Steve Rowe announces his three week fundraising totals

According to Steve Rowe’s Facebook (hat tip to my friends at Augusta Insider), Rowe has raised $59,232 in his first three weeks of fundraising.

from Steve Rowe’s Facebook:

Contributions came from each of Maine’s 16 counties, and 91% of donations came from in-state contributors. I truly appreciate your generosity and support. I will run a campaign worthy of your investment and will be a Governor that puts Maine on a pathway to prosperity.

Maine gubernatorial Twitter shakeup

Matt Jacobson as taken the lead in the Maine gubernatorial Twitter race. Jacobson has amassed 494 followers on his Jacobson4Gov Twitter. This is a big upset. Candidate Alex Hammer has held the title as Twitter King since the onset of the gubernatorial race. In the Augusta Insider’s last Twitter Primary update Hammer had 349 followers to Jacobson’s 306. Jacobson had gained 215 followers since the Insider’s last update while Hammer had lost 8. As the Augusta Insider stated in their first update, Hammer’s profile is non-political and existed before the campaign began while his competitors Tweets were created strictly for the gubernatorial race.

Hammer’s Tweet was a serious advantage for the Independent. Twitter remains a quick and effective way to reach supporters. It will surely remain important to the campaigns this election, as will candidate websites, blogs and Facebook.

Head over to the Augusta Insider to continue following the Twitter Primary.

Poliquin’s fundraising take

Republican candidate Bruce Poliquin announced his fundraising haul today. Poliquin raised $277,265 during the first reporting period of 2009. $117,351 came from donors and $159,913 from his own pocket. In an impressive showing of online organization, the Poliquin team gathered $35,000 through online donations, more than half of which came within 48 hours of the fundraising deadline.

Poliquin’s use of effective netroots tactics has bared fruit. “This is the grassroots hard work that has to be done if we’re going to bring a new type of government to Augusta,” said Poliquin in his fundraising release. Poliquin’s bus tour, somewhat reminiscent of the Sen. McCain’s fabled “Straight Talk Express” has been the anchor of his grassroots movement. Like his competitors, Poliquin seems to be settling into this new age of campaigning well. Poliquin’s blog provides a useful supplement to his clear platform. Facebook has garnered Poliquin 239 supporters, which third overall with Matt Jacobson at 367 and Steve Rowe at the head of the pack with 593. Unlike his competitors, you cannot view Poliquin’s Facebook page unless you are a supporter. This could be a fumble on the Facebook front for Poliquin. Being open as possible attracts Facebook users who may not have otherwise considered you, not just people who already know what you stand for. Not everyone will take the time to visit Poliquin’s site.

“I’m not taking anything for granted,” says Poliquin. In a race with so much competition, anyone who does will only have one view of the Blaine House; from the outside looking in.