WESTBROOK – It was a dark and stormy morning, and Republican gubernatorial candidate Matt Jacobson was out meeting potential voters.

Jacobson was one of several Blaine House contenders to hit Boy Scout Troop 87’s pancake breakfast at Westbrook Together Days Saturday morning.

He was there before 8 a.m., when the storm passing through the area was at its worst. Jacobson said he realized during the storm that he was sitting on a metal chair under a metal-framed tent.

Threats of electrocution aside, Jacobson said the stop in Westbrook was all part of a push to be as visible as possible in the waning days of the primary campaign.

“It’s all retail, trying to meet as many people as you can, in places where you think you’ll be strong,” he said.

“You’ve got to be as many places as you can be, shake as many hands you can and make sure people actually vote for you.”

Before the pancake breakfast, Jacobson was doing a segment at WMTW-TV (Channel 8). After the breakfast, he headed up to Bath Iron Works for the christening of the Spruance.

“If you can’t go to something like that and feel pride in your city and state and country, someone’s got to check you for a pulse,” said Jacobson, a graduate of the Naval Academy and a retired Air Force officer.

Afterward, Jacobson planned to head up to the Belfast area. That’s a bit of a political bastion for him. As head of Maine & Co., Jacobson recruited several employers to that area.

Saturday evening he planned to accompany his wife, Dr. Kemedy Kathryn McQuillen, to her 25th class reunion at Bowdoin College.

Jacobson said he’s got 100 volunteers making calls, ensuring that people who have supported him get out to vote Tuesday.

He said he believes people are starting to pay attention to the race. In the last few days, the number of hits on his website have quadrupled, said Jacobson. They peaked Friday afternoon at a thousand hits an hour, Jacobson said.

Jacobson said the biggest issue in the race remains jobs and the opportunities they bring. Job growth is his background, Jacobson said, and a key part of his platform. The race remains close, said Jacobson, and he thinks that his platform resonates.

 

Staff Writer Matt Wickenheiser can be contacted at 791-6316 or at:

mwickenheiser@pressherald.com

 

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