BERWICK -- The Prime Tanning leather processing plant has dominated the center of town for almost 75 years, its workers toiling in an industry that dates back to ancient times. But rising energy and chemical costs, coupled with a sputtering economy and lackluster sales, are forcing the company to close its operations here and to consolidate at its Hartland plant in central Maine. Roughly 150 jobs will be lost in Berwick, while the company will hire another 75 in Hartland.

Prime isn't the only manufacturer cutting jobs in Maine. The Katahdin Paper mill in Millinocket is closing because of energy costs, putting 200 people out of work. And Wausau Paper said it would permanently shut down a paper machine in its Jay mill before the end of the year, costing 150 people their jobs.

The loss of traditional manufacturing jobs is common in Maine. The state had 82,300 manufacturing jobs in 1995 and is now down to 59,000. Such job losses -- and the overall state of the economy -- are resonating with voters in this election year and causing them to take a harder look at candidates running for office.

The economy continues to rank as a top concern among Americans in national polls. And in Maine, any manufacturing job losses can be seriously detrimental to the economy. They tend to pay well; in 2007, the average weekly wage for manufacturing jobs was $856, while the state average for all jobs was $675. Goods-producing companies typically sell their products outside Maine, bringing new dollars into the economy.

In Berwick, the loss of 150 jobs will trickle down to affect other businesses and residents. Rhiana Lewis, a cook at Nucklehedz, a restaurant just over the Falls River in Somers-worth, N.H., said fewer workers means fewer customers.

"If nobody wants to come in because they don't have money, it's not good for business," she said. That sort of direct correlation will likely have an impact in the election.

"The way I look at it is if we get somebody in who's going to help save our jobs, (that's) who I'm going to vote for," said Lewis, a Berwick resident, who had been a supporter of Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Jan Jones, also of Berwick, hopes the election will help turn around the economy. She said she's not impressed with Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama's rhetoric, and supports Sen. John McCain, the Republican candidate.

"I have confidence in him, he's a man of wisdom," she said. "He's been through a lot." Dana and George Chamberlain of Berwick say they have yet to settle on a candidate. The price of gas, job losses and the economy in general will all be factors in their choices, said George Chamberlain.

"We need to get somebody in office that's going to address these issues head-on," he said. "Not a bunch of lip service."

Poor economic times during an election year often helps the Democratic Party, according to Mark Brewer, a political scientist at the University of Maine.

"Generally speaking, at least since FDR and the New Deal, economic kinds of bad times have tended to benefit the Democratic Party -- at least at the national level," said Brewer. "Jimmy Carter put a serious dent in that, but Bill Clinton did a pretty good job of building that back up."

The Democratic Party is still perceived as the party of the working class, said Brewer, while Republicans are perceived as promoting the interests of the wealthy.

"It's not that the Democrats don't have the wealthy, big-money wing -- they do," said Brewer. "And not that Republicans haven't made inroads into the working class or lower middle -- they have. ... All other things being equal, it's image."

Marv Druker, a political scientist at the University of Southern Maine, noted that a down economy generally is harmful to the party that's in power.

"There's a kind of, 'Blame the administration in power regardless of the party,' " said Druker. "As it happens, the Republicans have been in office for eight years. The tendency is to say they're the ones who have made mistakes - they're the ones who we're going to hold responsible for lack of jobs."

But those observations hold true mostly for the presidential race. When you get to individual members of Congress, or to local elections, there's less of an impact, the experts say.

For instance, Brewer said he didn't see many of the country's economic woes being laid at the feet of Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, who's running for re-election against Democratic challenger Tom Allen, Maine's 1st District congressman.

"Certainly, Tom Allen will try ... but he's in office, too," said Brewer.

As the politics become more local, voters will be more likely to know the candidates and less likely to associate national economic trends with them, said Druker.

"You're going to get the friends and neighbors effect the more local you get," he said. There can, however, be a halo effect on the local races, Druker suggested. Citizens who don't normally vote may turn out because they feel threatened by the poor economy, he said, and want to participate in the national election.

And if they vote against the party in power, politicians from the challenging party may get a bump, Druker said.

Jay Timmons, vice president with the National Association of Manufacturers trade group, said he thinks voters are very frustrated over the economy and job losses.

"I think you'll see the issues really play out in the campaign," he said.

Timmons said he believes voters will seek to educate themselves more on the issues, and where the presidential candidates, in particular, stand.

His group is putting together data for voters on where various elected officials have come down on issues, said Timmons. When it comes to the presidential candidates, it's a bit of a mixed bag, he said. Obama has said a lot about trade issues but seems to have backed off on that a bit, said Timmons.

McCain seems solid on tort reform, more so than Obama. On energy issues, at least in the past, McCain said he was not particularly supportive of offshore drilling, while Obama seemed more receptive, said Timmons. Those positions seem to have shifted, he said.

Ed Gorham, president of the Maine AFL-CIO labor union, lamented the loss of manufacturing jobs in the state, suggesting the state is "dying the death of a thousand cuts."

"My guess is that the voters are going to go to the polls with a phrase ringing in their minds that we heard years ago: 'It's the economy, stupid,' " he said.