out and endorse another candidate.
“This is just a way for me to keep campaigning,” he said. “I knew it would be a big challenge in the primary. I knew that a lot of the positions I took were not in line with a lot of Maine Democratic Party views. That fact may have lost me some votes.”
Go Ben
Go away!
We Know you are a Republican Plant in the Democrat Party.
That’s what it seems like.
I finished dead last, but I’m going to keep running anyway …?
Clearly this man does not understand our political process.
It makes me suspicious of his motives.
Clearly alot of people don’t understand , every vote drawn from one party candidate to the independant is two votes for the other parties candidate.
We should have ist 2nd and third vote choices an respected run offs when ever there arte more than two choices.
Governor Lepage was not the choice of the people of Maine.
Kind of like when you chip in for a dozen donuts and they ask you what you want and you say anything but coconut and when them come back they say sorry Joe, wanted plain Tom wanted chocolate Bill wanted lemon filled and Sally and I wanted coconut !
Everybody gets coconut!
Your first paragraph is right on. If Maine ends up with a conservative senator, it will be because once again Maine Democrats deserted their candidate for some “bigger name”.
I hope that for once, Maine Democrats step up and support their own nominee. Otherwise we’re going to have a Tea party senator.
What is it with these candidates who can’t win but like to hang around as spoilers for others?
‘Not interested’ – that was the message from the majority of Democrats toward Pollard. I request Pollard pay attention.
I. along with other Democrats will likely be voting for Angus King in the General, but would
accept Cynthia Dill over Charlie Summers – any day of the week!
Must we have a repeat of 2010 split where we got stuck with LePage as governor, clearly the wrong person for the job, whom we can’t get out of office?
As a fellow Democrat, I hope you will reconsider and not vote for Angus King.
King is a right-leaning moderate at best. At worst he will caucus with the Republicans. Please keep that possibility in mind.
Cynthia Dill will make a great representative and will be a much stronger advocate for a liberal agenda then King.
What’s the point to belonging to a political oarty if we don’t support our nominee?
We’ll see. Frankly, I equate her her with Bangor’s Eliot Cutler, also from Cape Elizabeth
– currently.
I knew his mother, whom I liked very much, and his father was a medical colleague with my father at one time. Still, I needed a better reason than ‘our parents used to socialize together, occasionally’.
I mostly resent the superfluous Democrat ‘non-imee’ , Pollard, hanging around to inject his ‘endorsement’ in to the process. Especially in this election.
Not sure Angus wouldn’t side with Democrats most of the time. Again, we’ll have to see.
Charlie Summers would be a complete disaster for Maine. This much we know, n’est ce pas?
Ok, but why do you want a representative who might side with Democrats “most of the time”?
How about a representative who would side with Democrats ALL the time.
How about a real honest to goodness liberal Democrat as Senator from Maine?
That sounds real good to me.
It comes down to having the courage of your convictions.
That worked so well for Democrats in the last gubernatorial election. I think you’d rather be dealing with Eliot Cutler right now, wouldn’t you?
You’re making my point for me.
Lapage wasn’t elected because Democrats voted for Libby Mitchell,
Lapage was elected because Democrats voted for Eliot Cutler.
I hope that Democrats vote for the Democrat in all politcal races.
Cutler would still be better than LePage any day.
Ideally, my conviction is that whoever I vote for has to persuade me they are the better one for the job. Cynthia Dill has not done that yet, frankly. That’s her challenge
Libby Mitchell was not my first choice, either, but I voted for her, anyway.
I think it’s fair to say there were plenty of Republicans who voted for Cutler, as well. LePage won with only38% of a low turnout.
Reminds me of Ralph Nader, still fighting his exclusion from the Maine Presidential ballot from 2004! But Nader obviously has had a remarkable career overall, where Pollard has done what? He should run for Lt. Gov. and so presumably have the field all to himself.
Pollard seems like a Republican Plant to me.