Olympia Snowe to Retire Update: Last Minute Decision?
Senator Olympia Snowe announced moments ago on her Facebook page that she would not be running for re-election:
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.
This move may be a welcome development for Maine's Tea Party-backed Governor, Paul LePage, who will now be free to endorse a more conservative candidate. LePage drew ire last year from Conservatives for declaring that he would support Snowe's re-election. For LePage, though, it was a matter of personal loyalty:
[LePage] says Snowe’s late hus[b]and Peter Snowe helped to get him off welfare and into college. His support for Senator Snowe, he says, “transcends politics,” due to his relationship with and “respect” for the Snowe family.
I used to live in Maine (I grew up there), but I'm not up on who might run to replace her. Anyone have any ideas? Both Maine's US Representatives are Democrats.
Governor Paul LePage and Senator Olympia Snowe walk in the
Moxie Day Parade, Lisbon Falls, Maine, July 9, 2009
Update: Bangor Daily News (H/T HotAir):
Snowe’s reason for taking a pass on re-election, especially when she was so enthusiastically running up to this point, and especially as close to the filing deadline as this is, are mysterious. As I said before, this kind of thing does not happen in politics.
I am told her own staff was unaware of this decision until just hours before the statement went out – just long enough to actually work on the release and send it out.
Interesting. What could be her reasons? I'm thinking something akin to why David Palmer didn't run for a second presidential term!
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Mar '11
Re: Olympia Snowe to Retire Update: Last Minute Decision?
Is Meg Whitman?
Jun '10
Re: Olympia Snowe to Retire Update: Last Minute Decision?
Troy Senik, Ed.: I've never begrudged Snowe her ideology -- in certain states, you're going to have to accept someone of her moderate ilk for the Senate if you want to create a governing majority.
What I do resent, however, is the way she went out. Apparently, neither Mitch McConnell nor John Cornyn knew of this announcement before this morning. Maine would be a very tough contest for the GOP under any circumstances, but the state's filing deadline is March 15 -- two weeks from Thursday -- and now they're working from scratch. It says something about Snowe that she chose to end her career by abandoning her supposed allies. · 3 hours ago
Edited 3 hours ago
Class act.
Feb '12
Re: Olympia Snowe to Retire Update: Last Minute Decision?
I love how people in Congress whine about Washington or about partisanship - as if they weren't part of it. She has been raising serious money and campaigning with energy up until now, to announce two weeks from the deadline is... odd. In any case, I don't know anything about Maine Republicans. The party might be in serious trouble.
The partisan vote usually includes votes where the parties has staked opposing positions, naming post offices doesn't count. To be at 58 percent essentially makes Snowe an independent not a Republican. I'd rather have a chance to put a real conservative or reformer up than have a career politician like Snowe up for re-election.
I feel the same way about Lugar and Hatch - although I don't have much against them. I just believe strongly in term limits and that 20+ years in Congress is long enough. If you haven't accomplished what you set out to accomplish yet, you probably never will.
Oct '10
Re: Olympia Snowe to Retire Update: Last Minute Decision?
an opportunity for the tea party to show that it can still win in a blue state, or an automatic dem pickup?
Aug '11
Re: Olympia Snowe to Retire Update: Last Minute Decision?
Did anyone ever bemoan partisanship when he was getting his way?
Feb '11
Re: Olympia Snowe to Retire Update: Last Minute Decision?
Non-Partisan: When the rest of the Republican party is as RINO as she is. Sorry, but I'd rather have a clear choice between two distinct parties than the non-choice of two parties who both think exactly alike.
As for her voting record, she always struck me as being similar to the double-agent in a spy movie who goes along with the side he's buffaloing on the little things in order to not blow his cover - and thereby be in position to do some harm when it really counts.
Sep '10
Re: Olympia Snowe to Retire Update: Last Minute Decision?
Nice fake out, Olympia! This is her parting gift to the GOPers who advocated for her and her occasional votes. The pragmatic wing of the Republican party (as they annoint themselves) has but one data point: votes. They don't account for other forms of betrayal large and small.
Jun '11
Re: Olympia Snowe to Retire Update: Last Minute Decision?
Snowe's husband, John McKernan, a 63 year old Republican, was a Maine Congressman from 1983-1987 and governor from 1987-1995. Maybe he'll run.
Nov '10
Re: Olympia Snowe to Retire Update: Last Minute Decision?
Or do it the way I've seen it done down here: run the winnable race and resign after re-election so that one's friendly governor can appoint someone one like's in one's place.
Oct '10
Re: Olympia Snowe to Retire Update: Last Minute Decision?
Stuart Creque
Tristan Abbey
You're on! ;-) If she hasn't been appointed by May 1, let's say? · 2 hours ago
You got it. · 12 hours ago
Real conservatives bet $10,000.
Jun '10
Re: Olympia Snowe to Retire Update: Last Minute Decision?
Stuart Creque
Tristan Abbey
You're on! ;-) If she hasn't been appointed by May 1, let's say? · 2 hours ago
You got it. · 12 hours ago
How 'bout ambassador to Syria?
Oct '11
Re: Olympia Snowe to Retire Update: Last Minute Decision?
I hope the Maine Republican party can find a candidate who can win. If they can I'm sure many at here Ricochet will find that person unacceptable, because they are way too moderate. I doubt a hard line conservative can be elected to the senate in New England today. Conservatives need to convince New Englanders that conservatism is a superior political philosophy, until we do we are lucky to have any elected Republicans in the region.
Feb '12
Re: Olympia Snowe to Retire Update: Last Minute Decision?
I don't know much about Maine politics, but isn't the new governor a tea party guy? Maine leans liberal but has a ton of independents. Its not exactly a win for dems now that Snowe is out. Also, I don't think a hard line conservative is necessary for their to be an improvement from Olympia Snowe. Someone like Kelly Ayotte in neighboring New Hampshire would work. To make things happen we don't need 100 Jim DeMints in the Senate, we just need to cut down on the career politicians like Olympia Snowe, Dick Lugar, Bill Nelson, etc.
The more retirements the merrier I say.
Jul '11
Re: Olympia Snowe to Retire Update: Last Minute Decision?
Tristan Abbey:
We tolerate her moderation/squishiness on certain issues and in exchange she votes with the GOP 58% of the time. · 19 hours ago
The real question is how many times she votes with the GOP when it matters. If it's an important issue, or closely decided, how often does she make the right call? My bet is a lot less than 58%.
-E
May '11
Re: Olympia Snowe to Retire Update: Last Minute Decision?
We have her to thank for ObamaCare. She broke with Republicans and voted with Democrats for cloture on a critical motion, and lectured us all that there would be plenty of opportunities to defeat it later.
My guess is that somebody reminded her of that fact.
May '11
Re: Olympia Snowe to Retire Update: Last Minute Decision?
I very much agree with Jacob Foxx and CandE. We don't need to replace every squish. We just need to impress the ones who remain.
One of my favorite leadership lessons came from a fellow J.O. who came up out of the pit and said, "sometimes you just have to kill a chicken in front of the monkeys".
And it's okay to be one of the monkeys from time to time. Just try not to be the chicken.
Apr '11
Re: Olympia Snowe to Retire Update: Last Minute Decision?
Severely Ltd.: Snowe always was a flake, if you get my drift, and you can take that to the bank.
Thank you, thank you, I'll be here til my membership is rescinded. · Feb 28 at 4:47pm
What an amusing flurry of puns. I had a ball reading them.