© The Associated PressThe state GOP will mail pieces to be sent to voters attacking Lachowicz this week.
She is, however, an orc assassination rogue with a potty mouth - and the Maine Republican Party believes that disqualifies her from public office.
In an unusual press release issued Thursday, the Maine GOP attacked Lachowicz for a "bizarre double life" in which she's a devotee of the hugely popular online role-playing game World of Warcraft. In the game, she's "Santiaga," an "orc assassination rogue" with green skin, fangs, a Mohawk and pointy ears.
Lachowicz is a Democrat running against incumbent state Sen. Tom Martin in south-central Maine, a heavily Democratic district of about 80,000 people. Martin, elected in 2010, is the first Republican to hold the seat since the 1960s, and his seat is one Democrats are eager to flip back.
Lachowicz has blogged under her own name about her World of Warcraft achievements as well as left-wing politics in a dedicated section of the liberal DailyKos.Com. The Maine GOP excerpted several provocative lines form her posts including one on tax policy that concludes, "Now if you'll excuse me, I may have to go and hunt down Grover Norquist and drown him in my bathtub."
Other postings use curse words and make to the joy of "stab[bing] things," joke about "being in a Socialist guild" and admit to "seriously slacking off at work."
Martin said he was unaware of the state Republican Party's press release or Lachowicz's hobby until contacted by POLITICO. He said he's met his opponent once so far and she "seemed like a nice lady." He said he deplores "mudslinging politics."
Still, the state GOP is going all the way on his behalf, with a special website, ColleensWorld.Com, and mail pieces to be sent to voters attacking Lachowicz this week.
"We think anyone making comments about drowning Grover Norquist and stabbing things shows a shocking level of immaturity and poor judgment that voters should know about," Maine GOP party spokesman David Sorenson said. "Certainly the fact that she spends so much time on a video game says something about her work ethic and, again, her immaturity."
According to her website, Lachowicz has a master's degree in social work and runs the school-based programs for a statewide mental health center. She's the former Democratic Party chairwoman for her town and has served as vice chairwoman of the county party.
The candidate did not return calls or emails seeking comment, but the Maine Democratic Party responded swiftly by creating a website to collect donations for "a gamer who's under attack." The party's chairman, Ben Grant, also issued a statement calling the attacks "a new low this year."
"Colleen may play World of Warcraft online, but it has been far more harmful to Maine people that Tom Martin has been playing Worlds of Hurt (at level 90) with their pensions, access to health care, and public schools," Grant said. "It's time GOP grew up and talked about the real issues."
Martin said he has no plans to make an issue out of Lachowicz's alter-ego and explained that the parties frequently operate without consulting candidates in local Maine races.
"From the first time I was elected, I didn't like the mudslinging," said Martin, who owns Nitram Excavation Services. "Somebody's personal life is their personal life. What you do in society and in the community is what matters. I've seen three or four attack ads against me from the Democratic Party. We have no control over that, which is unfortunate."
Sorenson had no apologies.
"It's pretty outrageous, it really is," he said. "It's something you don't see every cycle."
Its kind of a weird life. A person gets slammed for having a fantasy, but not for the reality of what they do in day to day life. Its a bit like a distraction, really. Concentrate on the stupid stuff, rather than the really serious things that happen in the real world.