The two political action committees supporting and opposing the creation of a casino in York County have filed their first campaign finance reports. So far, they have raised only a fraction of what's expected to be spent for the duration of the campaign.
Progress for Maine, the campaign committee supporting Question 1 on the ballot, has raised $1.8 million and spent $1.5 million, mostly for advertising. A Bad Deal for Maine, the group opposing the York county casino, has incurred debts of about $28,000 to set up the committee.
“They really don’t tell us much at this point," says University of Maine political science professor Mark Brewer. "We are still - even though it may not seem like it - we are still early in the process.”
Brewer says the spending reports are just a hint at what he expects will be million of dollars spent by both sides in the referendum over the next month. “We know the money is coming. We will see it as we get closer to actual Election Day - we will see it grow exponentially, I suspect.”
