When Maine Republican Senate President Kevin Raye announced his bid for the 2nd Congressional District seat earlier this year, he positioned himself for a rematch. He and incumbent Democratic Rep. Mike Michaud battled each other 10 years ago for the same seat in a hotly contested race. Raye, who is term limited out of the Maine Senate, insists that the landscape is different this time, and believes the 2nd District is ready to elect a Republican. But first, he has to defeat fellow GOP hopeful Blaine Richardson in the June primary.

Having dispensed with its work on the state budget, the Maine House and Senate are now in the process of approving five bond proposals totalling just over $95 million dollars. The borrowing packages targeting specific transportation projects, research and development and conservation are being enthusiastically supported only a year after lawmakers refused to approve any bonds at all. But some Republicans say they can't justify borrowing more money when the state has not met many of its financial obligations, particularly to Maine hospitals.

Having dispensed with its work on the state budget, the Maine House and Senate are now in the process of approving five bond proposals totalling just over $95 million dollars. The borrowing packages targeting specific transportation projects, research and development and conservation are being enthusiastically supported only a year after lawmakers refused to approve any bonds at all. But some Republicans say they can't justify borrowing more money when the state has not met many of its financial obligations, particularly to Maine hospitals.

He says he's young enough to be optimistic and energetic and yet old enough to have significant real world experience. Twenty-nine-year-old Patrick Calder is one of the Republicans vying to capture the 1st District congressional seat currently held by Democrat Chellie Pingree. Ed Morin has this MPBN Your Vote 2012 profile.

For nearly two years, former Lisbon Town Selectman Scott D'Amboise was the lone Republican challenger to Sen. Olympia Snowe. But once she dropped her bid for re-election in February, five other Republican candidates swooped in in a matter of weeks. In the crowded field, D'Amboise must now also compete for tea party support in order to get to Washington. Patty Wight has this Your Vote 2012 profile.

As bonds go, it's a small one, just $5 million. But supporters of the bond to replenish the Land for Maine's Future program said it faces an uphill battle even though polls show most voters overwhelmingly support the idea of preserving wildlife habitat and public access. That's because the bond is competing against four others totaling more than $95 million dollars. And because it will need a two-thirds vote in both the Maine House and Senate to withstand a possible veto from the governor. Conservationists and sportsmen are concerned about what that could mean for projects underway across the state.

Among the projects that would benefit from the LMF bond is a conservation initiative known as "Mount A2Sea," short for Mount Agamenticus to the Sea. The aim of the program is to protect a network of connected natural resources within a 48,000 acre area of York county in southern Maine. The 'MountA2C' initiative currently controls 13,000 acres of the focus area. The aim is to have a further 6,000 acres under protection by 2032. State bond money is a crucial element of the initiative, and supporters say that without it, landowners who take part in the initiative will be under increasing pressure to sell to developers.

The Maine organization campaigning to support same-sex marriage on this November's ballot was the lucky recipient of a large gift today. Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes and his fiancee, Sean Eldridge, pledged $100,000 to "Mainers United for Marriage." In light of this financial boost, MPBN Patty Wight checked in on campaigns on both sides of the issue to see how each is faring in the fundraising department.

Bruce Poliquin, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, will be including the fact that he recycled some two-year-old video footage from his bid for governor in his next campaign spending report to the Federal Elections Commission. Although Maine law permits political candidates to reuse campaign materials in future races, federal law expressly bans the use of non-federal funds or assets in federal races.

Republican Rick Bennett won a key endorsement today in his bid to replace Olympia Snowe in the U.S. Senate. The Republican Liberty Caucus said Bennett would do the most to promote individual liberty, limited government and free market economics, if voters send him to Washington. They're the same values Bennett has championed in a career that includes service in the Maine House and Senate, extensive work in the private sector and a previous run for Congress.