Monica Castellanos, Rep. Michael Michaud's press secretary, is taking an unpaid leave of absence to go work for Democratic congressional candidate Adam Cote.

Cote, who was in Washington last week to raise money, is running in a crowded field to succeed Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine, who is running for the Senate.

Castellanos ran Michaud's field operation in 2002 when he was first elected to the House.

A programming note:

From 3-5 p.m. Sunday, I'll be live-blogging from a First Congressional District candidate forum in Cornish.

This will be a bit of an experiment, but if it goes well, I hope to keep it up as the debate season continues.

Sunday's event, at Cornish Elementary School, is being sponsored by the Sacopee Valley Community Forum. Democrats Adam Cote, Mark Lawrence, Chellie Pingree and Ethan Strimling are expected to participate, along with Republican Dean Scontras.

The Ellsworth American reported on Thursday that former Sen. George Mitchell, D-N.Y., will be seated with the New York delegation since that is where he has been registered to vote since 2004.

Mitchell works for the DLA Piper Law firm, based in New York City.

The Ellsworth American reported that, "Under the DNC’s own rules, delegates must be legal residents of the state they represent, with residency defined through voter registration."

Mitchell’s legal residence is an apartment at 1965 Broadway Ave. on the upper west side of Manhattan.

Former Gov. Ken Curtis also could be stripped of his Maine superdelegate status because he is registered to vote in Florida, the article reports.

I've obtained a copy of a Democratic spreadsheet of a possible scenario if the Democratic nomination race does not end after March 4, when Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont hold primaries.

Assuming Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., split - Obama wins in Texas and Vermont, Clinton wins in Ohio and Rhode Island, Obama won't greatly expand his lead.

If Clinton decides to soldier on, pundits, strategists and the media are looking to Pennsylvania's primary on April 22 to decide the race. Assuming Pennsylvania does little to clarify matters, here's what to look for afterwards.

We have a story in today's paper about a controversial video that Sen. Susan Collins is using to raise money for her campaign. The web link was accidentally left off the story, so if you want to watch the video click here.

Marianne Stevens, the vice chairwoman of Maine's Democratic Party, announced today that she would support Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

Maine has 10 superdelegates. Stevens and Democratic Party Chairman John Knutson will support Obama. Gov. John Baldacci and former Gov. Ken Curtis have endorsed Clinton.

Democratic Reps. Tom Allen and Michael Michaud and former Sen. George Mitchell have not endorsed (Michaud had supported Edwards).

Sam Spencer, a Portland developer and DNC member, will remain neutral.

Rita Moran, the state's second DNC member, has said she will throw her support to Obama or Clinton. For now, she is neutral.

Knutson gets to appoint a 10th superdelegate at Maine's state Democratic Party convention in May.

Here is Stevens' statement.

Two senior House lawmakers asked the attorney general today to investigate whether former New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens (who also pitched for the Red Sox) lied to the panel about using steroids.

House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., sent the following letter to Attorney General Mukasey today. The text of the letter follows:

The two Republican candidates for Congress in Maine's First District have agreed in principle to a series of debates between May 26 and June 9.

It was reported Monday that Charlie Summers, who's not allowed to campaign while he's deployed in Iraq, will be returning home toward the end of May. At that point Summers will be off active duty, and there will be no restrictions on his political activity, according to his wife, Ruth.

This morning, Dean Scontras, the other GOP candidate, proposed a series of at least three debates during the last two weeks of the campaign. The primary is scheduled for June 10.

I just reached Ruth Summers for a response, and she agreed to the Scontras campaign's proposal.

"We would love to participate in the debates," she said. "And we do hope that there are three debates between those days, with Charlie being home."

Legistorm is an informative web site because it allows everyone from journalists to the curious citizen to check out what congressional staffers get paid. The site compiles data on congressional offices, which is all publicly available but hard to get to unless you are in Washington.

For example, Rep. Tom Allen's chief of staff, Mark Ouellette, earned $31,250.01 from April through July in 2007. Rep. Mike Michaud's former chief of staff, Peter Chandler, earned $29,250, for the same quarter.

On the Senate side, Sen. Olympia Snowe's chief of staff, John Richter, earned $75,000 for a six month period from July through Sept. last year while Sen. Susan Collins' chief of staff Steve Abbott earned $80,329.

On Tuesday, Legistorm announced that it is posting financial disclosure reports for staffers.

Earlier today, I mentioned the big event of the week in First Congressional District race. Three candidates have also confirmed that they're attending a forum Sunday in Cornish. Here's the entire schedule:

Monday, Feb. 25

5:30-7 p.m., Chellie Pingree attends a campaign house party hosted by Margi Spratt and Henry Wyatt, 29 Maddocks Rd., Southport.

Tuesday, Feb. 26

7-9 p.m., Michael Brennan, Mark Lawrence, Steve Meister, Chellie Pingree, Dean Scontras and Ethan Strimling attend a forum on the Constitution, co-sponsored by Maine Campaign to Impeach, First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, 425 Congress St., Portland.

This one should be interesting...

Tomorrow evening, six of the eight candidates for Maine's First District congressional seat are expected to participate in a forum on the future of the Constitution.

Co-sponsored by the Maine Campaign to Impeach, the forum is titled "Our Constitution in Crisis: What Does a Broken Democracy Look & How Do We Fix It?"

It's scheduled to run from 7-9 p.m. at the First Parish Unitarian Univeralist Church, 425 Congress St., Portland.

MoveOn.org, the liberal grassroots Internet-based organization, has vowed to spend $5 million to defeat Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, John Sununu, R-N.H., Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., and Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

To see the Wall Street Journal write up, click here.

There's an inflammatory photo of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., dressed in Muslim garb during a trip to Kenya in 2006.

It's not unusual for lawmakers and even presidents to don the local costume when traveling abroad, but the photo is particularly provocative given false rumors that Obama is a Muslim (he attends the United Church of Christ in Chicago).

The Obama campaign accused Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-Ill., his lone rival for the nomination, of releasing the photo.

Here's a summary of what is expected this week on Capitol Hill.

Congress and President Bush are going to have to figure out how to compromise on FISA, pass a farm bill, rewrite some energy tax proposals and craft a budget resolution. The Senate also will consider legislation to withdraw troops from Iraq.

Tonight, at George Washington University, Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., and Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., will debate each other college-style to bring some decorum and civility to Congress.

Otherwise, it looks as if presidential politics will start to overshadow everything Congress does or does not do.

The Associated Press today has run the numbers on the delegate count in the Democratic presidential nomination contest.

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has the overall lead in delegates, 1,361.5 to 1,267. The Illinois senator's half delegate came from the global primary sponsored by the Democrats Abroad this week.

In terms of the superdelegates, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., leads 241 to 181, according to the AP survey. But her total is down two in the past two weeks, while his is up 25.

As a reminder, Maine has 10 superdelegates. Obama won the Maine Democratic Party caucus, giving him a 15 to 9 delegate edge in the state.

It is an icy, gray day here in the nation's capital, and with Congress gone for the week, all eyes continue to focus on the McCain/New York Times saga. In a story yesterday, the Times hinted that the Arizona Republican had had a personal relationship with a younger, female lobbyist whose clients had business before his committee.

There are a few questions raised by the story. First, should the Times have printed the story without more corroborating evidence of a personal relationship?

Second, what impact will the story have on his presidential campaign? Third, are there more stories coming?

So to get a glimpse of how and why the Times decided to go with this story, click here.

To get a sense of the political fallout, click here.

To see what's coming, check out this story.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic Rep. Tom Allen are continuing to use the war in Iraq to criticize the other's record.

For weeks now, the Allen campaign has attacked Collins for failing to investigate allegations of waste, fraud and abuse among civilian contractors, such as Halliburton, operating in Iraq during the first few years of the war, when she was chairing the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. flew in to Portland today to endorse Allen and criticize Collins' oversight record at a press conference at the Holiday Inn by the Bay. Lautenberg served on the panel when Collins was the chairwoman and repeatedly pressed her to hold more hearings.

Collins' campaign sought to preempt Lautenberg's appearance by providing reporters with a six-page document defending Collins' work on the committee.

I am frequently asked when I travel outside of Washington, "what's happening in Washington?" To me, that means what story is driving the political and policy debate and/or discussion in Washington.

Well, today, this is an easy one. The New York Times has a huge story about Sen. John McCain's professional relationship with a younger, female lobbyist.

Click here to view the story.

Whether it affects his campaign now or in the fall is unclear. On one hand, it gives his opponents ammunition because it could turn McCain's perceived strength - his pro-political reform image - into a weakness. On the other, it could unite conservatives - who generally dislike the Times - behind McCain. That's something he has had trouble doing.

There has been much media coverage in recent days about the role of the so-called Democratic superdelegates, those party bigwigs and elected officials who can cast a nominating vote for a candidate of their choosing at a time of their choosing.

Maine's Democratic Party has 10 superdelegates and we've written a fair amount about where they stand. (See my most recent story here.)

Sen. Barack Obama's campaign announced that the youngest superdelegate in the country, Jason Rae, endorsed Obama. His statement is below.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., will campaign on Thursday in Portland for Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine, who is looking to unseat incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins.

Allen and Lautenberg will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. Thursday, in the Rhode Island Room of the Holiday Inn By the Bay, in Portland, according to a press release sent by the Allen campaign.

Allen and Lautenberg will seek to hammer Collins for her performance as chairwoman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee from 2003 to 2006.

As various government agencies and the media uncovered instances of graft, waste, fraud and abuse related to Halliburton's reconstruction and logistical contracts to perform work in Iraq for the Army, Collins issued no subpoenas regarding the role of civilian contractors in Iraq. Moreover, she held just one hearing in 2006 about the reconstruction effort.

Lautenberg proved to be Collins' nemesis while she was chairwoman, sending her multiple letters asking her to hold hearings.

Here's the text of Allen's press release:

Here's where you can find the First District congressional candidates this week:

Tuesday, Feb. 19

7 p.m., Dean Scontras attends the Cumberland County GOP meeting, Scarborough Town Office, 259 U.S. Route One, Scarborough.

Sunday, Feb. 24

9-10 a.m., Chellie Pingree answers questions at the St. George's Forum, St. George's Episcopal Church, 407 York St., York.

1-2:30 p.m., Chellie Pingree attends a campaign house party hosted by Patti Berg-Anderson and Adair O'Reilly, 37 Shamrock Lane, Arundel.

3-4:30 p.m., Ethan Strimling attends a campaign house party in Kittery hosted by Barbara Connolly. Call 874-0808 for more information.

Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine, and his wife, Diana, issued this statement this morning regarding her recent diagnosis of breast cancer. It was sent by his campaign spokeswoman, Carol Andrews, to the media.

"In recent days a routine mammogram detected breast cancer in what doctors have described as a very small malignancy believed at this point to be in its early stages. We will not know the entire story until surgery yields more information, but we are very optimistic that Diana will fully recover.

"Along with our daughters and loved ones, we intend to fight this disease privately but wanted to share this news as directly as possible. We very much welcome your thoughts and prayers.

One of my plans with this blog is to hold candidates and campaigns accountable for what they say. So from time to time, I'm going to be fact-checking their words.

If you notice any falsehoods, half-truths or misleading rhetoric emanating from political campaigns in Maine, please note them in a comment here, or send me an e-mail at kwack@pressherald.com. I'll at least take a look at all of them.

Today's fact-checker is about Dean Scontras' recent op-ed, published in the Portsmouth Herald, arguing that Maine has become a sanctuary for illegal immigrants. Scontras, for those who don't know, is running against Charlie Summers for the Republican nomination in Maine's First Congressional District.

There's been some debate over the massive turnout on Sunday for Maine's Democratic caucuses.

The Maine Democratic Party is reporting that overall turnout was 44,673 with 99 percent of precincts reporting. That is the largest turnout since 1980 when about 30,000 Mainers turned out to vote. In 2004, 17,000 Maine Democrats participated.

Following the flurry of political activity around Maine's Democratic and Republican presidential caucuses, the First District congressional candidates have a light schedule of events this week:

Monday, February 11
6:30 p.m., Dean Scontras meets with patrons at Eggspectations, 125 Western Ave., South Portland.

Wednesday, February 13
6:30-8:30 p.m., Adam Cote meets with patrons at Brian Boru’s, 57 Center Street, Portland.
7 p.m., Dean Scontras attends Lincoln County GOP Meeting, Town Building, 51 Bath Road, Wiscasset

– Kevin Wack

Here is the story from the Associated Press about Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., who died today. It's been a rough year in the House, where six sitting members have passed away. They include Julia Carson (D-Ind.), Jo Ann Davis (R-Va.), Paul Gillmor (R-Ohio), Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Calif.), and Charlie Norwood (R-Ga.).

Rep. Tom Lantos, Holocaust survivor, dies
By: The Associated Press
February 11, 2008 09:42 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) - Rep. Tom Lantos of California, the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress, has died, his spokeswoman said Monday.

Lynne Weill said that Lantos, 80, passed away at the Bethesda Naval Medical Center in suburban Maryland.

Lantos, a Democrat who chaired the House Foreign Affairs Committee, disclosed last month that he had been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus.

Each Sunday evening, I get an email from a prominent lobbyist in Washington (I'm one of hundreds on the list), but here it is below. It's a nice wrap up of what Congress faces, lots of policy mixed with a little politics.

It starts here:

Congress and President George Bush notch a bipartisan accomplishment this
week by enacting an economic stimulus measure. On Thursday, the House
adopted Senate amendments, adding rebates for low-income seniors and some
veterans, clearing the package for the President. Rebate checks are likely
to be processed before summer.

This week, lawmakers face another deadline to renew warrantless wiretapping
authority before it expires February 16. Retroactive immunity for
telephone companies that facilitated post-9/11 warrantless wiretaps
continues to be the legislation's Senate stumbling block. If Senators
approve immunity, the Senate bill will have to be reconciled with a House
plan that does not include immunity language. Representatives may also
consider a package of energy tax incentives, including the elimination of
some tax breaks for oil and gas companies.

Rep. Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, died today, CNN is reporting.

Lantos announced last year that he would not seek reelection due to illness. He was a Hungarian survivor of the Holocaust. His life story is quite remarkable; if I recall, he fled both Nazism and communism as a 10-year-old.

He represented a liberal enclave in San Francisco and the surrounding area (House Speaker Nancy Pelosi represents the core of San Francisco).

When more is known by one of the congressional trade papers in Washington, I'll post a link.

The race for the Democratic presidential nomination came to Portland
on Thursday evening, four days before Maine's Democratic Caucus.

President Bill Clinton kicked off a furious weekend of campaiging
at the Portland Expo Center on Thursday evening. Sens. Hillary
Clinton, D-N.Y., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., will make separate
appearances on Saturday.

Here's the controversy of the day: Clinton challenged Obama to a
debate or town hall style meeting on Saturday, since they cross paths
(sort of); Clinton will be in Orono in the morning and Obama will
speak in Bangor in the afternoon.

Obama rejected Clinton's offer; his campaign manager told reporters it
was "sophomoric."

Maine will become a political battleground this weekend as Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., scramble to win all or some of Maine's 23 delegates.

Clinton is sending her husband, President Bill Clinton, to campaign on her behalf at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Portland Exposition Building.

The event is free and open to the public. Those interested in attending should RSVP at http://www.hillaryclinton.com/portland.

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., will visit Bangor on Saturday for a rally one day before Maine's Democratic Caucus, underscoring just how competitive the race could become.

The rally will take place at 2:30 p.m. at the Bangor Auditorium on Saturday. The event is open to the public and media. The campaign advises against bringing in bags and signs for security reasons.

Laurie Dobson, an independent candidate for Senate, endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., on Wednesday.

Dobson hopes to qualify for the ballot to run against Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. Dobson went on a hunger strike last year to protest the fact that Congress had not begun impeachment proceedings against President Bush.

I'm not sure Clinton would want this endorsement given that Dobson writes: "Actually, I can't stand her. But I have looked at who her advisors are, and I’m convinced she is the better choice."

Sen. Barack Obama's campaign manager predicted on Wednesday that Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., would win Maine's Democratic Caucus and that the Clinton camp plans "five or six trips" to the state.

"She has shown real strength in the northeast," said Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe, who spoke with reporters on Wednesday. "We're going to do as well as we can."

At stake are 23 pledged delegates. After yesterday's primaries and caucuses, Obama leads Clinton 910 to 882 delegates, according to Plouffe's count. That does not include the so-called super delegates. More of them have endorsed Clinton. To grab the nomination, a candidate needs to win 2,025 of the 4.049 total delegates.

Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, and Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., lashed out at each other Tuesday morning over a Democratic economic stimulus package, which Reid is trying to pass.

If the House of Representatives is a truck stop, the Senate is more of a country club. But it appears, that in the early days of the second session of the 110th Congress, that the roles have been reversed.

The House is reveling over a bipartisan economic stimulus package, which overwhelmingly passed the House last week. The Senate's leaders are bickering.

Even by the hyper-partisan nature of today's political discourse, the words exchanged between Reid and McConnell this morning were striking.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., took to the Senate floor a few hours ago to honor the New York Giants football team.

It would be nice, in the words of a former press secretary to President Bush, if they would declare the country today a "gloat free zone."

Here's the official press release:

"WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer will officially celebrate the New York Giants stunning Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots by delivering congratulator remarks from the Senate floor and introducing a resolution praising Big Blue.

"Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., and Robert Menendez, D-N.J., will praise Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning and specifically recognize defensive linemen Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Michael Strahan, and wide receivers David Tyree and Plaxico Burress for game-breaking plays."

Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine, just sent out this press release:

"Rep. Tom Allen will make good on his Super Bowl XLII wager with Rep. Tim Bishop, D-N.Y., on Tuesday when he stops at The Clam Shack on the bridge in Kennebunkport to purchase a gift certificate for two quarts of fried clams."

Had the Patriots prevailed, Allen would have won two boxes of New York wine. I'm not a big drinker and certainly don't know my wines, but this might just be the only silver lining in the Patriots' loss. Who wants to drink New York vino?

“The Patriots made us proud all season, and this is the most disappointing wager I have ever lost,” Allen said. “I have invited my friend, Tim Bishop, to come to Kennebunkport sometime between May and October to enjoy his clams. I look forward to introducing him to more than just Steve Kingston’s renowned seafood but to all that Maine has to offer the millions who visit here each year.”

Adam Cote and Pennsylvania Rep. Patrick Murphy already had a few things in common.

Both served in the Iraq War, came home, and decided to run for Congress as Democrats. Murphy was elected in 2006, while Cote is running this year in Maine's First Congressional District.

As of 3:40 p.m. Monday, the two are also sharing Internet real estate. When I type the Cote campaign's web address, www.adamcote.com, into my browser, I get redirected to Murphy's 2008 campaign site.

I just sent an e-mail to the Cote campaign, seeking an explanation.

LATE UPDATE: Emily Boyle, spokeswoman for the Cote campaign, just e-mailed the following explanation: "We share the same web design company and they're doing maintenance on our site - and somehow the wires got crossed. They're uncrossing them as we speak."

– Kevin Wack

After this story and this sidebar were published last Monday, some readers asked why I didn't ask the Republican congressional candidates about their views on the Iraq War. I did; I just didn't have room in the newspaper to include their answers. Here they are:

Each week until the June 10 primary, I'm going to be posting a weekly calendar of campaign events in the First District congressional race. Check here each Monday for the latest information.

Monday, February 4
7 p.m., Dean Scontras attends Sagadahoc County GOP meeting, City Hall, 55 Front Street, Bath.

Earlier today, I heard from a spokesman at the Democratic National Committee. Super delegates are appointed to the state delegation in which they are registered to vote. If former Gov. Curtis and former Sen. George Mitchell are registered to vote in Maine, they can be seated with the Maine delegation. If not, the DNC secretary will determine the course of action.

Here's an example. Former President Bill Clinton served as governor of Arkansas when he was first elected president in 1992. In 2001, he moved to New York and changed his voter registration. He will be seated with that delegation at the convention.

Roll Call, The Hill and Politico are the three so-called trade newspapers that cover Capitol Hill. They are to Congress what Variety is to Hollywood or Daily Racing is to horse racing.

Last week, Politico reported a short but informative sketch of Sen. Olympia Snowe, which you can read here.

In today's paper, I wrote a story about the role of super delegates in nominating the Democratic candidate for president.

A few readers have wondered how former Gov. Ken Curtis can be seated at the convention as a Maine delegate if he is living in Florida full-time.

It's a good question. Curtis did not know the answer when I talked with him last week.

On Sunday, former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney, who won the Maine Republican Caucus a day earlier, predicted that the New England Patriots would defeat the New York Giants, 28 to 14.

He had the number 14 points correct, only the Patriots were on the wrong side of that equation.

On Thursday, Democratic state Sen. Elizabeth “Libby” Mitchell organized an impromptu meeting for supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., to discuss how to encourage supporters of former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., to back Clinton.

The quickly organized meeting was well-attended and by some accounts, "raucus."

With Maine's Feb. 10 Democratic caucus fast approaching, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill, and Clinton are laying the groundwork for a post-Super Tuesday bounce. Former President Bill Clinton called Mitchell several days ago to talk about how best to help his wife.

Mitchell said she encouraged either Clinton to visit the state. Mitchell, who has known the Clintons for years, said that when the former president said hello she responded, "Is this a joke?"

Not missing a beat, he kept on talking.

Clinton is expected to visit Boston on Feb. 4, one day before Massachusetts and 21 other states hold primaries and caucuses.

Obama is not conceding anything here in Maine. He has five paid organizers in the state; Clinton has one, according to sources in both camps. Obama announced on Thursday that he would begin advertising on television and radio in the state.

Who's leading the fund-raising battle between Republican congressional hopefuls Dean Scontras and Charlie Summers? It depends how you slice the numbers.

Scontras has raised more money than Summers, but Summers has more cash on hand, the latest Federal Election Commision reports show.

Between Oct. 1-Dec. 31, Scontras hauled in $56,319 – a bit more than Summers, who raised $53,455. For the entire campaign, Scontras has raised $157,761, versus $117,127 for Summers, according to the reports.

Dean Scontras, a former walk-on to the University of Maine football team, is using Super Bowl week to roll out a few gridiron-related endorsements.

Here's Dick MacPherson, an Old Town native and former New England Patriots coach: "Dean comes from a strong family and was raised with strong principles. .... He will make a worthy candidate and a Congressman that Maine can be proud of!"

And here's Jack Cosgrove, the current Black Bears coach, who was offensive coordinator when Scontras was a member of the team: "If Dean Scontras models leadership as a Congressman in the same manner he did as a wide receiver in our Black Bear football program, the state of Maine will score a touchdown."

– Kevin Wack

Here's how the six Democratic candidates currently stand in the money race. The totals shown are for the amount of cash each candidate had on hand, as of Dec. 31, 2007.

1) Chellie Pingree - $442,851
2) Ethan Strimling - $195,919
3) Adam Cote - $192,197
4) Mark Lawrence - $189,489
5) Michael Brennan - $82,339
6) Steve Meister - $39,639

Look for more on the latest campaign-finance reports in tomorrow's Press Herald.

– Kevin Wack

Tagg Romney, one of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's five sons, is making a campaign swing through Maine today and tomorrow, as GOP voters head to caucuses around the state.

At 11:15 this morning, Tagg Romney stops at Governor's Restaurant in Bangor. At 1:30 p.m. he'll be at Duke's Barber Shop in Augusta. Then it's off to Simones' Hot Dog Stand in Lewiston at 2:45 p.m., and to Becky's Diner in Portland at 4:30 p.m.

This evening and throughout the day tomorrow, Romney is planning to attend several Republican caucuses – in Gorham, Lewiston, Augusta, West Bath, Damariscotta and Rockport.

Chellie Pingree continues to rake in cash. Pingree, a North Haven Democrat, was the 1st Congressional District's fund-raising leader on Sept. 30, and she increased that lead in the last three months of the year.

Pingree raised $303,365 in the last three months of 2007, which brought her fund-raising total for the campaign to $777,534. She reports having $442,851 cash on hand.

Also filing with the Federal Election Commission last night were Democrat Ethan Strimling and Republican Charlie Summers.

Strimling raised $112,981 between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, bringing his campaign total to $337,026. His campaign reports having $195,919 cash on hand.

Summers raised $53,455 in the last three months of the year, raising his total to $117,127. The Summers campaign reports having $70,972 in cash on hand.

More soon on where the eight 1st District hopefuls stand in the money race in comparison with each other.

– Kevin Wack