PORTLAND — Independent Angus King said Tuesday that he sees an opportunity for a coalition of four to five centrists to break the partisan gridlock in the U.S. Senate, allowing progress on important issues like the economy, national debt, health care and energy.
King made the remark to supporters as he returned to the State House, where he served two terms as governor, to deliver his ballot petitions containing 6,000 signatures, making his candidacy official by assuring himself a spot on the November ballot.
King said he couldn’t change the Senate by himself, but that he could bring about change with some help. Senate Democrats currently hold a 51-47 majority with two independents who caucus with them.
“All it would take is four or five — a centrist coalition, if you will — who can have a great deal of influence on the course of modern American history,” King said in Augusta.
King has garnered much of the attention in the race to fill the Senate seat that’s being vacated by Republican Olympia Snowe, but six Republicans and four Democrats are seeking party nominations for the opportunity to appear on the ballot. Their primaries will be held on June 12.
Two other independents, Steve Woods from Yarmouth and Danny Dalton from Brunswick, have submitted their petitions. Other independent Senate hopefuls, including tea party activist Andrew Ian Dodge, face a Friday deadline for submitting at least 4,000 qualified signatures.
King, of Brunswick and a former Democrat, has said his vote could be crucial in a closely divided Senate, but he hasn’t said whether he’d caucus with Democrats, or Republicans, or neither, if he’s elected.
On Tuesday, he said he believed there would be enough like-minded senators to form a bridge between the parties.
“I’m neither arrogant enough nor naive enough to think that I can go to Washington all by myself and fix things,” he told supporters.
¦ SIX REPUBLICANS and four Democrats are seeking party nominations for the opportunity to appear on the November ballot. Their primaries will be held on June 12.
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