ELLSWORTH — The nation’s major political parties have strayed too far from the center, creating bitter division and legislative gridlock, according to former independent candidate for governor Eliot Cutler.

Cutler called for political reform while speaking at the Ellsworth Noontime Rotary’s May 3 meeting at City Hall.

“Believe it or not, I came away from my 2010 campaign really invigorated and encouraged,” he told the group.

Cutler received 36.3 percent of the vote in Maine’s 2010 gubernatorial election, placing second to now Governor Paul LePage. He now chairs the political advocacy group OneMaine, which aims to unite moderate Mainers to address key issues.

Cutler said the Democratic and Republican parties are stuck in a “time warp.” Few legislators today would describe themselves as moderates; conversely fewer Americans would identify themselves as Republicans or Democrats, he said.

Hyper-partisanship and narrowing ideologies have left many people frustrated, distrustful or disinterested in the political process, he said.

“Eighty-four percent of the American people now disapprove of the performance of Congress,” Cutler said.

President Richard Nixon had a 24 percent approval rating during the height of the Watergate scandal.

Cutler said primaries and caucuses have become dominated by large campaign contributors and narrow interests. The resulting nominees often do little to impress or excite voters, he said.

He said one of his goals is to overcome the Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case, which held that government may not ban corporations from contributing to candidate elections.

Cutler said that outside, non-candidate and non-party campaign spending has increased 338 percent since 2006.

“You can safely bet that most of it pays for vicious, negative advertising,” Cutler said.

For more political news, pick up a copy of The Ellsworth American.