Maine Republicans say it’s a two-man race between Romney and Paul. | AP Photos It's Romney vs. Paul in Maine

With the spotlight on Nevada, most people have probably forgotten that Maine’s caucuses also began Saturday.

Most of the state’s caucuses were set for on Saturday, but they continue this coming week and the results won’t be announced until Feb. 11. Delegates won’t actually be awarded, however, until the state convention in May.


Until this point, Ron Paul is the only GOP contender to have visited the state this cycle. Paul and Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who won the state four years ago, are considered the heavy favorites.

Maine Republicans say it’s a two-man race between Paul and Romney, one Romney is likely to win even though he has not yet personally visited the state in this presidential race.

Charlie Webster, the chairman of the Maine Republican Party, said Romney is an established brand in Maine, his good reputation buttressed by his tenure as governor of nearby Massachusetts. He has also fundraised for the state GOP.

“Romney’s been here a lot. He was here during the last election cycle. He’s worked for the congressional candidates…he’s been around,” Webster said. “He actually has been here a lot — not in this cycle — but he’s pretty well known here.”

Romney, Webster said, “laid the foundation” early for a strong Maine showing, estimating that the two-time presidential candidate has visited the state more than 10 times since 2006.

While Romney hasn’t been to Maine personally, his wife, Ann, held a fundraiser for her husband’s campaign in South Portland in the fall. The host committee for the event included a list of influential Maine politicos, including former state Senate President Richard Bennett, former Ambassador Peter Cianchette and former Rep. Dave Emery.

But Paul is attempting to better his third-place showing in Maine from 2008. His strategy is a laser-like focus on the caucus states that award delegates proportionally, allowing him to amass delegates even if he doesn’t finish first in a race.

On Paul’s trip to Maine the last week of January, as the streets of many towns were coated with snow, he steadily packed venues. His schedule focused on locations on or near college campuses, where he is a favorite of younger voters. He had a private meeting with Maine Gov. Paul LePage, a tea-party favorite. and nabbed the endorsement of L.L. Bean heiress Linda Bean.

Paul’s efforts shouldn’t be discounted, said Steve Abbott, a former chief of staff to Maine U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, who ran for Maine governor in 2010.

“Ron Paul did very well in the last round of caucuses in 2008. It was definitely sort-of what you’re still seeing now: some college students, some disaffected conservatives, some libertarians ,” he said. “I’d expect him to do very well, relatively, in these caucuses.”

Abbott, who now serves as the athletic director at the University of Maine, said Paul’s recent visit likely helped galvanize his support.

“From what I saw, it definitely created some juice and he got some good crowds,” he said. “If there was any sort of lack of energy in the Ron Paul people that were there in 2008 who might have been running out of gas, I think that re-energized them.”

Local Republicans say Paul’s best chances to break out come in Maine’s mid-coast in Knox and Androscoggin counties in the western part of the state.

Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich have not made efforts so far to court Maine’s voters.

“I don’t know one person who is an activist or who is a Maine Republican who has done anything for Newt up here,” Abbot said. “It’s nonexistent, just no presence whatsoever.”

State GOP Chairman Webster said that while the Paul and Romney campaigns have both been in touch, he has not been contacted by the Gingrich and Santorum campaigns.

Correction: A previous version of this post misspelled Androscoggin County.

CORRECTION: Corrected by: Emily Howell @ 02/04/2012 06:06 PM Correction: A previous version of this post misspelled Androscoggin County.