The Talk of Maine piece on how mud-slinging politics has arrived in Maine, wit

The Talk of Maine piece on how mud-slinging politics has arrived in Maine, with the 2010 campaign possibly being the ugliest in living memory, paid for by shadowy groups from far away, among other contributors. Besides in-state political fighting, 50 out-of-state corporations and industry associations bankrolled $770,000 in ads supporting Paul LePage, now governor, or savaging Independent candidate Eliot Cutler and Democratic candidate Elizabeth Mitchell. Ads paid for by the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) in Virginia were the most disturbing, introducing outsized and insidious force into local races. The RSLC delayed reporting expenditures, which meant Clean Elections candidates didn\u27t receive matching funds in time to use them to effect. The general consensus, however, is that the negative ads backfired