BY MATT WICKENHEISER

Portland Press Herald

The coalition seeking to overturn Maine's same-sex marriage law with a people's veto has raised more than $343,000 to date, according to papers filed with the state Wednesday, much of it going to professional signature gatherers.

The group fighting the people's veto has raised $138,640, including $50,000 from a Harpswell woman, according to filings with the State Ethics Commission.

Organizers on each side and observers watching the campaign expect millions will be raised and spent before the Nov. 3 election.

Candidates running for governor in the 2010 election also filed financial papers Wednesday. The top three fundraisers in that race -- Republicans Bruce Poliquin and Matt Jacobson and Democrat Steven Rowe -- have taken in a combined $314,000.

The Stand for Marriage Maine political action committee is the main coalition leading the people's veto effort, and it includes the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. The group announced last week that it had collected more than the 55,087 signatures needed to get the veto question on the November ballot.

According to Wednesday's filings, the PAC's funds have come mostly from several large-ticket contributions.

The National Organization for Marriage, a New Jersey-based group that opposes gay marriage, contributed $160,000. The Portland diocese contributed $100,000, and the Knights of Columbus contributed $50,000.

Focus on the Family Maine Marriage Committee, a Maine PAC formed by the Colorado-based Focus on the Family, contributed $31,000. "We've got a good start and we're well on our way," said Marc Mutty, chairman of the coalition and public affairs director for the Portland diocese. "We're at a place where we would expect to be in terms of our planning."

Mutty noted that the professional signature-gathering firm, National Petition Management Inc. of Michigan, was expensive but necessary in order to get enough signatures collected by mid-August so the veto question would appear on the ballot this fall.

According to the filings, the Stand for Marriage PAC has paid National Petition $193,629 and still owes the firm $52,000. Overall, the PAC has spent $293,231 to date. The group opposing the people's veto, the Maine Freedom to Marry PAC, raised $138,640 from 352 donors, 192 of whom were Mainers, according to Jesse Connolly, campaign manager. Those funds were raised from mid-June to July 5.

"Mainers from across the state have begun to put their money where their hearts are," said Connolly.

Diane Sammer of Harpswell, who gave $50,000, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

She was one of the many Mainers who spoke out in favor of the gay-marriage legislation during a 10-hour public hearing in April. In her testimony, Sammer spoke of how her partner of 28 years had died suddenly in 2008. Because she was not a member of her partner's family, in the eyes of the law, the undertaker initially refused to accept Sammer's signature on a cremation order.

According to a transcript of her testimony, that was resolved only after more extensive legal documents were signed, agreeing that Sammer would pay any damages should the funeral parlor be sued for accepting her signature on the cremation order.

The next required financial filing for PACs is Oct. 10, and the fight around gay marriage in Maine is expected to be costly. In past gay-rights referendums in Maine, each side has spent roughly $1 million. Both sides expect spending in this year's battle to be more in the range of $4 million to $6 million.

PACs formed to support other referendum questions this fall have raised relatively little money.

More Green Now, formed to support a question seeking to cut vehicle excise taxes, has raised a little more than $6,000 this year and has spent about $5,700. TABOR Now, formed to support a government spending cap, has raised $23,000 and has spent $22,000. The Maine Coalition to Save Schools, a PAC seeking to repeal school consolidation laws, collected $175 in campaign contributions this spring.

Though the next gubernatorial election is almost a year and a half away, 11 people have filed as candidates, and some have raised substantial early funds.

Poliquin, a Georgetown developer, has raised $216,521 in cash since February, including $100,000 he contributed to his own campaign. He has spent $24,300.

Rowe, a Portland Democrat and former Maine attorney general, has raised $59,236 since mid-June.

That includes roughly $1,000 contributed to the campaign by him and his wife. Rowe has spent $1,444.

Jacobson, a Cumberland Republican and president of Maine & Co., has raised $38,290 since March, and has spent $28,000.

Jacobson said he plans to hire a full-time campaign manager by the end of the month.

"We met our goal, to raise about 40 grand early," said Jacobson. "We're going to raise 300 grand by the end of the year; we'll have the money we need when we get there."