On Sen. Olympia Snowe

Moderate Republican Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine dropped a bombshell on her party last week when she suddenly announced that she would not seek re-election this November. Snowe was cruising towards certain victory, but she is walking away. She leaves behind her party, and fellow GOP moderates like myself.

Sen. Snowe has enjoyed one of the rarest forms of political support. Maine is a blue state, albeit with Yankee Republican pedigree (Maine was one of two states that FDR never carried in four tries). In deep blue Maine, Snowe has never lost an election in 30+ years of elected office, and, in three senate races she received 60% of the vote twice, and in 2006, she received a whopping 74%, in one of the worst election years in GOP history.

Since 2010, the GOP has come a looong way in New England. In 2009, Snowe and fellow Mainer Susan Collins were the only Republicans elected to hold national offices from a region that was a historical breeding ground of Republicanism. 2010 changed the political landscape quite a bit. First, Scott Brown became the first Republican senator Massachusetts had sent to the US Congress in over 30 years. Additionally, Kelly Ayotte won a Senate seat in New Hampshire. Suddenly, the ladies from Maine had company in New England. New England's GOP stature has been further burnished with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's pursuit of the presidency.

This brings us back to reality, however. At 47 seats, the GOP only needs to win 4 additional senate races to control the senate. Snowe was a shoo-in on the road to 51, but no longer. Now, Scott Brown's re-election effort is even more important, and possibly, is now more daunting. Why? Back in 2006, Rhode Island had an affable, well liked senator named Lincoln Chafee. Chafee's father had been governor of Rhode Island, and had also served as a senator until his death in 1999. Lincoln was appointed to his father's vacant seat. In the Nov. '06 elections, deeply blue Rhode Island faced the prospect that favorite son Sen. Chafee would be the 51st. Republican senator. He was summarily booted, and the Democrats took over the senate.

In the retiring Sen. Snowe, moderate Republicanism has lost an advocate and a role model. Her help could have sorely been needed this November, when the GOP will control both houses of Congress irrespective to the results of the presidential elections.