Allen to take on Collins in Maine

Rep. Tom Allen (D-Maine) announced Tuesday that he will challenge Sen. Susan Collins, who is considered one of the most vulnerable Republicans, in 2008.

Allen, who is serving his sixth term in Congress, said he wants to stress his opposition to the war in Iraq and the Bush tax cuts during the campaign.

{mosads}“Maine people tell me that they want our involvement in the Iraq war — the worst foreign-policy mistake in our nation’s history — to end,” Allen said in an announcement address. “They tell me that they’ve had enough of tax and budget policies that deprive the poor and the middle class while enriching the wealthy.”

Allen noted that Collins has supported the war “from the beginning” while he has consistently “fought to stop it.”

At the end of March, Collins had $1.2 million cash on hand while Allen had $812,000.