The new Maine legislature will meet in a joint convention next Wednesday to elect the State Attorney General, Secretary of State and State Treasurer. There’s not much competition for the three constitutional officer positions. In fact, the only contest may be the race for treasurer.
Incumbent State Treasurer Terry Hayes is a former Democrat turned independent who has been elected Treasurer twice by a bipartisan majority of the 186 lawmakers who make up a joint convention of the House and Senate. Hayes says she has support among Democrats, Republicans and independents and says that she will be nominated at the joint convention. Hayes says she’s been reaching out to the elected lawmakers with information sheets and endorsement letters.
“I tell folks it’s about a three-and-a-half week to four- campaign, and a couple rolls of stamps…you know, and time. Because the rest of it is face to face and telephone time talking with folks,” she says.
Republicans, who are now in the minority in both houses, say it’s unlikely that they will nominate a candidate for any of the three positions. The Democrats will, and they have well over the 94 votes needed to elect a treasurer.
Former Waterville Rep. Henry Beck is the only Democrat running. Beck co-chaired the legislature’s Insurance and Financial Committee and he has been campaigning within his party caucuses.
“It’s not about party, but it is important that Maine people and the markets have a certain degree of confidence that the State Treasurer, that he or she speaks for the priorities of the current legislature and current Governor,” Beck says.
At the House Democratic caucus at which the party selected its leaders for the session, several lawmakers said that Hayes lost some ground with Democrats by running for governor this year as an independent. Hayes says she hasn’t been hearing that message in her discussions with Democrats.
“It’s possible…I mean yeah…but I haven’t encountered that yet,” she says. “No one has said to me ‘Terry there is no way I can vote for you because you ran for Governor.’”
Hayes touts her four years of experience as State Treasurer, but acknowledges that when she was first elected, she had no experience managing the finances of an institution the size of state government with billions of dollars a year flowing through its accounts.
Beck, who is an attorney, acknowledges that he will also need to learn a few things, and that he expects to lean on the professional staff at the Treasurer’s office. He says he is not running a campaign against Hayes, but says that he would bring a fresh viewpoint to the management of state finances.
“Take a look at negotiated bond sales as opposed to competitive bond sales, insuring that our bond customers have a connection to Maine,” Beck says. “There is a need for creative thinking if we bond for broadband infrastructure, for example.”
Neither candidate is predicting a victory, given the uniqueness of the electorate. The 186 House and Senate members of the joint convention will cast secret ballots.
