Sorensen’s Sabotage Successful, Lachowicz Defeats Martin

A month prior to the general election, a major controversy was sparked by the Maine Republican Party that gained international attention. A smear campaign was launched against Democratic State Senate candidate Colleen Lachowicz, giving a candidate without much of a name prior immediate name recognition. Everyone from the local media all the way to the BBC was on this story, discussing the unusual nature of the attack and the bizarre focus on a video game. Although, in all fairness to the Maine Republican Party, there were some vulgar comments made by Senator Tom Martin’s opponent and should have been addressed. But in the end, the World of Warcraft reference was unnecessary.

Back when this story broke, it was noted in a previous Undercover Porcupine article (“Maine GOP’s World of Trouble”) that this could have a significant negative outcome on the race:

One does not need to remind Republicans how critical everything is at this point. The Legislative majority gained in 2010, largely because of the active grassroots and peak of the Tea Party movement, could be threatened by continued disunity. Charlie Summers’ victory is essential, as Republicans cannot afford to lose any U.S. Senate seats. Mitt Romney’s victory in November could very well be dependent on Maine Congressional District #2, a district where even a tie would be a fortunate outcome for Republicans. Victory is an uphill battle, it has been for the start. But the Communications Director for the Maine Republican Party is not helping the internal party unity or external party image, both of which will damage the party’s appeal at the ballot box in November.

Romney not only lost Maine Congressional District #2, but all of Maine. Charlie Summers lost the seat of retiring U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe. Already, President Barack Obama has been given a second term and the Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate has been strengthened. While the Republicans maintained control of the U.S. House of Representatives, neither Democratic Representative from Maine was voted out. To further add to the destructive night for the Republican Party, the majority in both houses of the Legislature was lost. Among those heavy losses was Senator Tom Martin.

To Senator Martin’s credit, he refused to touch the low personal attacks and wished to remain strictly on the issues. By sticking on the high road, this enough should have saved him. The negative campaigning by his party however, didn’t help. Not that it necessarily crippled him, but it strengthened his opponent greatly.

The question further lingers about what the Maine Republican Party is thinking in keeping David Sorensen around. This is the same individual who participated in disruption tactics at the State Convention, by distributing fake slates and nominating random individuals to drag out the event. He has developed a reputation as an attack dog, always barking and ready to bite. While aggressiveness is a good trait to have in the political arena, there is a line drawn and one that should not be crossed. Not unless you’re a level 85 Orc Assassin, anyway.

It’s a point that has been avoided though. The irony of the entire ordeal is the fact that Webster and Co. seem to live in an “online fantasy world”, where they believe they can get away with saying whatever. The political hitman that David Sorensen has become is something even an Orc Assassin at Level 85 should be jealous of. That, or the communications director is the Democratic Party’s star saboteur on the inside. After creating name recognition and dramatically boosting fundraising, Sorensen’s resume should have had an addition of either campaign manager or treasurer for Lachowicz for State Senate. Because the damage was done by the Republican Party communications director and Lachowicz and the Democratic Party couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.

Chris Dixon

About Chris Dixon

Chris Dixon is a libertarian-leaning writer and managing editor for The Liberty Conservative. In addition to his political writing, he also covers baseball for Cleat Geeks and enjoys writing on a number of other topics ranging on Medium.