Nancy Pelosi’s anointed candidate, Emily Cain, continues to see her fortunes increasingly jeopardized by the day following Joe Baldacci’s decision to challenge her in the Democratic primary.
Today, Roll Call reported that Baldacci’s bid for the 2nd district seat complicates Cain’s chances at taking on Republican Rep. Bruce Poliquin for a second time, potentially forcing Democrats to devote resources to a Democrat vs. Democrat race, rather than against Poliquin. Furthermore, according to the Bangor Daily News, Baldacci threatens to eat into crucial Cain votes in the Lewiston-Auburn area, where Cain could be at a disadvantage:
Doug Hodgkin, a Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Bates College: “Baldacci would appeal somewhat more, because Cain has the more intellectual or elite kind of image, and so Baldacci might do better, at least in Lewiston, for the same reasons that [Republican Gov. Paul] LePage did well.”
Aside from the uncertainty Baldacci brings to the primary, Cain has only herself to blame for her pathetic and anemic fundraising. Democrats, who stand to lose the most from Cain’s inability to raise cash for a competitive race, haven’t been shy in their criticism of her:
Democratic source: “One of the criticisms folks have levied against her is she needs to be more active… Her whole campaign can’t just be sitting in a room making phone calls.”