A prominent Maine Republican from Cumberland County has filed a challenge with the Republican National Committee over the election of all but one of the delegates to the national convention to be held next month in Tampa.
All but one of the delegates elected that weekend was a Ron Paul supporter. Gov. Paul LePage’s election as an uncommitted delegate was not challenged.
The election of the 14 at-large delegates and their alternates as well as the three delegates elected in each of the state’s two Congressional Districts and their alternates have been contested by the man who serves as Mitt Romney’s campaign chairman for Maine.
At-large delegate Matthew McDonald of Belfast, whose election is being challenged, on Saturday provided the Bangor Daily News with a copy of the letter via email. Mark Willis of Dennysville, who was elected a delegate from the 2nd Congressional District called to say he had received a similar letter.
The letter signed by Peter E. Cianchette, who ran unsuccessfully in 2002 for the Republican nomination for governor, and addressed to Demetra Demonte, counsel for the RNC in Washington, D.C., alleged that:
• The failure of the credentialing process at the state convention led to illegal votes being cast and counted.
• There was not a quorum when votes for at-large delegates and alternates were cast.
• Widespread credentialing irregularities and lax floor security led to illegal votes being cast and counted.
• Convention officials repeatedly violated party and parliamentary rules.
A copy of the letter was sent registered mail to all at-large 28 delegates and alternates elected at the state Republican Convention in Augusta held the first weekend in May.
The other at-large delegates whose elections are being contested are: Brent Tweed, Pete Haring, Ashley Ryan, Bryan Daugherty, Mike Wallace, Eric Brakey, Sam Canders, Kevin Pierce, John Jones, Erin Daly, Bernie Johnson, Landon St. Pierre and Alex Titcomb.
Each congressional district selected three delegates whose election is being challenged. In the 1st District the delegates are Linda Bean, Aaron Libby and Ron Morrell. In the 2nd District, Stavros Mendros, James Zell and Willis were chosen.
“Gov. Paul LePage stands behind Maine Republican National Committeeman Rick Bennett’s position that all Maine delegates should be seated at the Republican National Convention,” Brent Littlefield, a senior political adviser to the governor said in a statement issued Saturday afternoon. “The governor also understands that he does not have a formal role in the process of determining delegates to the Tampa convention. Therefore, he has made his position known to Maine’s members of the Republican National Committee: Chairman Charlie Webster, Rick Bennett and Jan Staples.
“In November the governor looks forward to joining a united Republican Party in voting for the candidate who can help restore our economy, Mitt Romney,” the statement concluded.
The state convention devolved into chaos after Ron Paul supporters narrowly elected Brent Tweed to chair the event over the party establishment’s choice, Charles Cragin, according to previously published reports. Cragin, a Romney supporter, predicted in May that the Paul-led delegation might not be seated at the national convention because of violations of rules of procedure at the state convention.
Maine Republican Party Chairman Charlie Webster said a few day after the state convention that he expected challenges but that from his perspective, delegates at the state convention were appointed properly.
“Before I turned over the gavel we established a process. We had a checker in each county,” said Webster. “We had those folks involved in the tabulation. In my role as chairman of the party, I’m going to go to the Republican National Convention to make sure those votes are counted.”
Jan Dolcater, Republican chairman in Knox County, who is a member of the party’s credentialing committee, agreed.
“In all fairness to both sides, it could have been a lot more smoothly coordinated and run,” he said. “It was absolutely exhausting handling people on the credentials. Most of them had been registered for less than a week.”
If delegates from Maine are not allowed to participate in the GOP national convention in August, where the Republican Party’s nominee will be officially named, the state loses its voice on a national stage and Paul’s influence on the party would be diminished and all but three of the seats set aside for the Maine delegation would be empty.
The governor and the RNC committeeman and woman from Maine would be seated, according to McDonald.
Willis, a 2nd District delegate, said Saturday that the challenge was unproductive.
“It seems like the GOP spends more time fighting among themselves than it does fighting the Democrats,” he said.
You can read the actual challenge here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/101359356/Challenge-to-Maine-GOP-Delegates
Thanks Gerald for posting the actual challenge. After reading it one thing becomes abundantly clear. If the Republicans in Maine can’t run a simple two day convention without turning it into a cluster (insert expletive) how can they be trusted to run a State or a Country? They act like spoiled little children.
Holy cow ! 4mermainer making ‘Independent’ sound’s. Wonder’s, and miracle’s, never cease. But voter education is priceless, and here’s the proof.
Mike I have never claimed to be independent. In fact I have been a registered republican since 1967.
I was at the Maine GOP Convention, and I have to say – it was a fiasco.
It was only a fiasco for the Romney supporters. For the Ron Paul supporters it was a marvelous success to overcome their cheating by outwitting them throughout the process.
Peter and his buddy Peter want a road through Maine, yet don’t want People votes to be counted.
Charlie and His other Brother Charlie will be glad to help!
The Republican Party is a fractured, fractious mess. They have no alternate plan for Obamacare, and Romney refuses to say how he will offset the brand new tax cuts he will hand the rich once he gains power.
Their tools are simple mantras–government is bad, rich people are good–and whatever negative emotion they can stir up against anyone in their way.
Alternative plan for Obamacare? We don’t want an alternative plan, govt has no business being in our healthcare!!
I hope Cianchette isn’t planning on a political career in the future, you don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
Well said Phoebe
I’m certain you won’t be taking medicare when you turn 65, right?
The odds of Medicare being available when I’m 65 is pretty slim.
Only because of Republican brainwashing of the populace that it is somehow bad!
Fight it!
I know that you can!
Obamacare only deals with health insurance, but you likely don’t care about such nuance.
Ignorance of Obamacare is why there are fools who think it’s a good idea. I suggest very strongly that you stop listening to the liberal spin and educate yourself on what it really entails.
Government is bad. Republicns are not fractured. This is media hyperbole mean to cast aspersions on the right, plain and simple. It’s the left who stirs the pot of negative emotions. You are sadly misinformed and ignorant.
government is bad?
look in the mirror if you wanna see sadly misinformed.
go anarchy!
Ron Paul 2012
How in the name of all that is holy can you blame in fighting in the Republican Party on the media?
True!
Republican Government is bad!
They don’t smile too often, do they?
it will be a tyranny of the minority if they overturn the delegates. All weekend you could see hardline Romney supporters trying filibusterer tactics to run out the clock on the state convention. a 2/3s vote was used to change the rules legally through out the weekend. The ballots got compromised for the state at large delegate vote and a 2/3s vote was used to move voting with new ballots into country caucuses. Certain members of the party encouraged people to leave on day 2 to end a quorum. Brent Tweed acted with professionalism in his role as a chair in a very chaotic environment. Those against Tweed had no right to derail a convention attended by everyday working class Maine Republicans.
Ain’t that the truth! The chaos was manufactured once the new Chairman was elected. The meeting was carried out in the most civil, timely and organized fashion possible considering all the stalling, confusion (which was the parties fault, not the attendees for either candidates) and BS tactics. Even many of the Republican party officials bailed out once they ran out of ideas to get their way.
This is perfect. Here are the Republicans accusing each other of being incompetent crooks. They finally are coming around to the truth!
This is all just to show that it is true that Government is the problem!
If they start at the convention they will have a head start on it!
LOL
So, where do Charlie Webster and Governor LePage stand on this move? Have they come out publicly to attest to the fact that they will stand with the duly elected national delegates in this?
And can someone assure me that Jan Staples — she of the “Shout Unity” farce — will be out of office when her term as State Committeewoman is finished?
Can you say “sour grapes”?
I thought the article was clear on Charlie Webster: “In my role as chairman of the party, I’m going to go to the Republican National Convention to make sure those votes are counted.” No word from the guvnah yet, ayuh.
I guess we will have to elect a new republican committe. to make sure that peoples voices are heard in the future.
I also understand that the Ron Paul suporters didn’t drive the right cars to the convention. The people in charge need to go, they no longer represent the people, just themselves.
Everything was done above board yet some lawyer wrote something for Peter to present to the delegates… to dismiss them.
We don’t need these type of people in charge of anything. Lets clean house and replace all of them with consititutional republicans.
Why we must rally around Romney to beat Obama…(see link)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTDYHAyWR7A
Sure, and they will try to do what they are doing to the Ron Paul people. What the Repubs can’t figure out is that Paul is the only candidate on the R side who would get any cross-over votes from Dems. Instead, the Romney folks are showing their true colors.
First, they announced the results of the Repub. primary before Aroostook and Washington Counties votes. Then they tried rigging the convention. When that failed and Paul won anyways, they are going to appeal to the very manipulators the Paul people oppose to change the result. Anybody want to guess the results? It’s a wonder Charlie Summers hasn’t already declared that result too.
This shows how the Republican establishment will not listen to the results of an election. They have passed restrictive voter laws to shrink the electorate, sent out racist e-mails to their supporters and generally tried to rig the system. Then they have the kahunas to run as the party of American values! It might be the values that put Mitt on top, but it is a system that makes sure the ones on top stay on top no matter what they have to do.
“they no longer represent the people, just themselves.”
I hate to be the one to tell ya but that has been going on for years!
Boo-hoo, mainstream Republicans. It was fair and square at the convention. It was the Republicans who thought they would be a shoe- in who passed out the illegal ballots to confuse the voters. Democracy in action occurred at the Republican convention in Augusta, and those who have been in control for too many years are not able to handle the defeat.
The GOP might as well hand the keys to the White House back to Obama. Even FOX News admits that Romney cannot win in November without Ron Paul’s supporters, and the GOP’s “antics” to keep Ron Paul from the nomination have alienated Ron Paul’s supporters to the point where many (including this one) will not bother to vote at all if Ron Paul’s name is not on the ballot.
Stunts like this legal maneuver, or Louisiana’s arbitrary replacement of Ron Paul delegates with Romney supporters may seem like a good way to get Wall Street’s favorite son to the nomination, but the GOP is hoisting with their own petard and is throwing away the White House in their haste to “Get Ron Paul!”
and the 2 party system fulfills its duty again..that being to stifle any significant threats to the status quo, protect crony capitalism, and fill the pockets of shadowy banksters.
Ron Paul is a wackjob! Why would we want him?
The letter signed by Peter E. Cianchette, who ran unsuccessfully in 2002
for the Republican nomination for governor, and addressed to Demetra
Demonte, counsel for the RNC in Washington, D.C….
The last time Maine conservatives heard from Peter Cianchette was in 2006, when he dropped out of the gubernatorial race, after gearing up his campaign and making all manner of promises.
http://pinetreepolitics.bangordailynews.com/2009/09/21/what-is-peter-cianchette-up-to/
As I recall, there was some mention of “spending more time with family,” or some such explanation for his abrupt withdrawal.
How does Cianchette’s contesting the elected GOP delegates serve Maine conservatives?
His action probably serves about as well as your incessant whining and wild claims of
misdeeds at the convention and questioning of the legitimacy of the duly elected delegation during and immediately following the convention.
When did you get the marching orders to change your tune? Maybe Cianchette’s orders just got lost in the mail.
The problem I have with the process is that Ron Paul LOST the caucuses in Maine…
Then his Zombie Ronulans stuffed the convention and threw tantrums about “fairness,” having their “voices heard” and bring “represented.”
Bottom Line is Ron Paul LOST the statewide caucuses but walked away with 21 of 24 delegates, and took over some key positions in the party too.
But they’re still whining about what’s “fair!”
There was no binding statewide caucus so no one could “win” or “lose”.
The ONLY delegate selection process was the convention where the candidate with the most votes woin.
Dr. Paul’s supporters showed up en masse due to the fact that Charlie Webster cancelled/chose not to count results that favored Dr. Paul over Romney, and attempted to circumvent the convention rules by appointing a convention chairman prior to the event itself.
The appointee declined the appointment because he thought it lacked integrity.
Ron Paul supporters will never accept the fact that their candidate lost. This challenge isn’t about how the people voted, but about the selection of delegates. They desperately want a plurality of 5 states, so that Ron Paul’s name can be placed on the ballot at the national convention. It seems to be a ways to honor a retiring politician, and hopefully create a “brokered convention.” Even with that attempt Ron Paul has lost. The only person GOP candidate for president who might stand up for Ron Paul is the Libertarian Party’s candidate.
I’m not an R, but I have listened to Ron Paul numerous times on the radio. Although somewhat radical for my tastes, he cannot really be characterized as a politician.
I think one thing I agree on with Paul supporters (and many others), is that we need change. Corporate greed and ridiculous “help” programs from gov’t has resulted in an economy that keeps the bottom dependent. Dependent on corporate greed and the gov’t.
Unfortunately, the bought and paid for Congress is of no help at all, and the current occupant of the White House is too beholden to his big donors to pss them all off. He already lost the money from Wall Street, and it shows in his fund raising.
Romney says that our best days were when Bush II was in office, and his borrowing of all that “talent” shows what he thinks. What we don’t need is more Bush bank bailouts, more support of crony capitalism. Paul is one who would definitely shake that cozy relationship, and you can see what crony capitalism is doing to him and his supporters.
What is really sad is that so far, the Repub establishment has not even scheduled Paul for a speech at the convention. A man who toiled for years in the R field, who excited a lot of people to vote R. Now they are knuckling him to fold his tent, smile pretty for the camera, and kiss the Mitt ring. I hope he doesn’t bend to their wicked plans.
Ron Paul has done the best he has done in three attempts presidential
politics. Even with the passion of his he could no better than
Santorum or Gingrich. So, where are these cries for Santorum or Gingrich, who neither will have a speech at the convention. Or, is it just because Ron Paul is retiring from politics.
Figure out how the process works before you complain. The “Caucus” you refer to him losing was a silly straw poll on a torn piece of paper..having no actual bearing on the real process of election in a caucus state. It’s merely so they can come out and say that “our establishment candidate won, so through your weight behind him.”
Ron Paul “lost” the popular vote by a little over 100 votes. It was extremely close and therefore no surprise when so many of his supporters turned out at the caucus. The Romney folks were outnumbered and Paul supporters elected thier delegates fair and square.
It sounds like some of the party losers are crying over spilled milk; kinda like sore losers.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Saturday, July 28, 2012
CONTACT: Brent Littlefield, 877-441-5795 or Brent@LePage2010.com
STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR LEPAGE’S POLITICAL OFFICE REGARDING THE SEATING OF MAINE DELEGATES TO THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION.
Statement by Brent Littlefield, Senior Political Adviser to Governor LePage:
“Governor Paul LePage stands behind Maine Republican National Committeeman Rick Bennett’s position that all Maine Delegates should be seated at the Republican National Convention.
Only Maine GOP Party chair (Webster) and both National Committee members (Bennett and Staples) are guaranteed to go to Tampa. Gov. LePage very likely, but not guaranteed.
The tea party experiment just isn’t working. They just can’t seem to play well with others. And by others I mean other Republicans. The leader of this clan of misfits is none other then The Big Daddy of all things Tea in the Blaine House who has shown a knack for saying or doing really dumb things on a consistent basis . We have all seen what a marvelous job he has done making Maine the laughing stock of the entire Nation with his antics. Then they have Ol Crazy Charlie you know he of “the we tied up the vans, but we didn’t tie up the vans” and waving around papers he claimed were “proof of voter fraud”. They can’t even run a caucus without cheating. They declare winners before all the votes are counted. Their convention in Augusta was a circus show and now they are going to be marching down to Tampa to show the entire Nation and World just how screwed up Maine’s Republican Party has become under tea party control. Late night comedians and political cartoonist will have a blast and once again the State of Maine will be embarrassed.
Ron Paul is a Libertarian, not a Tea Party Guy, there really is a difference. Just Sayin’…
Yes, there is Cyndi
Actually Ron Paul is a Republican not a Libertarian. The Libertarian Party Candidate for President, who won his nomination, is Gary Johnson.
true he is a registered Republican, so he can attempt to get his message out there, but if you look at what he stands for he really is a Libertarian at heart. As difficult as it has been to get his message out there as a Republican, can you imagine trying to be taken seriously in this country, with our corporate controlled media, as a Libertarian ?
You listen to the MSM if you think Ron Paul is a Republican at all. I bet you also think Obama is a Democrat? Silly…
Is there really any need to define the “type” of insanity?
LOL
It’s working very, very well. Sorry you are unaware, but hey, that’s great for the party. Beware the silent majority.
The gang that can’t shoot straight is shooting themselves in the foot again. Good recipe for R losses both in Maine and for the presidency.
Ha Ha Ha, typical of a Republican that does not get their way, say the process was flawed, not that they lost. So his own party was so inept they could not hold a convention without voter fraud (no wonder they are up in arms about it, I did not know they had a problem in their party with it), widespread irregularities and lax security.
So explain to me why I should vote for any Republican to help run the State or the Country when they cannot run a convention? Not that I would vote fro a Republican this year, they are for the party and special interests, not the voters of the State of Maine, as our Governor often proves.
After reading this it becomes clear why the Republicans are so up in arms about voter fraud, they set the bar wicked low when it comes to their own voting processes, seems like trust is at an all time low.
Nice job, ratchet up the squabbling, put on your clown shoes and kick the wheels off your clown car!
If the Republican party can’t even decide whom to send to their own convention, how can we possibly believe they’d accomplish anything in public office?
Sounds like there were many more instances of voters abusing a system during this one small event than has been documented in years and years of general elections. Mr. Summers, take care of your own house first and foremost before speing forth any more nonsense about voter fraud.
Should have asked for photo ID?
I was a Ron Paul delegate at the state convention, and I can tell you that the Romney agents pulled every dirty trick in the book to undermine the rules and the process. We had the numbers, and we beat them fair and square. What a bunch of children. Doesn’t Romney have it “in the bag”, anyway?
“Bottom Line is Ron Paul LOST the statewide caucuses but walked away with 21 of 24 delegates, and took over some key positions in the party too.”
In every state a small percentage of voters generally turn out to vote in any caucus or primary. The majority of that percentage is said to “speak” for all the rest of the population of that state. These voters are then free to continue in the process of choosing by majority vote delegates to represent their party, or to go home and leave it to others.
Generally, everyone chose to go home and leave it to other except for Ron Paul’s supporters. His supporters then became the small percentage of caucus voters who stayed and won the right to speak for all the other voters.
I find it ironic that when pundits, the old guard RNC, and Romney supporters describe the process they paint the picture as if the whole state had chosen someone else in the primary or caucus; and not just that a small percentage of the electorate did by turning out for the beauty contest vote.
In describing what happened in the appointment of delegates, they say it’s wrong that so few get to “game the system” and speak for everyone else, when everyone else really never bothered to vote at all yet. Just ask the RNC: how many voters are there in Maine? how many are registered as republicans or independents? how many votes were cast during the primary/caucus? why is it ok that they get to speak for everyone else; just because they showed up? isn’t that exactly what Ron Paul’s supporters did too?
“Bottom Line is Ron Paul LOST the statewide caucuses but walked away with 21 of 24 delegates, and took over some key positions in the party too.”
In every state a small percentage of voters generally turn out to vote in any caucus or primary. The majority of that percentage is said to “speak” for all the rest of the population of that state. These voters are then free to continue in the process of choosing by majority vote delegates to represent their party, or to go home and leave it to others.
Generally, everyone chose to go home and leave it to other except for Ron Paul’s supporters. His supporters then became the small percentage of caucus voters who stayed and won the right to speak for all the other voters.
I find it ironic that when pundits, the old guard RNC, and Romney supporters describe the process they paint the picture as if the whole state had chosen someone else in the primary or caucus; and not just that a small percentage of the electorate did by turning out for the beauty contest vote.
In describing what happened in the appointment of delegates, they say it’s wrong that so few get to “game the system” and speak for everyone else, when everyone else really never bothered to vote at all yet. Just ask the RNC: how many voters are there in Maine? how many are registered as republicans or independents? how many votes were cast during the primary/caucus? why is it ok that they get to speak for everyone else; just because they showed up? isn’t that exactly what Ron Paul’s supporters did too?
You fools who keep licking republican boots…maybe THIS will wake you up to the fact that the party couldn’t care less about you and just suckers you in with fear and hate mongering…Nah, you love fear and hate mongering too much to realize that and you will continue to be duped by these charlatans.
deleted
If
you are a supporter of the democratic process here in Maine and
America, help defend it by signing this petition to support all of the
duly elected delegates and alternates to the National Convention that
will be held the last week of August in Tampa…
Petition to Support the Maine National Delegationmainelibertyrepublican.wufoo.com
What if the people are trying to support a wackjob?
direct link to petition:
http://mainelibertyrepublican.wufoo.com/forms/z7x3p9/
I think that if people were to calm down and just focus on the situation instead of “Red vs. Blue” we’d all see everyone’s points/worries, and be able to come to a compromised decision on all of the issues… If there is belief that the delegates were chosen illegally/against the rules, then by all means, no matter who you support you should stand behind a re-vote involving the same group of people as before! “Personally as a Ron Paul supporter”, I believe that this is just a way for the Republican party to try and make it seem “AGAIN”, as if everyone is behind Romney, because if he truly is the front-runner for the Republican candidate, then why is the Republican party so worried about Ron Paul winning Maine when he “apparently” has a majority with or without it?
……. On a side note about Medicare and Social Security and all this Health Care discussion; How is it that anyone can morally expect someone else to pay for them to receive a “special program” that they themselves have been told “and facts prove” is going to be non-existent for them? That would be like expecting someone to feed you, when they know that they themselves won’t have any food to eat! The BIG reason, as to why our generation doesn’t want Nationalized Healthcare, is because this is, (government program wise), the same type of program that Social Security and Medicare were presented as to the American people before. But, unlike our past generations/ancestors we believe that it is not the responsibility of our children to take care our mistakes and shortcomings. NO CANDIDATE wants to eliminate any of the programs that exist “including Ron Paul”. He just believes that you should be able to CHOOSE on being in/paying into these programs. And that if you choose to be in them, you should only get out, what you put into them, which I believe everyone can/should agree on being fair! “Not to mention by doing this, it cuts away at a HUGE amount of our deficit”!
I see a storm bubbling up from the sea ……..
And it’s coming closer And it’s coming closer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKe8HTPTlFQ
Maine isn’t the only challenge to Ron Paul delegates, the Romney campaign is determined to prevent Ron Paul from getting a nomination speach at the RNC. Here’s the video of what happened in Louisiana where RP delegates had a majority and the establishment tried to circumvent the rules to stop them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k884ZKUNwbo
Oh please…stop swinging after the bell. And, State Party, you do know how silly this looks at the national level to say you screwed up the convention (trying to suppress Paul supporters) and that’s the reason you want to suppress Paul delegates.