The following tidbits have come up through various State House races around the state:

China candidate campaigns by bike

Christopher Doyon (D-China), a first-time legislative candidate, is doing as much campaigning as possible on bike or foot as an effort to “eliminate as much of our carbon footprint as possible.”

“It just didn’t seem right with a publicly funded campaign to spend many hundreds of dollars on gasoline,” Doyon wrote in a statement. “Plus we wanted to make a statement about personal responsibility with regard to our environment.”

Pot legalization advocate against Maine Rx champion

The Kennebec Journal profiled the House district 79 race today, where first-timer Charles Jacques (R-West Gardiner) is running against veteran Sharon Treat (D-Hallowell).

Reporter Meghan Malloy wrote that Jacques is: “…promoting a platform that ‘advocates liberty and freedom,’ including disbanding county government and legalizing marijuana.”

Treat, she wrote: ‘…said voters ought to be concerned about "mainstream issues,’ including access to affordable heat this winter and investing in ‘traditional Maine businesses’ such as shipbuilding and farming.”

Click here for the rest of the story.

Panel: MCEA funds can go to band

Susan Cover of the Kennebec Journal has this story today about the Ethics Commission approval of paying clean elections fund to a candidate’s son to play a campaign event.

Robert “Bo” Zabierek (D-Sherman) hoped to enlist his son’s band, Kirbside Prophet, to play at a voter registration drive targeting young voters.

Cover wrote:

“Most ethics commission members agreed the case met all three of the criteria for allowing a family member to be paid with Clean Election Act money. They determined that a band is a legitimate campaign expense, part of the son's normal course of business and that the amount to be paid is consistent with market value.

“Commission member Walter McKee said candidates should get some leeway when determining what kinds of activities are campaign-related.”

Click here for the rest of the story.