Danny Dalton, 56
Independent
www.daltonsenate.com
Danny Dalton is a newcomer to Maine politics. He lives in Brunswick and recently opened a clothing store in Bath after a career trying to foil drug smugglers and terrorists. He is a U.S. Air Force and Army veteran who has worked in Pakistan, Iraq and El Salvador for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the State and Defense departments, among other agencies.
Andrew Ian Dodge, 44
Independent
dodgeforsenate.com
Andrew Ian Dodge is a well-known tea party leader in Maine and a freelance writer from Harpswell. He filed to run as a Republican candidate when Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, was still seeking re-election. However, he bailed out of the party and became an independent candidate after the mishandling of the GOP presidential primary poll earlier this year, when conservative and libertarian supporters of Ron Paul complained that they were disenfranchised by a botched vote count.
On the issues:
Do you support President Obama's health care law? No, as it does not include tort reform & interstate access to health insurance providers. It is the first step in the nationalization of 1/6 of our economy.
Do you support a balanced budget amendment? No, because we should not meddle with the Constitution because our politicians can't do their jobs. Besides state governments having figured out ways to get round their balanced budget requirements.
Would you support a tax increase for the wealthy? No I support lower taxes on all Americans & businesses. We need to eliminate subsidies and write-offs while introducing a flat/fair tax system.
Would you vote to extend the nation's debt limit? No. The Fed government needs to spend no more than it takes in just like every responsible Maine family.
Do you support legalizing gay marriage? Yes and I believe the CA/NC bans on gay marriage will go the way of the bans on inter-racial marriage in the old South. They will be declared unconstitutional.
Do you support legal access to abortion? Yes, however I do not believe that Federal taxpayers money should be going to fund Planned Parenthood or abortions. Abortion should not be a matter for the Fed government but a matter for the mother & her doctors.
What should Congress be doing to create jobs and improve the economy? It should be getting the hell out of the way. It should lower taxes and end small business kiling regulations. Stop trying to pick winners & losers, because gov't inevitably gets it wrong and wastes tax-payer money. The Feds should not bail out any industry ever again nor should it be subsidising any industry whatsoever.
Steve Woods, 52
Independent
www.stevewoods2012.com
Steve Woods is chairman of the Yarmouth Town Council and president and CEO of a Falmouth-based marketing firm called TideSmart Global. He is a former agent for professional baseball and basketball players and is part-owner of the Maine Red Claws, Portland's NBA D-League team. Woods made news in June when he was endorsed by the Amazing Kreskin. It turns out Woods started a career in the entertainment business as the world-famous mentalist's road manager in the 1970s.
On the issues:
Do you support President Obama's health care law? YES
Do you support a balanced budget amendment? YES
Would you support a tax increase for the wealthy? YES
Would you vote to extend the nation's debt limit? YES
Do you support legalizing gay marriage? YES
Do you support legal access to abortion? YES
What should Congress be doing to create jobs and improve the economy? More than anything else, the contentious rancor in D.C. has a negative impact on our economy in every area - including jobs growth. Our country's lower credit rating, dismal consumer confidence, and stagnant economy are all byproducts of partisan gridlock. The fighting in congress itself is in many cases doing more damage than the core issues themselves.