Datechguy's Blog

A week ago there was a story that didn’t raise a lot of eyebrows in Maine:

Andrew Ian Dodge says he’s giving up his Republican primary challenge against Sen. Olympia Snowe. Dodge, a former tea party activist, told the Lewiston Sun Journal that he’s dropping out of the Republican Party and will run for the Senate seat as an independent.

Dodge, 43, told the paper he decided to leave the party because he wasn’t happy with the way the GOP caucuses were handled. He accused state GOP Party chair Charlie Webster of having a “patronizing attitude” toward those who complained.

Andrew is a Tea Party Guy, his withdrawal meant that Snowe was facing a single primary opponent, Scott D’Amboise of Lisbon Falls.

Well it’s amazing a difference a week makes when you are a left leaning Republican with one primary opponent:

Republican Senator Olympia Snowe, R-Maine will not stand for re-election this fall. Snowe, one of the handful of moderates left in the Senate, is reportedly tired of the gridlock that has paralyzed Congress.

Sorry that doesn’t wash, the GOP is gonna take the Senate and Snowe as a moderate republican would be at a point of power if the margin of advantage for the GOP was small and of even greater advantage if was near 60-40 since the party would have to appease her to get things passed.

Of course it’s just speculation that Snowe would retire a week after discovering the primary vote would not be split.

Sure it was

Update: Allahpundit’s analysis doesn’t wash Snowe would have had much more leverage if re-elected. If she was really concerned with promoting moderation her re-election would have put her in a great spot to force the GOP to sing to her tune…if she thought she would win the primary.