A spokesman for Health Coverage for Maine, the group opposing the people’s veto of the new beer, wine and soda taxes, said that he was shocked by a review of their opponent’s campaign expenditures.

Fed Up with Taxes, the group backing Question 1, has received $3.5 million in contributions, mostly from the large beverage companies.

Despite their campaign to save Maine businesses, a PolitickerME.com review of the group’s campaign expenses showed that it spent very little of its campaign coffers on in state businesses.

“I was really taken aback,” said Ben Dudley of Health Coverage for Maine. “If you look at them in the best possible light, still 60 percent of every dollar they raised was sent to an out-of-state firm. It’s just shocking to see – you wonder whose side they are on.”

The Health Coverage for Maine campaign is drastically out-funded, however it just went up with its first television spot.

Newell Augur, the chairman of Fed Up with Taxes, said that the group did contract with Maine companies where possible, and looked out of state for all other costs.

Dudley countered that there are plenty of ad agencies, pollsters and printers in the state to contract.

Spectrum Marketing, the Manchester, N.H. company that Fed Up with Taxes paid $34,406 in printing and literature costs, is regularly used by Maine House Republicans. Fourteen Republican House candidates have reported using the company this year.

The Vice President of the group is Chuck McGee, the former Executive Director of the New Hampshire Republican Party. McGee helped orchestrate the phone jamming conspiracy during the 2002 election to obstruct the Democratic Party’s get out the vote efforts.