Billionaires Bolster Maine "Independent" Senate Candidate

Cortney O'Brien | October 25, 2012 4:19 PM

Independent candidate Angus King released his FEC records Tuesday, showing he just edged out Republican Charlie Summers in fundraising for the first few weeks of October. The candidate raised nearly $387,000, compared to Summer’s $325,000. King maintains a large overall advantage, having raised $2.7 million, compared to $1.1 million for Summers, since the campaign started, according to officials.

King’s Republican opponent, however, criticized the independent for what he sees as hypocritical campaigning. Last Friday, Summers went on the Howie Carr radio show to discuss a scandal involving three billionaires – Michael Bloomberg, Peter Ackerman, and John Burbank III – who have contributed to the PAC Americans Elect to help fund King’s race to the Senate. Summers attacked King’s fundraising method.

“It’s kind of ironic that Angus King is running around the state of Maine becrying outside money and how bad it is, yet he’s down in Michael Bloomberg’s living room two days ago, raising two million dollars.” Summers proceeded to say that people are tired of politicians who “say one thing and do another.”

King’s spokeswoman, however, Crystal Canney, said nearly two thirds of King's donors come from Maine and insists her candidate’s fund-raising figures show people "are deeply concerned about the direction of Congress and believe that sending an Independent to Washington is one important step forward in addressing the partisan logjam."