Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

Scontras enters 1st District race

EDWARD D

— By . MURPHY

Staff Writer

Dean Scontras of Eliot, who lost his bid in 2008 for the Republican nomination for Maine's 1st District congressional seat, is running again.

Scontras, co-owner of an alternative energy company, said Thursday that he's running because he's concerned about the economy and the ''irresponsible (and) immoral'' debt that has been run up in Washington.

Scontras is the only announced candidate for the GOP nomination, said Charlie Webster, chairman of the state Republican Party. Webster said he doesn't expect other candidates.

Scontras lost the nomination two years ago to Charlie Summers, who was defeated in the general election by Democrat Chellie Pingree.

Scontras said people no longer trust Congress but he would work to make sure the House does ''the right thing for America.''

''Maine deserves a representative who can restore trust to the office, and career politicians simply cannot gain the level of trust or confidence that the voters are demanding,'' Scontras said in announcing his candidacy. ''We must remove the culture of corruption that has been allowed to grow.''

Scontras pointed to the results of a special Senate election in Massachusetts this week, in which Republican Scott Brown won the seat that had been held by the late Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy, as evidence that change is ''coming in November 2010 for career politicians, and I believe Maine will be at the front of that change.''

Scontras grew up in Kittery and attended the University of Maine. After graduating with a double major in public management and political science, he moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked for several technology firms and attended Georgetown University before moving back to Maine.

He is married and has two children.

In the 2nd District, Republican Jason Levesque of Auburn began his campaign for the seat Thursday by starting a six-week tour across the district, which covers much of western, central, northern and Down East Maine.

Levesque said the tour will give him a chance to listen to residents and make the case for his version of change. He said Mainers have been betrayed by Congress, which has produced a health care plan that would raise costs on businesses and individuals.

Levesque, an Army veteran, isn't new to campaigning. The founder of Argo Marketing Group in Auburn announced his intention to try to unseat Democratic Rep. Michael Michaud in May.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Staff Writer Edward D. Murphy can be contacted at 791-6465 or at:

emurphy@pressherald.com