After several months of signature collecting door-to-door in communities across the state of Maine, Angus King is now officially on the ballot for U.S. Senate.

A thank-you celebration on Tuesday honored the more than 1,500 volunteers whose support made the former governor’s bid for the Senate possible.

Sen. Olympia Snowe’s departure could further divide an already deeply divided Senate. With King on the ballot, it means that Mainers have the opportunity to replace Snowe with another moderate who is very similar to her in many respects.

No other candidate for Senate has a record of being a principled independent like King. What Angus needs now is help from the people of Maine to win the Senate seat.

I stand with Angus, and I invite other Mainers to stand with him, too.

Nathan J.R. Grant

Gardiner