Staff Writer
AUGUSTA – Maine House Republican Leader Rep. Josh Tardy (R-Newport) said Monday in a press release that a campaign mailer from Democratic House hopeful Kyle Green seems designed to mislead voters in House District 6; however, the candidate claims the flyer wording was a printing error. The District 6 House seat is currently held by Rep. Jacqueline Lundeen (D-Mars Hill), a four-term legislator who cannot run this year due to term limits. The campaign flyer from Green, however, states that he is the incumbent legislator and lists his accomplishments in Augusta.
The flyer went out to residents of District 6, which includes Blaine, Bridgewater, Easton, Fort Fairfield, Mars Hill and Westfield.
“We’ve seen some very questionable campaign tactics by the other side in this election, but this takes it to a whole new level,” said Tardy, who is closely monitoring legislative races. “To claim that you are a state representative when you are not is bad enough. To then provide a list of your legislative accomplishments really takes the cake.”
The postcard states that Green is “building Maine’s economic future,” and in a highlighted box notes that “Kyle Green knows how important new jobs and opportunities are for our families. He has worked hard in Augusta to move our state forward and he will keep fighting for a stronger Maine economy.”
The flyer states, “As State Representative, Kyle has boosted funding for immediate road and bridge repairs.” It also notes that he has “reduced unemployment taxes and created incentives for businesses,” “increased the minimum wage,” “created tax rebates for college graduates who live and work in Maine,” and “invested in research and development of natural resources and science-based industries.”
“That’s a very impressive array of accomplishments for someone who has never held office in the Legislature,” said Tardy. “It seems clear that the intent is to mislead voters into thinking that Kyle Green is the incumbent and that he’s done a terrific job.”
Green said the mailing went out in error.
“Like many other candidates, I contracted with a third-party direct mail firm to assemble and mail campaign pieces,” he said. “They provided a variety of selections depicting several themes. I selected two pieces that reflect my values and the work I hope to accomplish in Augusta.
“Neither of the two pieces I selected indicated that I was an incumbent. I was then sent three proofs – the two I selected, and the errant one that was recently mailed,” said Green. “On Sept. 15, I issued clear instructions by e-mail – an e-mail I still have and am willing to produce to any interested party – that the piece was not accurate and should not be mailed. Due to a mistake at the firm, it was sent out anyway.”
Green said he first found out about the inaccurate mailer around 4:30 p.m. Monday.
“Within an hour, I sent a press release to both the Bangor Daily News and WAGM. When I called the Maine Ethics Commission first thing Tuesday morning to see if I needed to do anything about the mailer, I was informed that the Commission has no jurisdiction over the content of political advertisements,” he said. “Regardless, I forwarded to the Commission the three proofs I was sent, as well as the e-mail correspondence where I stated in very clear terms that I could not send out a piece casting me as an incumbent. It would be ridiculous to assert that I, as a non-incumbent, would knowingly authorize mail identifying legislative accomplishments.
“I’m disappointed that Rep. Tardy, Jay Finegan of the House GOP Office, and the Maine Republican Party felt that the appropriate course of action was to attempt to score political points with a press release before first finding out the facts surrounding such a clear mistake,” said Green. “Had they contacted me first, I could have found out about the mailer earlier and set the record straight myself. Their actions reflect ‘gotcha politics’ at its worst, and thus have no place in this or any other election.”
Green said he takes responsibility for the mistake.
“Ultimately, as the candidate on the ballot, I am responsible for mail sent out on behalf of my campaign,” he said. “I very sincerely regret both the error made on my campaign’s behalf, as well as any confusion this may cause to the voters of District 6; they’re better served by a campaign that discards political showmanship and focuses instead on the actual issues surrounding this election – issues like energy assistance for low-income seniors and lessening the regulatory burden on small business. That’s the campaign I’ve been running, and that’s the campaign I’ll continue to run until Nov. 4.”
House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree said she was disappointed to see the Maine Republican Party “fire up their press machine” against Green, a “hardworking candidate grounded in the community who is seeking a seat in the Maine Legislature this year as a first-time candidate.”
“There was a mistake with Kyle’s mailing and the wrong information was printed on the mailers, indicating that he was a current member of the House,” she said. “It was a mistake and a mistake Kyle was not aware of until the mailers, with the mistaken information, actually started arriving at households in his district.
“Since candidates like Kyle run as Clean Election candidates – not taking money from lobbyists for his campaign – there are only a small amount of funds for candidates to purchase signs and mailers,” Pingree said. “Campaign committees, like the House Democrats and House Republicans, help candidates connect with mail houses and printers who have mailer templates and can get bulk pricing and then the candidates personalize those mailers with their issues and information. With hundreds of candidate mailings on their plate, the printers and designers made a major mistake on Kyle’s mailing that they feel bad about, the House Democrats feel bad about, and Kyle certainly feels bad about. Again, this mistake was not intentional, and on behalf of the House Democrats, I want to apologize to the voters and to Kyle for this error.”
Green resides in Westfield. His opponent, Republican candidate Tyler Clark, is a life-long resident of Easton.