Democrats Eye Maine Senate Seat

July 11, 2008 — -- The Democrat running against Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, hopes to bring about a burst of legislation not seen since Lyndon Johnson was in the White House.

"The reason that I'm in this race has everything to do with recapturing the working majority that we had in 1965," Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine, told ABC News. "I want to be part of a movement for change that is so big and so strong and so effective that it leaves its mark on future generations."

Allen recently sat down with ABCNews.com for an interview about his U.S. Senate bid. An invitation for a separate one-on-one interview also has been extended to Collins.

Collins, who joined Democrats in opposing the "Partial-Birth Abortion Ban" in 2003, styles herself as a moderate who reaches across the aisle. In 2004, she co-authored a bill to overhaul of the nation's intelligence community with Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn.

Allen is hoping to puncture what he refers to as his rival's "effective brand" as a centrist by highlighting a series of issues on which she has voted with President Bush.

"For the people in Maine who we represent, this race is about energy, health care, the economy and Iraq. Those are the big four," said Allen. "Those are the big four for me, too. But they're not the big four for Senator Collins."

"If I run through my litany," he added, "nobody says to me after that, 'Well, I still think she's a moderate.'"

With gas topping $4 per gallon and with the cost of home-heating oil on the rise, Allen is hammering Collins for backing the 2005 energy bill spearheaded by Vice President Dick Cheney.

"It's a terrible bill," said Allen. "It moved $14 billion in tax breaks and incentives to the oil and gas industry at a time when they didn't need it."

Asked about Sen. Barack Obama's support for the same energy bill, Allen sought to downplay it by pointing to differences in the states that they represent.

"He comes from Illinois, a corn-growing state, an ethanol state. She's in Maine," said Allen.

Allen, who unlike Collins voted against authorizing the use of force in Iraq in 2002, is not satisfied with the "transition the mission" legislation offered by his opponent.

He wants a 15-18 month timetable for troop withdrawal that would leave no U.S. troops behind unless there is an agreement with the Iraqi government.