Angus King to Run for Snowe's Senate Seat in Maine Former Gov. Angus King of Maine, an independent who served two terms from 1995 to 2003, announced Monday night that he would run for the seat that Senator Olympia Snowe is giving up. Mr. King, 67, was a popular governor in a state with a strong independent streak. His presence in the race will most likely make it harder for either party - especially the Democrats - to win the seat that Ms. Snowe, a moderate Republican, has held since 1995. He is socially liberal and likely to draw more Democratic than Republican support. Since Ms. Snowe made the surprise announcement last week that she would not seek re-election, blaming partisan rancor, a number of high-profile Mainers have been rushing to decide whether to run for her seat. On the Democratic side, Representative Chellie Pingree, whose district covers the southern half of Maine, is seriously considering a run, as is former Gov. John Baldacci, who left office last year. Republicans considering the race include William Schneider, the state attorney general; Charles Summers, the secretary of state; and Bruce Poliquin, the state treasurer. Democratic and Republican candidates have until March 15 to qualify for the Senate primary ballot by submitting 2,000 certified signatures. Independent candidates must gather 4,000 signatures by June 1. "If you like the system the way it is, I'm not your guy," Mr. King said in announcing his plans after a speech at Bowdoin College, according to The Bangor Daily News. If you want a shot at changing it, join me. Ms. Pingree, whom several progressive groups have urged to run, said in a statement that she was still making up her mind. In 2010, a bitter three-way race for governor ended with a narrow victory for the Republican, Paul LePage. Mr. LePage won 38.1 percent of the vote, compared with 36.7 percent for the independent candidate, Eliot Cutler, and 19 percent for the Democrat, Libby Mitchell.