Charles Summers, Maine Secretary Of State, Exploring Senate Run, Despite Role Overseeing Elections

On Friday, Maine Secretary of State Charles Summers became the first Republican to begin gathering signatures for the state's U.S. Senate race since Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) announced she would not be running for re-election. Two more Republicans -- State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin and former Maine Senate president Rick Bennett -- also jumped in on Friday, while Scott D'Amboise declared his candidacy before Snowe's announcement.

Summers is in a unique position, however, since his office is also oversees elections in the state. Within the Secretary of State's office is the Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions, which is responsible, according to the agency's website, "for elections, corporations, and a variety of central filing activities."

Candidates exploring a Senate run have until March 15 to submit at least 2,000 valid signatures to the Secretary of State's office.

Megan Sanborn, a spokesperson for the agency, said that there is nothing preventing Summers from exploring a run for office and overseeing the petition-gathering process.

When asked whether he and his staff will therefore be overseeing his signatures, Sanborn told The Huffington Post, "The division of election is not actually in his [Summers'] building. It's in a completely different office building. ... So they will review his signatures just like they will review everyone else's."

The Huffington Post asked whether the situation creates a conflict of interest. Sanborn pointed out that usually, candidates collect far more signatures than are required.

If Summers does decide to run, according to Sanborn, he is not obligated to recuse himself from overseeing the election process.

"What he will decide to do, I'm not sure yet," she said. "But he doesn't have to."

On the Democratic side, Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and former Gov. John Baldacci are exploring runs.

Also on HuffPost:

 

 

Comments

[TKirkland]

05:22 PM on 03/04/2012

I'm from Washington State, and grew up with Dan Evans, a great moderate Republican. Over the years, I've wondered exactly how this party got to be that of Mr. Norquist, Mr. Gingrich, Mr. Limbaugh, Mr. O'Reilly, and The Brothers Koch. Is there any way to help the mainstream party come back? Or is the only thing a moderate Republican can do is resign (after years of caving), or change affiliation (Arlen Specter)? I'm definitely not a conservative, but worry about the ways in which the vitriol and intransigence that's taken over the Republican Party harms us all, not least of which is that it makes it hard for a liberal like me to consider any of their ideas seriously. The Onion has a funny piece about a breeding program to preserve the last of the moderate Republicans. It would easier to laugh if the need didn't really exist! http://www.theonion.com/articles/new-breeding-program-aimed-at-keeping-moderate-rep,27371/

[Reeha Smith]

02:02 AM on 03/04/2012

Thanks for bringing this story because i yet not watched it. printer toners

[chuck nathaniel]

08:30 PM on 03/03/2012

Thats interesting Snowe is retiring, since she told Obama in 08 that she wouldn't sign the health care bill because she was worried about re-election.

[l78lancer]

05:55 PM on 03/03/2012

One for them, two for me.
One for them, three for me.
One for them...the rest for me.

Nah, no conflict here.

[l78lancer]

05:50 PM on 03/03/2012

Isn't this the same clown who just screwed up the election results and did his best to steal the election from Paul for Romney? Why does he even still have a job?

Surely Maine can do better than him.

[Bigjimi]

05:08 PM on 03/03/2012

Snowe was the most Liberal Republican in congress,The Left will miss her !!!

[l78lancer]

05:53 PM on 03/03/2012

The most moderate republican, yes. And yes, we will. The republicans will too, eventually, once the TP finishes it's takeover.

[AlteSoldier]

02:11 PM on 03/03/2012

Maine Secretary of State Charles Summers should be required to resign from office if he plans on running for the Senate seat.

[Mayra Solano]

01:39 PM on 03/03/2012

So the overseer of elections is Maine wants to run for office. Wouldn't that create a conflict of interests? Oh wait...he's a republican. Never mind.

[madame48]

01:36 PM on 03/03/2012

Gov Boob LePage has every person I know from Maine disgusted with the gop...go Chellie Pingree

[indjoe]

12:57 PM on 03/03/2012

The G.O.P. has gone nuts !

[Mayra Solano]

01:40 PM on 03/03/2012

It's called DESPERATION!!!!!!

[Bigjimi]

05:04 PM on 03/03/2012

No more than the Liberals..Wake up dude and Pull Up Your Pants !!

[madcityy]

12:06 PM on 03/03/2012

GOOOOOO AWAYYYYY SNOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

[SkelDaddy]

12:06 PM on 03/03/2012

Polquin is about to lose his job as state treasurer and Summers is tight with Koch/ALEC. Neither stands a chance. The Maine senate president has nothing approaching the name recognition of Pingree.

TroIIs, you'd be better off sitting this one out and saving your money.

[mistahshow]

12:05 PM on 03/03/2012

Judge and jury? Why have an election? Just declare yourself the next senator from Maine.

[zentech]

11:31 AM on 03/03/2012

Summers is one of the most disliked politicians in Maine. The GOP can and, I assume will, do better.

[SkelDaddy]

12:27 PM on 03/03/2012

Actually, they have nobody here in Maine. The Republicans are contemptible from LePage on down.

[Summer77]

11:31 AM on 03/03/2012

Republicans have no shame and they think we are all to dumb to notice anything they do! Wait till 2012 when we let them know just how much we took Notice of everything they did!