Patrick K McGowan, known commonly as Pat McGowan, (born in Bangor

Bangor, Maine

Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...

) is a Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

 politician. A member of the Democratic Party

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

, McGowan was candidate in the 2010 Democratic primary for Governor of Maine

Maine gubernatorial election, 2010

The 2010 Maine gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Democratic Governor John Baldacci was term-limited and unable to seek re-election. Primary elections took place on June 8, 2010...

.

He began his political career in 1980 with his election to the Maine House of Representatives

Maine House of Representatives

The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 members representing an equal amount of districts across the state. Each voting member of the House represents around 8,450 citizens of the state...

 where he served for ten years. He ran as the Democratic nominee for Maine's 2nd congressional district

Maine's 2nd congressional district

Maine's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Maine. Covering , it comprises nearly 80% of the state. It is the largest district east of the Mississippi River and the 24th-largest overall. The district consists of all of the state north of the Portland and...

 seat in 1990 and 1992. From 1993 to 2001 he served in the Clinton administration as the New England regional administrator of the Small Business Administration

Small Business Administration

The Small Business Administration is a United States government agency that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and strengthen the nation's economy by enabling the establishment and viability of small businesses...

. Most recently, he served as the Maine Commissioner of Conservation from 2003 to 2010.

The Portland Press Herald

Portland Press Herald

The Portland Press Herald publish daily newspapers in Portland, Maine, USA...

announced support of McGowan, along with Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 candidate Steve Abbott, on June 2, 2010, for the Democratic Party's nomination for Governor of Maine. McGowan lost the primary to Libby Mitchell.