It will likely be one of the first orders of business for Maine’s next U.S. senator: extend the Bush tax cuts or let them expire?

PORTLAND — A group of Maine business leaders spoke up in defense of U.S. Senate candidate Angus King on Monday, saying a national business group’s TV ad criticizing the former governor is way off base.

After losing the race for governor and both houses of the Legislature two years ago, the pressure is on to win at the polls this fall. Party leaders say they are confident, in part because of hard lessons learned in 2010 and in part because Gov. Paul LePage and Republicans have mobilized the Democratic base.
But there are some signs that the state’s largest political party may be struggling to bounce back.

A $400,000 advertising campaign targeting independent candidate Angus King is part of a multi-state effort by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to win a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate.

After losing the race for governor and both houses of the Legislature two years ago, the pressure is on to win at the polls this fall. Party leaders say they are confident, in part because of hard lessons learned in 2010 and in part because Gov. Paul LePage and Republicans have mobilized the Democratic base.

But there are some signs that the state’s largest political party may be struggling to bounce back.

The appeal argues that Judge John Woodcock erred in his March decision that the labor mural was so-called “government speech” rather than the speech of the artist who created it.