Birther

Olympia Snowe Primary Challenger Says Obama Not A Christian

Benjy Sarlin | July 19, 2011, 1:26PM

Scott D'Amboise

A Republican primary challenger to Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) went on a rant against Barack Obama this week in which he claimed the president was not a Christian.

Businessman Scott D'amboise told FrumForum in an interview on Tuesday that he did not believe Obama's professed faith was genuine.

"The President, he says he is Christian but yet he's exercises a lot of Muslim faith too," D'amboise said. "Me personally, I'm a Christian conservative. I don't hold any malice to anybody, whether they are Muslim, or Jewish, or Catholic, or anything else. I just believe that he needs to come forward with his views a little bit clearer."

Asked specifically whether Obama might be a Muslim, a common (and false) belief in some right-wing circles, D'amboise told FrumForum "I don't know if he is or isn't, but I don't believe he's a Christian."

In an interview with TPM, Andrew Ian Dodge, a Tea Party activist who is also running against Snowe as a Republican, condemned D'amboise's comments as a "distraction."

"I think its a way of vilifying him," Dodge said. "Obama is a social democrat, but he is neither a Muslim nor a non-citizen."

He added that comments like D'amboise's help Democrats by portraying the right as "bunch of loons."

D'amboise has only raised $100,000 so far, well behind Snowe's $2.7 million cash on hand. Dodge has not yet released fundraising totals.

Andrew Ian Dodge

Maine Tea Partier Announces Snowe Challenge At CPAC, Flaunts Birth Certificate

Jillian Rayfield | February 11, 2011, 5:45PM

Andrew Ian Dodge

Andrew Ian Dodge, a Maine tea party activist, announced at CPAC earlier today that he will challenge Sen. Olympia Snowe in the Republican primary in 2012, touting his slogan "Snowe has got to go" and flaunting his birth certificate, which he said was a response to accusations by his opponents that he is not a U.S. citizen.

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Olympia Snowe

Meet Olympia Snowe's New Hard Rocking Tea Party Challenger

Benjy Sarlin | February 11, 2011, 12:02PM

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME)

Maine moderate Olympia Snowe, whose Senate seat has long been considered vulnerable in a Republican primary, has a new Tea Party challenger: Andrew Ian Dodge.

The state coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots in Maine, Dodge told TPM he will announce his entrance into the race Friday at a press conference at CPAC. He'll be the second to jump into the GOP primary against Snowe after businessman Scott D'amboise declared his run last year.

You may not recognize Dodge's name, but if you've read news coverage of the Tea Party over the last year you've almost certainly seen him quoted. Dodge's friendly relationship with reporters and off-beat analysis has made him one of the most frequently cited activists in the movement by mainstream reporters.

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