With the recent revelations in fundraising, Kevin Raye may be sending olive branches, cuddly bunnies and warm well wishes to libertarian candidate Blaine Richardson in an effort to keep him in the race.  It’s becoming increasing clear that Richard Rosen will most likely not enter the race so as to not split the moderate vote for Kevin Raye.  The old guard/status quo Republicans will now be free to coalesce behind Raye.

Now, the former State Senate President and career Olympia Snowe favorite, will hold out his hope that Maine Conservatives will continue in their historical self-destructive pattern of sticking it to each other for the sake of, well, just sticking it to each other.  Blaine Richardson has had a horrific start to the political fundraising season.  He comes out of the gate already woefully in debt.  His only hope for impact in this primary is to hobble the already strong striding Poliquin.

Bruce Poliquin has not just sent a shot across the bow of his political opponents of both Parties; he has fired a trident missile.  As the shock waves have blistered through the Raye camp, the rattled old guard is now looking at Blaine Richardson as their new favorite BFF.  He is their own dark horse, who represents their only outside chance to upset the surging and well-funded conservative, Bruce Poliquin.  If their ace-in-the-hole Richardson strategy works, once again the status quo will be forcing 2^nd District Republican voters into holding their noses and voting for a candidate that does not share their values.  It looks as if the ground swell behind Poliquin may be enough to overcome Richardson’s attempt to be Poliquin’s Achilles heel.  But to watch Maine conservatives stubbornly cling to these self-destructive patterns every election cycle is mind numbing at best.