FREEPORT, Maine - Maine Democrats will converge on Freeport Sunday for the annual Muskie Lobster Bake fundraiser, where Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe will deliver the keynote address.
McAuliffe is a staunch supporter of the Hillary Clinton for President campaign, and activists backing Clinton's Democratic rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, say they'll be watching McAuliffe to see if his remarks are designed to unify Democrats or divide them.
The annual Muskie Lobster Bake is almost always a good times event for Maine Democrats, who share opinions on politics and issues over corn on the cob, lobster and maybe a slice of blueberry pie.
Phil Bartlett, chair of the Maine Democratic Party, says that beneath all of the socializing will be a focused conversation about what should happen 15 months from now. "We're really excited about this being the real launch of our campaign season," Bartlett says.
Democrats would like to see their party regain many of the House seats they lost at the State House last year and improve upon their numbers in the Senate in order to regain control of the chamber. Second Congressional District primary rivals Joe Baldacci and Emily Cain will also be on hand to each make a case for why they offer the best hope of defeating Republican incumbent Bruce Poliquin.
And then there's the presidential race. Some Democrats say that it's no coincidence that party leaders chose Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe as the event's keynote speaker - partly because he's a prominent national Democratic activist but also because he happens to be a surrogate for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. McAuliffe served as co-chair of President Bill Clinton's 1996 re-election campaign, and as chair of Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign.
Bartlett says Democrats can expect to hear more about Clinton from the keynote speaker. "I expect him to say something, sure," Bartlett says. "We've also invited representatives from all the presidential campaigns, so we're hoping to have an opportunity to hear from all of them."
"McAuliffe is not supposed to be talking about Clinton now - I mean, if he does, there's going to be some of us who are going to have a fit," says former state Sen. Troy Jackson, of Allagash, and the state party's national committeeman. Jackson is a passionate supporter of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is one of those vying for the presidential nomination against Clinton.
Jackson says he was a little concerned to find out that the state party is billing McAuliffe as a surrogate and supporter of Clinton's campaign. Jackson says he thought McAuliffe had been invited because of his experience as former chairman of the Democratic National Committee .Jackson says Jeremy Kennedy, the party's executive director, was aware that Sanders supporters would prefer that McAuliffe steer clear of the presidential primary in his remarks.
"Jeremy had actually asked me to reach out to the Sanders campaign about who they could send, but he said they had asked the Clinton campaign also and it had nothing to do with McAuliffe speaking," Jackson says. "Now, I could be wrong - you know, I'm not one of the high and mighty in the party."
David Bright, of Dixmont, is an independent who says he plans to re-enroll in the Democratic Party simply so that he can vote for Sanders in the March 6 caucus. He says the Sanders campaign knows it has an uphill fight in Maine, even after the candidate drew a crowd of more than 7,000 people during a visit to Portland last month.
"The Clintons have a long reach - she is a former first lady and all that kind of stuff, so it doesn't bother me, nor does it surprise me that most of the party regulars would be, at this point, favoring Clinton as opposed to Bernie," says Bright.
Despite the potential for a political clash, University of Maine at Farmington Political Science Professor Jim Melcher says McAuliffe possesses nimble public speaking skills and should be able to parse his words appropriately.
"He might say, 'As you know, I'm supporting Hillary Clinton but I also think we have a great field with strong candidates like Bernie Sanders,' or, you know whatever. I think he would be smart to soft-pedal that," Melcher says.
In addition to Sanders and Clinton, Vice President Joseph Biden is reportedly actively exploring a possible presidential campaign, but he isn't expected to show up at the Muskie Lobster Bake.