Public financing still in danger

Press Herald - One Maine gubernatorial hopeful and 220 legislative candidates who are counting on public campaign funds are in limbo.

Lawmakers continued trying to hash out a deal that could satisfy House Republicans who are ideologically opposed to public campaign funding. Such a fix could return some of the money to Maine’s general fund.

....Last year, lawmakers passed a budget that transferred $3 million to Maine’s fund for publicly financed candidates by June 1, 2018.

But months ago, lawmakers discovered a mistake in the budget’s wording that now effectively prevents Maine’s ethics commission from releasing its public campaign funds after July 1.