Maine Republican Party Executive Director Julie O’Brien said it won’t be long before the Senate race in Maine starts heating up.

Early in 2008, Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins will open her campaign headquarters in Portland, and O’Brien expects national attention to follow soon thereafter.

“I do know people on the national level will be playing in Maine with resources,” she said.

House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, D-North Haven, is heading to Colorado Thursday to participate in a fellowship program as one of 24 “rising stars of American politics,” as identified by the Aspen Institute.

Pingree, 31, will join 11 other Democrats and 12 Republicans for the three-day workshop. She got an armload of reading in advance, which includes the Federalist Papers, Bill of Rights, U.S. Constitution and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail.

“They sent me a packet of reading that reminds me of high school advanced placement history class,” she said.

Green Independent Pat LaMarche, who has run for governor twice and vice president once, said she’ll never run again, though she’s willing to help other Greens take the plunge.

“I’m never running for anything ever again as long as I live, or even longer,” LaMarche said this week.

Her comments came during an interview about a visit to Maine by one of the Green Party’s presidential candidates, former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney.

The Iowa caucus is 38 days away.

The New Hampshire primary is 43 days away.

It’s time to start giving the Republican field a hard look.

If you’re planning to watch the Republican debate on CNN Wednesday night, drop me a line. I’d like to talk to you sometime Thursday morning to get your take on it.

Send me your phone number via e-mail — scover@centralmaine.com— and the best time to reach you.

Thanks, and enjoy!

Looking to fill up your holiday party calendar?

Maine Senate Republicans — and their family, friends and guests — will gather at the Augusta Country Club in Manchester Dec. 6 for a $100 per person fundraiser.

Although it won’t be out until April, former White House press secretary Scott McClellan’s book has the political community abuzz.

The Associated Press is reporting that McClellan blames President Bush and Vice-President Cheney for helping to mislead the public about who leaked the identity of former CIA operative Valerie Plame.

Here at home, former Common Cause leader Chellie Pingree of North Haven, who is running for Congress, shared her thought about the revelation on her Web site.

Former Senate President Beverly Daggett of Augusta is endorsing York County District Attorney Mark Lawrence in the 1st Congressional District Democratic primary.

Daggett, the first woman president of the Senate when she served in 2003-04, said she served with Lawrence in the Legislature and liked what she saw.

The race for the 2nd Congressional District seat got a new candidate over the weekend when Farmington Selectman John Frary, a Republican, announced that he is running for the seat.

Frary is the first Republican to jump into the race. If he becomes the party’s nominee, he will face Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud.

Why is he running?

Peter Chandler, U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud’s chief of staff, will oversee campaign activities for all Maine Democrats starting in January.

Chandler, who splits his time between Portland and Washington, will become the Maine Democratic Coordinated Campaign chairman.

Kennebec County Democratic Committee Chairwoman Rita Moran knows Hillary, Barack, John and the others aren’t going to come to Augusta for a debate.

So she’s lined up surrogates to represent them, and is holding a debate of her own on Thursday.

The five new House members elected last week will be sworn into office when the Legislature reconvenes on Wednesday, Jan. 2, according to the Speaker’s Office and House Clerk Millie MacFarland.

Taking the oath of office will be three Democrats, Pat Jones of Mount Vernon, Sheryl Briggs of Mexico and Michael Carey of Lewiston, and two Republicans, Peter Johnson of Greenville and Ralph W. Sarty Jr. of Denmark.

The Rothenberg Political Report this week rated the Maine 2008 Senate race in the “narrow advantage for the incumbent party” category, despite recent polls that give Republican Sen. Susan Collins at least a 20-point lead.

Rothenberg, a Washington group that does nonpartisan analysis, listed Democratic U.S. Rep. Tom Allen’s challenge to Collins, along with races in Minnesota and Oregon.

This is your chance, Maine political junkies. Make us proud.

The next major debate on the presidential scene comes later this month, when Republicans match wits in Florida.

It’s also another chance for average joes to ask questions of the candidates courtesy of CNN and YouTube.

Democrats picked up one seat previously held by Republicans Tuesday night on their way to increasing their House majority to 90 seats.

That leaves Republicans with 59 seats and two in the hands of independents.

Overall, of the five House races, Democrats won three and Republicans took two.

Neither major party will be running vans on Tuesday to get people to the polls, but both say if your car conks out and you need a ride, give them a call.

In their own ways, and in an off year, the parties are conducting their own get-out-the-vote efforts, known in political jargon as GOTV.

More people now disapprove of the job Gov. John Baldacci is doing (47 percent), than approve (44 percent), according to the Associated Press, which reported on the fall Critical Insights poll.

This is a downward trend from April, when the polling firm found 48 percent approved of the Democratic governor’s job performance and 42 percent disapproved.

A poll released Thursday by the Portland firm Critical Insights shows the Washington County racino getting approval from 56 percent of Mainers, with 36 percent opposed and 8 percent undecided.

The racino will be Question 1 on Tuesday’s ballot.

The poll also showed: