Lots to report this week! I won the endorsement of another prominent legislator, attended the annual Potato Blossom Festival in Aroostook County, and had the grand opening of my hometown headquarters in Bangor.
I want to thank Senator Elizabeth Schneider of Orono for her endorsement. Sen. Schneider is seeking her fourth term in the Senate, where she chairs the important Business, Research and Economic Development Committee. She joins Senator Dennis Damon and Representative Leila Percy in publicly supporting my candidacy. I thank all three for their courage and leadership. I know it isn’t easy to go against your party’s nominee, but these legislators (along with the list of prominent Republicans whose support we announced recently), are putting Maine’s future ahead of partisan politics. That’s what Maine people want.
Like we say, we have the biggest tent in this race and all are welcome!
Sen. Schneider greets supporters at the Bangor office opening.
I kicked off my trip to The County with a visit to the McCrum family farm, where Darrell McCrum brought together a group of local farmers to talk about agricultural issues. From there we went on to Easton for a tour of the McCain’s potato processing plant. Most of the McDonald’s restaurants in New England are made from good, Maine potatoes at the McCain’s facility, which is spotless, and the fries are delicious! Later that afternoon, I toured the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle which will be on the 2011 Biathlon World Cup schedule.
Friday evening we went to the Maine Potato Board Industry dinner, where we were served a delicious steak and potato dinner and saw lots of wonderful people. The highlight of the evening was the harmonica duet from the Farm Family of the Year.
On Saturday, we drove to the St. John Valley for a breakfast meeting at Rock’s Family Diner in Fort Kent, before returning to Fort Fairfield to march with supporters in the huge Potato Blossom Festival parade. After the parade, Melanie and I were treated to a family BBQ at the home of new friends and supporters Janet and Chip Beckwith.
It’s always a good time in The County, and thanks to everyone who gave Melanie and me such a warm welcome.
We had a wonderful time at Chip Beckwith’s BBQ.
I was thrilled to have the grand opening of my hometown headquarters in Bangor Tuesday. Many old family friends, along with lots of great new supporters, were there. My good friend and supporter Richard Stone joined me for the official ribbon cutting – thanks Richard!
Richard Stone prepares to cut the ribbon on Bangor!
This week, I am campaigning in Auburn, the Greater Portland area, Hollis, Gardiner, and Augusta.
Have a great week and I’ll see you on the campaign trail!
P.S. Please help us spread the word of my Independent Candidacy by forwarding this email to your friends and family!
Eliot Surges in Latest Poll
A new poll released Monday showed that Eliot has more than doubled his support in the state while support for both Mitchell and LePage is slipping. This is exactly the kind of momentum we want at this stage of the campaign.
The Portland Press Herald article reported “declines for the two major-party candidates and a surge for independent Eliot Cutler.” Cutler campaign manager Ted O’Meara is quoted:
“After the primary, we went up on TV with a modest ad buy, and to double support while Mitchell and LePage are trending downward is exactly where we want to be.”
http://www.pressherald.com/news/cutler-surges-in-poll-as-lepage-mitchell-decline_2010-07-20.html
The Barefoot Contessa’s Visit on July 30th
By now, I hope you have received an electronic invitation to the lunch with Ina Garten on July 30th. We are getting a great response, and I hope you can join us.
The private reception is already sold out, but there is plenty of room left for the buffet lunch and conversation with Eliot and Ina.
You can register at the below link and please make sure to send the invitation along to your foodie friends:
http://cutler2010.com/2010/07/join-eliot-for-lunch-with-the-barefoot-contessa-on-july-30th/
Additional Media Coverage
Eliot continued to receive excellent media coverage this past week, in addition to the press on the released poll.
Eliot is quoted in prominent National blog, Politico, in an article titled, “2010: The Year of the Independent?”
“The [Democrats and Republicans] nominated very extreme candidates, at the far end of both parties,” he said of Democratic nominee Libby Mitchell and GOP standard-bearer Paul LePage. “[F]or a candidate like me … it’s really liberating, because I say what I think; I don’t sugarcoat anything, and I don’t have to balance what one group wants against what another group wants.”
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/39758.html
Every Donation Counts
As a privately funded campaign, we are depending on you to help us raise the funds we need to be successful. Please contribute online today or mail your check to Cutler 2010, P.O. Box 15277, Portland, ME 04112. The maximum contribution is $750 — per individual or business — but every contribution helps.
Our website allows you to make contributions automatically every month. Some of Eliot’s most loyal supporters have chosen this as the best way for them to support the campaign, with contributions of just $10 or $20 a month. That’s a great way to help the campaign!
Thank you.
Stay in Touch with the Campaign
You can follow Eliot’s campaign on our website, www.Cutler2010.com and on our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.
If you want to get in touch with the campaign, please give us a call at 207-699-4401 (toll free, 877-213-5112) or email us at campaign@cutler2010.com.
