Steve Abbott (politician)

Last updated

Steve Abbott
Steve Abbott (Maine).jpg
Personal details
Born
Steven W. Abbott [1]

(1962-08-16) August 16, 1962 (age 62)
Political party Republican
SpouseAmy Abbott
Residence Portland, ME
Alma mater Harvard University, University of Maine School of Law
OccupationLawyer, Chief of Staff to Senator Susan Collins

Steven W. Abbott (born August 16, 1962) is an American lawyer and politician, most recently serving as the Chief of Staff to Senator Susan Collins. In January, 2010, Abbott announced that he was seeking the 2010 Republican nomination for Governor of Maine. In the June primary, he came in fourth.

Contents

Early life and education

Abbott grew up in Orono, Maine. His mother taught at a local Orono elementary school and his father, Walter, taught and coached at the University of Maine. [2] After Steve was graduated by Orono High School in 1981, he went on to study at Harvard University, where he majored in history. From 1988 to 1991, Abbott studied law at the University of Maine School of Law. [3]

Steve Abbott was recognized at both the high school and collegiate level for his athletic talent. At Orono High School, he played three sports [2] and captained the state championship football and basketball teams. In 1981, he was named Maine's top high school scholar athlete. In addition to his personal accomplishments, his football team went undefeated during all his played seasons setting a state record for most consecutive wins. At Harvard, he played on two championship football teams before he was chosen to serve as Harvard's 111th football captain. [4]

Abbott studied sport management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst before joining Sen. Collins' staff in 1997. [2]

Career

After passing the bar, Abbott practiced law at Pierce Atwood, Maine's largest commercial law firm, starting in 1991. [2] [3]

Early political career

Abbott got his start in politics in the 1980s, as a campaign volunteer for future governor John R. McKernan Jr. He then took a position on then-Congresswoman Olympia Snowe's Washington staff. [5]

Chief of Staff to Senator Susan Collins

Abbott has worked for Collins since 1994, when she made an unsuccessful bid for Governor of Maine, eventually coming in third behind Independent Angus King and Democrat Joseph E. Brennan. He has served as campaign manager for all three of her senatorial campaigns, and has served as chief of staff since 1997. [5]

2010 campaign for Governor of Maine

Abbott's name was widely speculated on in 2009 as a potential candidate, [6] both for a challenge to 1st District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, and for the 2010 Republican nomination for Governor of Maine.

On January 12, 2010, Abbott made his candidacy for governor official, announcing his run at a series of events in Portland, Orono, and Presque Isle. [7]

On June 2, 2010, the Portland Press Herald announced support of Abbott for the Republican nomination. The Press Herald also supported Patrick K. McGowan for the Democratic Party. On June 14, 2010, Abbott came in fourth place in the primary and McGowan also lost. [8]

Interim athletic director, University of Maine

On August 20, 2010, Abbott was named interim athletic director for the university of Maine Black Bears. University president Robert Kennedy said Abbott's lack of experience in athletic administration was not an issue because of his extensive background in law and politics, as well as his roots in the university. "[C]ontinued fund-raising for the renovation of Memorial Gym and significant improvements at Alfond Arena" were also cited as priorities he could and would address in the job. Abbott's appointment was still subject to formal approval by University of Maine System Chancellor Richard Pattenaude and the board of trustees. As for the tenure of the new job, Abbott was quoted as saying, "I don't know what I'm going to do next, but I'm looking at it as an interim position. I'm not going to apply when they start the search [for a permanent director]." Abbott's salary was $140,000 and he started September 6. [2]

On March 28, 2011, Abbott accepted a two-year deal to remain athletic director, starting June 1.

Personal life and family

Abbott divides his time between Washington and Portland, where he lives with his wife, Amy, a former finance executive at Unum, and their daughter and son. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Michaud</span> American politician (born 1955)

Michael Herman Michaud is an American businessman and politician from Maine. Michaud served as the U.S. representative for Maine's 2nd congressional district from 2003 to 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The primarily rural district comprises nearly 80% of the state by area and includes the cities of Lewiston, Auburn, Bangor, Presque Isle, and Ellsworth. It is the largest Congressional district by area east of the Mississippi River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Baldacci</span> American politician (born 1955)

John Elias Baldacci is an American politician who served as the 73rd Governor of Maine from 2003 to 2011. A Democrat, he also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chellie Pingree</span> American politician (born 1955)

Chellie MariePingree is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Maine's 1st congressional district since 2009. Her district includes most of the southern part of the state, centered around the Portland area.

<i>Bangor Daily News</i> Newspaper serving Bangor, Maine, United States

The Bangor Daily News is an American newspaper covering a large portion of central and eastern Maine, published six days per week in Bangor, Maine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel Washburn Jr.</span> American politician

Israel Washburn Jr. was a United States political figure who was the Governor of Maine from 1861 to 1863. Originally a member of the Whig Party, he later became a founding member of the Republican Party. In 1842, Washburn served in the Maine House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth M. Curtis</span> American lawyer and former politician (born 1931)

Kenneth Merwin Curtis is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat from Maine. He was the Secretary of State of Maine from 1965 to 1966, the Governor of Maine from 1967 to 1975, and the United States Ambassador to Canada from 1979 to 1981. Curtis is a member of the Democratic Party and is currently Of Counsel at the Curtis Thaxter law firm in Portland, Maine, which he founded in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Maine gubernatorial election</span>

The 2010 Maine gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010, to elect the governor of Maine. Incumbent Democratic governor John Baldacci was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a third consecutive term. Primary elections took place on June 8, 2010. The candidates who appeared on the November ballot were : Eliot Cutler (Independent), Paul LePage (Republican), Libby Mitchell (Democratic), Shawn Moody (Independent), and Kevin Scott (Independent).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janet Mills</span> Governor of Maine since 2019

Janet Trafton Mills is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 75th governor of Maine since January 2019. She previously served as the Maine Attorney General on two occasions.

Walter H. Abbott is a former American football player and coach, college athletics administrator, and university professor. He served as the head football coach at the University of Maine from 1967 through 1975, compiling a record of a 27–53. His Maine Black Bears football team won a share of Yankee Conference championship in 1974. Abbott served two stints as interim athletic director at Maine, from 1991 to 1992 and again from 1994 to 1995, and was the coordinator of the football program in 1986 between the departure of Ron Rogerson and hiring of Buddy Teevens. He also was a member of the university's faculty until his retirement in 2010. Abbott is well known for creating and instructing the popular Outdoor Leadership course in which he introduced thousands of students to the beauty, ruggedness and adventure to be found in the state of Maine.

Patrick K. "Pat" McGowan is an American politician from Maine. McGowan, a Democrat, served in the Clinton administration as the New England regional administrator of the Small Business Administration. From 2003 to 2010, he served as Maine's Commissioner of Conservation. In 2010, he unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Party's nomination for Governor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul LePage</span> Governor of Maine from 2011 to 2019

Paul Richard LePage is an American businessman and politician who served as the 74th governor of Maine from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the mayor of Waterville, Maine, from 2004 to 2011 and as a city councilor for Waterville from 1998 to 2002.

Ben Chipman is an American Democratic politician from Maine. He is a member of the Maine Senate representing District 27, comprising part of Portland, Maine. Chipman served in the Maine House of Representatives from December 2010 until December 2016 as an independent, and since December 2016 he has served as a member of the Maine Senate as a Democrat.

Emily Ann Cain is an American politician from Maine and Executive Director of EMILY's List. A member of the Democratic Party, Cain served in the Maine Senate from 2012 to 2014, representing the 30th district which includes part of Penobscot County. She was previously a member of the Maine House of Representatives from 2004 to 2012, where she served as Minority Leader from 2008 to 2010 and as House Chair of the Appropriations & Financial Affairs Committee from 2010 to 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memorial Gymnasium (University of Maine)</span>

Memorial Gym, nicknamed "The Pit", is a 3,100-seat multipurpose arena in Orono, Maine. It is home to the University of Maine Black Bears men's and women's basketball teams. Maine played 10 men's and women's basketball games during 2011–12 at Memorial Gym. The men’s team has held a total of eight games at Memorial Gym since 2003–04. The Gym was home to Black Bears Basketball from 1935 to 1989, before moving some games to Bangor Auditorium. In 2023-2024, both the men's and women's teams played the majority of their games at Memorial Gym.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth Fredette</span> American politician (born 1964)

Kenneth Wade Fredette is a former member of the Maine House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Gagnon</span>

Matthew Owen Gagnon is an American think tank executive, political strategist and writer from Maine. He is the chief executive officer of the Maine Policy Institute, a free market think tank based in Portland, Maine. He previously was the director of digital strategy for the Republican Governors Association. Gagnon is a columnist for the Bangor Daily News, writing about Maine and national politics for the paper since August 2011, and is also currently the host of the morning show on Portland's largest talk-radio station, WGAN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 United States Senate election in Maine</span>

The 2020 United States Senate election in Maine was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Maine, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. This was Maine's first election for its Class 2 seat to use its ranked choice voting system. Because the first round of the general election saw a majority, the instant runoff tabulation of more than 800,000 ballots was not carried out.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Maine</span>

The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Maine were held on November 6, 2018, to elect the two U.S. representatives from the state of Maine, one from each of the state's two congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other offices, including a gubernatorial election, other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eliot Cutler</span> American politician, lawyer, and convicted felon

Eliot Raphael Cutler is an American former lawyer, political candidate, and sex offender. He was twice an Independent candidate in Maine's 2010 and 2014 gubernatorial races. In 2010, he placed second in a multi-way race, receiving 208,270 votes, equaling 35.9%, narrowly losing to Republican Paul LePage. In 2014 he garnered only 8.4%, placing third behind both the Democratic candidate as well as LePage, who was re-elected with 48.2% of the vote. Cutler had previously served in the Carter Administration as part of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. In May 2023, Cutler pled guilty to four counts of possessing child pornography, after being arrested in March 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Maine Question 1</span> Referendum on religious and philosophical vaccination exemptions

2020 Maine Question 1 was a people's veto referendum that sought to reject a new law which eliminated religious and philosophical exemptions from school vaccination requirements and for employees of nursery schools and health care facilities. The question appeared on the statewide ballot on March 3, 2020, coinciding with the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries for the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

References

  1. "Mr. Steven W. Abbott Profile | Orono, ME Lawyer | Martindale.com". www.martindale.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Warner, Pete, "UMaine names Steve Abbott interim athletic director", Bangor Daily News, 8/20/10 09:12 am updated 8/21/10 12:11 am. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  3. 1 2 "Meet Steve Abbott". Abbott for Governor. Archived from the original on January 17, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  4. "Orono inducting second Hall class". Bangor Daily News. October 8, 2009. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 Bradbury, Dieter (February 22, 2009). "Rising Republican: Does Abbott have eyes for the governor's job?". Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  6. "Steve Abbott Seriously Considering a Run for Governor". Pine Tree Politics. October 9, 2009. Archived from the original on March 14, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  7. "Collins aide to join Maine gov's race". SeacoastOnline.com. The Associated Press. January 12, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  8. "Maine Governor Primary Results". Voice of the Voter. June 8, 2010. Retrieved July 18, 2010.