The BDN Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom, and does not set policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com.
The best choice in the race for Maine’s 1st Congressional District is clear. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree remains the strongest option for the district’s voters.
Pingree has rightly prioritized more federal support for Maine during the COVID-19 pandemic. She remains a staunch defender of the health care access and protections included in the Affordable Care Act, speaks thoughtfully about racial inequalities and the need for police reform while also understanding that our society currently asks law enforcement to serve too many roles, and is a persistent advocate for protecting Maine’s environment and economy from the impacts of climate change.
“If we keep our heads in the sand about climate change, maybe we’re not fighting as many wildfires in Maine — although this is a record year for wildfires in Maine — we are dealing with changes to our ocean, which could impact us as much as anything anybody else is facing,” Pingree recently told the BDN editorial board.
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Despite deep disagreements with President Donald Trump, she says she has sought to work with the administration on issues like lowering prescription drug prices. A lot of her work in the U.S. House of Representatives — including on local food systems, food waste and hunger assistance programs — is wonky, detailed and typically left-leaning. But we appreciate her attention to detail, particularly in this year’s election.
Once again, as it has repeatedly in the past, the Maine Republican Party has failed to recruit a moderate, well-prepared candidate capable of competing in a Democratic leaning-district. In past election years, we have practically begged for Maine Republicans to put forth a serious candidate that could allow the district to have a meaningful choice. The Republican on the ballot this year, Dr. Jay Allen, is not that candidate.
Allen’s background as a family doctor and an Army combat veteran is impressive and marked with admirable service. But as a candidate, in an interview with this board, he demonstrated a poor command of the details on important issues like providing more federal aid during the COVID-19 pandemic, and addressing racial inequality and reforming police practices.
While Allen insisted there was “so much pork” in the Heroes Act relief legislation passed by the House of Representatives in May, he was only able to provide one example (money for the arts). And when asked if he supported a smaller relief package proposed from Senate Republicans, he said he hadn’t looked into the bill in detail. He also argued that police brutality is not a systemic problem and indicated that federal pushes for police reform, even from Republicans, have been unnecessary. Those are unserious approaches to two pressing issues facing the federal government and the country right now.
Contrary to the findings and advice of many other medical and public health professionals, Allen downplayed the effectiveness and the need to wear masks during the ongoing pandemic.
Maine’s 1st District is sure to remain a safe seat for Democrats as long as the Republican Party produces unserious candidates like this.
Pingree, in contrast, has proven herself seriously committed to more coronavirus aid for the state and its communities, to acting on the already-evident impacts of climate change, and to addressing persistent racial inequalities in our society. The 1st District deserves a representative who will think critically on these issues, and given the choices in this election, Chellie Pingree deserves another two years in the U.S. House of Representatives.