Maine Rep. Allen endorses Obama

Rep. Tom Allen (D-Maine) on Monday announced he is endorsing Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), a move that could help Allen in his challenge of GOP Sen. Susan Collins.

{mosads}“It is time to bring a graceful end to the primary campaign,” Allen said in a statement. “We now need to unify the Democratic Party and focus on electing Sen. Obama and a working majority in the United States Senate.”

While the GOP has been attempting to use Obama as an albatross in conservative House districts, Maine is true blue in presidential elections and voted 59-40 for Obama over Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) in its Feb. 10 caucuses.

Allen had words of praise for Clinton but said it’s time to move forward in announcing his endorsement Monday morning at his campaign headquarters in Portland. He noted that most of the nation’s primary voters have now spoken.

Allen’s challenge of Collins is one of the top upper-chamber races in the country. He has trailed by more than 20 points in polling on the race, but the state’s Democratic lean and the concurrent presidential election are expected to boost his candidacy.

By endorsing Obama, Allen has sought to tie himself to the Democratic front-runner less than a week after primary results in Indiana and North Carolina pushed Obama even further toward the nomination.

Allen’s support continues a flood of superdelegates to Obama’s campaign since those primaries.

Obama praised Allen for opposing the Iraq war from the start, which is sure to be a theme in the Senate campaign.

“There's no question that Tom's record of service, his tenacity, and his judgment will make him an excellent senator,” Obama said. “I'm thrilled to be working alongside him in this critical election, and I look forward to working with him as president."