Maine Senator Olympia Snowe Will not Seek Reelection in Blow to GOP
- Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:27pm by
Tiffany Gabbay
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PORTLAND, Maine (The Blaze/AP) — Maine’s U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe says she’s not running for re-election.
The three-term senator’s campaign office issued a statement Tuesday afternoon that was confirmed by her campaign manager. The Republican senator said in the statement that she was confident she would’ve won re-election but said she was frustrated by “an atmosphere of polarization and ”my way or the highway ideologies.”
A portion of her statement read:
“After an extraordinary amount of reflection and consideration, I am announcing today that I will not be a candidate for re-election to the United States Senate.
After 33 years in the Congress this was not an easy decision. My husband and I are in good health. We have laid an exceptionally strong foundation for the campaign, and I have no doubt I would have won re-election. It has been an indescribable honor and immeasurable privilege to serve the people of Maine, first in both houses of Maine’s legislature and later in both houses of Congress. To this day, I remain deeply passionate about public service, and I cherish the opportunity I have been given for nearly four decades to help improve the lives of my fellow Mainers.”
Snowe has served 33 years in Congress.
UPDATE: Blaze Assistant Editor Mytheos Holt managed to get an exclusive interview with one of Snowe’s former Tea Party-affiliated primary challengers, now turned full-fledged Independent alternative candidate. Now that Snowe is no longer running, Ian Dodge arguably has a good shot at running a real race. Some excerpts from the interview below:
Mytheos Holt: What makes you specifically a Tea Party candidate? What are your credentials?
Andrew Ian Dodge: Well, I do not call myself a tea party candidate as the movement is not a party and thus does not have candidates. However the fact I was involved in the tea party movement from its beginning does give me some cred one would hope. I like to call myself a tea party sourced candidate. I was Tea Party Patriots Maine coordinator for Maine and organized the first event in April 2009.Until I announced my run for the US Senate in 2011 I was heavily involved with the TPP at all levels. I did many interviews about the tea party movement with press both foreign and domestic. The TPP values of limited government, free market and fiscal conservatism have always been my guiding political principles. I was part of the team that came up with those three simple phrases for the TPP at its inception.Holt: You recently dropped your membership in the Republican Party. Why?Dodge: I was disgusted by the advertisements circulated by Charlie Webster on the “same day voting” registration referendum. They were jingoistic and xenophobic. I called for his resignation then. Charlie Webster remains the head of the Republican Party of Maine and was responsible for the caucus farce. The purposeful disenfranchisement and vote suppression flies in the face of the reason I got involved in the tea party movement in the first place. I believe that we need as many people involved in the process rather than as few as possible. For Webster to call anyone criticizing the results “wingnuts” and slamming the caucus Chairs all over the state was a disgrace. The fact he is still in his job speaks volumes.I received emails and calls from friends and supporters doubting whether or not the primary process would be fair and suggesting I leave the Republican Party. My Northern Maine spokesman and organizer Randy Hughes-King left the party the Monday after the caucus “result” announcement as he was disgusted with the farce. For the Republican Party of Maine to be driving away able talented keen young adults out of arrogance and elitism reflects badly on their future.Holt: What do you see as the most pressing battle over the coming years?Dodge: Foreign policy is always a concern of course but it is to a certain extent out of our control. The US needs to support our allies like Israel while at the same time stop sending billions to countries that hate us. The link between the foreign and domestic issues is oil. We need to drill here, drill now. Using our consumption of foreign as a de facto suppliment to foreign aid is just wrong. We need to stop chasing unproven technology with the already over-taxed American public’s money and let private innovative companies rise or fall on their own merits. Ultimately the US needs to cut the size of its government, eliminate the deficit and pay off the debt. We need to chance the tax system whether it is by Cain’s 9/9/9 plan or with a flat tax. Just twiddling with the current system is not going to fix the problem.
The President says he’s Christian but you know, he’s exercising a lot of Muslim faith too. Me personally, I’m a Christian conservative and I don’t hold any malice to anybody whether they’re Muslim or Jewish or Catholic or anything else. It’s the fact that everybody has a right to believe in what they do. Am I concerned? Of course I’m concerned, but I’m concerned of all of his views as president. I don’t think he’s been a good president at all. He’s very underqualified for the position. And I just believe that he needs to come forward with his views a little bit clearer.
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Comments (222)
2smart
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:46pmI don’t see this as a bad thing. She voted against the common sense solution all the time. Good Riddance, now let’s go find a REAL conservative, even in Maine!
Report Post »BoyScout_Mom
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 6:03pmThis blows how exactly?…
YIPPEE! Middle-Earthers UNITE!
Report Post »AJAYW
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 6:04pmRight on mark
Report Post »hidden_lion
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 6:10pmHow is this a blow to the GOP? More like a blow to the Dems, who she votes with most of the time.
Report Post »jjoy
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 6:18pmYep….
snowe is a staunch obamacare supporter… Losing her is Bad for obama and his dims, good for the American voter!
Report Post »Bum thrower
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 6:20pmGood riddance; she had a tea party challenger, and was probably gonna loose.
Report Post »turkey13
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 6:22pmEver notice that the Republicans have to much ethics to run a member as a Democrat!
Report Post »orkydorky
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 6:34pmNow we need a similar announcement from a certain woman senator from Alaska!!!!
Report Post »NOKOOLAIDDRINKER
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 6:39pmI still don’t see how she ever called herself a Republican!! GOOD BYE!!
Report Post »JP16
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 6:43pmGoing to be hard to really find a hardcore Republican in Maine that actually can win. LePage is only the governor because the Democrats didn’t think enough to demand that their weak candidate drop out to help the moderate Democrat running as an Independent.
Could be interesting though if one of the strong ones comes out and gets Pingree to bite and go after the seat, I would love to see her out completely. She’s about as supportive of Obama as his wife.
Report Post »BreeZee
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 7:10pmSnow needs to take Collins withg her. They are part of the reason we have obuma socalist agenda slamed down or throat. Both are RINO’s to the tenth power.
Report Post »Armed Patriot
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 7:28pmHOORAY!!!!! As Pat might sing (scream)…
HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN,
this stupid twit votes like a dem,
might as well just elect one than,
HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN!!!
Feel free Pat to use this tomorrow.
Report Post »The Jewish Avenger
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 8:02pmI dont know guys Pingree, her sugar daddy hubby Sunamuma (?) and Sorass has this state cornered with BUTT LOADS of liberal trash money.
I always scratched my head when she voted the way she did but she is Jock’s little lady after all (John McKernan (R), Governor in the late 1980′s).
If Pingree doesn’t run for the Democratic ticket then there may be a chance but it will be a NASTY campaign. If Mother Teresa was running by the end she’d be accused of having an infant sweatshop and gave birth to an HIV baby without treatment. (Trust me, these jerks have no limits).
So lets see in November: Maine is looking at…a vote for President, a vote for the Senate seat and a vote ONCE again to legalize gay marriage. I would say if there is ANY way to police the polling areas, you will catch illegal voters by the 10′s of thousands that month (Concentrate in Portland, Lewiston/Auburn and Bangor) if you were going to go for broke and try to trick the numbers, this would be it.
Plus some idiots also voted down that people can be asked if they live here or not or some new dumb law like that… so should be “fun!”
So if “As Maine goes, so does the country”, then what if its full of liberal money that screws the voters over then?
Report Post »pavepaws
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 8:11pmWhat will the Democrats do now?
Report Post »dirigo
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 8:24pmYippee and good riddance! I’m sure like myself most of the State has already sent her an email and told her they will never vote for her again! She’s nothing but a RINO! Collins isn’t any different. She is infact behind this Internet Takeover Act of 2012…. She is one of the sponsors… If she was up for re-election this time she would be out too!
Report Post »Detroit paperboy
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 8:48pmI didnt realize she was a Republican….. Good riddance….. B%#¥+h
Report Post »tmplarnite
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 10:54pmLiberalism is mental disorder…and this RINO has it…her brain rotted away years ago…she has been voting stupid for her 33 years. OMG the stupid voters kept putting this thing back into office to slip them the big green one every time she voted…goodbye, adios, so long, Get out ya‘ lyin’ witch.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 11:41pmNO Loss… now, they can run a Full Communist for the seat!
Report Post »RgnCnsrv1
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 11:43pmThis is actually great. My favorite passtime is emailing Snowe and Collins and telling them they are both RINOS. Glad she is gone and wish she would take Collins with her!!!
Report Post »Jacksonian2012
Posted on February 29, 2012 at 1:42amI agree , let her twin sister go too.
Report Post »ddg7
Posted on February 29, 2012 at 7:19amToo bad she can’t take Susan Collins with her!
Report Post »tifosa
Posted on February 29, 2012 at 9:09amLove to see the cheering. This may be a step toward Dems keeping the Senate so your applause is appreciated :^)
Report Post »happ77
Posted on February 29, 2012 at 9:23amNo one should serve for 33yrs.
Term limits !
ABO
Report Post »little big man
Posted on February 29, 2012 at 9:29amare you kidding me. she probably had a meeting with DNC and said I will step down so you can have my seat.
Report Post »but she voted democrat most of the time. goodbye douche bag.
fblair
Posted on February 29, 2012 at 10:19amHow can this be a blow to the GOP, loosing a ‘liberal’ Republican is the best thing we could expect. She never voted for conservative ideas.
Report Post »tifosa
Posted on February 29, 2012 at 10:24amRep. David Dreier (R-Calif.) announces he will retire. eeenteresting.
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:45pmI love Maine and have visited there several times. The sights are wonderful, the seafood is excellent, and love the beaches with the dark gray sand and picturesque light houses. But, I truly wonder if there is even a Republican in the state that is even remotely conservative and will run for this woman’s soon to be former seat?
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:52pmOh yeah, forgot to mention that I also will not miss this female version of Richard Lugar.
Report Post »turkey13
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 6:26pmThe President just announced Nov. 2ND as a national day of mourning since one of his best friends won’t be running for re-election. Compared this to the loss of Ted Kennedy.
Report Post »bigspike
Posted on February 29, 2012 at 6:00amin the 70′s, Maine was overrun by transplants from the hippiefreak communities and communes in NY, PA, NJ, etc…they came ‘for the rural’, and they’ve turned a state that once was known for independence and individualism into Vermont 2.0
Report Post »happ77
Posted on February 29, 2012 at 2:01pmBigspike, They came to be closer to the Canadian border, the Draft.
Report Post »Patriot of My America
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:45pmLet her leave in disgrace, She is a Oboma lover, and just could not stand to oppose him , oh thats right she supported the socialist. She is not any color of American Patriot as can see. The Rose colored glasses are off and she is clearly tarnish material. I am just wondering How much here life time pension will cost. And did you know Congress put an exception clause in the Obama Health care bill \ they are opted OUT. Thats right that Socialist liberty killing Law does not apply to those whom passed it..
Report Post »TOMSERVO
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:59pmSo you guys really believe that half of America is not American? Yikes.
Report Post »hidden_lion
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 6:21pmTomservo-
Report Post »I am willing to bet less than 40% of Americans are real Americans. The fact that a significant portion of Americans vote to put liberty thieves into office and then keep them there. Most Americans of either party seem content with government intervention into private matters. The only difference is which matters they think the government can and should control.
The American revolution was only supported by approx. 20% percent of the population.
TheSoundOf Truth
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 8:27pmHalf of Americans alive today have been born, bread, and educated to be pawns of the “collective” socialist machine that has been building steam across the globe since 1848, and even as far back as 1797.
It took 5 + generations, but now the communist manifesto has become *the* standard by which the rest of the world follows. The entire school system was created to indoctrinate those principles into the mind of the youth so that eventually, “We are all socialists now”, as Newsweek put it…
Report Post »jasmer
Posted on February 29, 2012 at 7:20amTomservo – put more correctly, ~40% of Americans essentially think Socialism is a better model than Capitalism. Probably only half of those are true Communists/Marxists/Fascists, but that’s still a frightening number of people who are disconnected from reality.
Report Post »danboy53
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:44pmGood riddance, anoher RINO bites the dust.
We would have been better off with Demorat in her position, at leaset we would have known where we stood.
Report Post »2theADDLED
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 6:15pmI concur
Report Post »Almost always voted with the left.
mobynowak
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:42pmYeeehah! Opportunity for a conservative to fill that seat.
Report Post »Chuck Stein
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 7:07pmYup. A chance, at least.
Report Post »The Jewish Avenger
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 8:07pmCross your fingers.
Report Post »Marine25
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 8:21pmSlim and none. You can bet no Republicans are happy about this, only tea partiers that simply don‘t understand that you can’t purge the party of anyone who isn’t crazy. Snowe is one of the few moderates left and her seat will be easily won by a Democrat. Enthusiastic cheering for the retirement of the senator whose views probably reflect those of most independent voters more than any other member will only serve to alienate the moderate majority of voters who will decide general and statewide elections for years to come outside of the deep south. And I am certain that’s exactly why the tone-deaf tea party will cheer so enthusiastically. Obama won left leaning Maine by 17 points, running a right wing fundamentalist for her seat is giving the seat away. Shouldn’t the GOP run someone who reflects the views and philosophies of the good people of Maine, since that’s who they would be representing? Was nothing learned from running Christine O’Donnell in Delaware?
Report Post »13th Imam
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 11:12pmWell Marine25, since when most important votes came up she stabbed the R’s in the back. How would you like as a marine on patrol to be backed up by someone like pinchface covering your back?
Report Post »M 4 Colt
Posted on February 29, 2012 at 6:25am@Marine25, your joking right, if she is what you consider a moderate then that would make Maine about as left wing as California and another moderate rino like her would be NO HELP at all to the Conservative Republican party.
Report Post »cuinsong
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:41pmPersonally I am glad to see her go! She was a RINO people and voted against the good things and voted for the bad. I think we will be better off with someone else even if it is a dim! We at least will know what to expect.
Report Post »This song is descriptive of what her kind has wrought on this country called “Diversity” http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_11826046
Quagaar Warrior
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:41pm~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Report Post »One more RINO down the tubes!
Weed out the RINOs in the primaries then the Dems in the general!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
bhelmet
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:40pmSaves someone a primary against her – BIG blow to ESTABLISHMENT GOP – good for liberty loving Maine folk. I hope Maine chooses well.
Report Post »hatchetjob
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 8:38pmMe too, and hope Maine chooses someone who has natural hair coloring.
Report Post »Fearnone
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:39pm33 years!!! Sounds to me like 30 years too late. Another fine example of much needed Term Limits.
Report Post »CMDR6
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:47pmWOW, I missed that part….33 years in DC…..that would mess up anybody’s brain
Report Post »banjarmon
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:39pmNo more Snowe in Maine!!!!!….Reason…. Global warming???
Report Post »momprayn
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:38pmA “blow”? Can’t wait to get rid of this RINO.
Report Post »Bluesurf
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:34pmfake and a fraud.
Report Post »jds7171
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:43pmin other words,I feel I have already milked the cow for as much as I can. I feel like I can retire.
Report Post »Fus Patrol
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:33pmHardly a blow to the GOP, she was a spineless lib RINO anyway. Good riddance, more need to follow her lead. She sees the writing on the wall, lib RINO influence is diminishing. Great for TEA party!!!
Report Post »Baddoggy
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:38pmShe is almost left of Obama! Good riddance!!!
Report Post »CMDR6
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:41pmAmen….Maine let us know if there are any good people we can back up there!
Report Post »The Jewish Avenger
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 8:11pmIf there is one, the liberalistic food stamp state newspapers would NEVER announce it. If its a RINO in conservative clothing and in their back pockets, they’ll make sure we know… It’s very discouraging.
Report Post »desert buckeye
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:33pmThis is a loss to the Party? The only difference between her and a liberal democrat is the R next to her name. Goodbye…can’t happen soon enough!
Report Post »hatchetjob
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 8:43pmNo kidding, I’m opening up the champagne tonight!
Report Post »tuppergun
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:33pmAfter 33 years its time she left anyway.
Report Post »Bluesurf
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:33pmGood riddance to a liberal fake phoney fraud! and a hag too! Now go slip into the crack.
Report Post »GMAN455
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:33pmDon’t let the door hit you in the *ss RINNNNNOOOOOOOO
Report Post »lcallday
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:32pmIt’s a blow alright.
Report Post »cripplecreek
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:32pmWell….
Bye
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:32pmIt’s a man, Baby.
Report Post »eyedoc5
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:31pmouch …
Report Post »TMunson
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:31pmWhat a load of BS…
Report Post »I wont miss that RINO
CatB
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:36pmI agree .. she is just a DemocRAT with an R behind her name.
Report Post »RightPolitically
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:31pmLet me translate: Olympia Snow can’t stand the fact that conservatism has taken hold of the Republican Party and soon…… THE ENTIRE COUNTRY! Bye, bye Ms. Snow.
Report Post »Norm D. Plume
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:30pmThis is not a blow to the GOP. This is a blessing.
Report Post »hatchetjob
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 8:46pmAmen, and pass the bubbly to celebrate!
Report Post »TOMSERVO
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 5:30pmSounds like she’s (rightfully) fed up with her own party. Good lookin’ out, lady!
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