PORTLAND, Maine — A mariner from Portland has announced plans to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree.
Republican Patrick Calder, 29, admits he is a long shot, but says it’s important that voters have a choice at the polls.
Calder tells MaineToday Media he plans to focus his campaign on “the difference between the political elite in this country and the people of Maine.”
He says the people of Maine are not “getting their money’s worth” from Pingree.
Calder is the only announced challenger to Pingree, who is seeking her third term in the House.
A spokeswoman for Pingree says she never takes an election for granted but is focused on her work in Congress.
Patrick, marry a woman with a private jet and join the 1% and you might have a shot.
I’ll vote for you – Pingree is a Nancy Pelosi wannabe radical who doesn’t represent the “99%”.
ditto
Please, don’t think you’re a long shot. People are sick of her. Don’t forget the silent majority. The very best of luck in your run.
Have we heard from them since Newt quit Congress and became an unregistered lobbyist.
How many wives back was that….
OH ! I see, now … the values voters and the “christian” conservatives are the silent majority, again now, to avoid the appearance of any conflict of interest.
Go Newt, use them up.
A long shot can win, it has happened before, and will happen int he future. It all comes down to the individual and how they run their campaign as well as how in touch with the people they are.
Unlike yourself, I am no seer into the hearts of the masses. However, your psychic ability to gauge the will of others may be offended by her +10% and +14% victories in the last two elections.
You mean the loud minority?
Good luck, Patrick. You got my vote!
It might also be in his interest to campaign on the difference between people of Maine and the people of Minnesota. Voters in the first district need to send Mrs. Sussman packing.
They’re all the political elite…no matter the party…otherwise corporate America wouldn’t have bought and paid for them in the first place.
Chellie Pingree is about the farthest thing from “bought and paid for” in the House.
Has she ever voted against her party or the Assassin in Chief? She is owned, signed sealed and delivered by her puppet masters. Why aren’t you OWS guys all over her?
I am sure this guy will be nothing but a puppet for the R’s, can’t wait to hear the same thing as spouted by the other R’s. Believe me he will be bought and paid for like all the 535 in congress.
As usual, the same name-calling rhetoric regardless of the issue.
I’ll be rooting for him.
Wish I still lived in Maine so I could vote for this guy!
According to his website Mr. Calder is a member of the Marine Engineer’s Beneficial Association (MEBA). The MEBA is a strong trade union affiliated with the AFL-CIO. In 2010, Chellie Pingree received a 100% vote rating from the AFL-CIO. I would guess that Mr. Calder is getting his money’s worth from Rep. Pingree.
More on Mr. Calder’s website.
Mr. Calder’s comprehensive health care reform goals focus on “promoting competition amongst providers, such as by expanding coverage across state lines and tort reform”. He also proposes to raise the Social Security eligibility age to 70.
These proposals are not only wrongheaded, but coming from a man who has premiere union negotiated medical benifits and retirement compensation that would probably allow him to retire by 50, they are the height of hypocracy.
Looks like Pingree may have to spend some money…
He has my vote~
Doesn’t matter which party they belong to.Those in office now have failed us. It’s time to vote the incumbents out and if they don’t look out for the best interest of the voters, they can be a one term and they are out! Don’t forget that all four who represent Maine all voted for the bailouts and Wall Street all got big bonuses at our expense!
I’m all over the term limit thing. No reelections to focus on , also no retirement benefits at all , same SSI as the rest of us , no secret service protection , no free postage , medicare only unless they pay for insurance out of pocket, minimum wage only ( well maybe an extra 10 cents per hour if they chair a committee ). These politicians have forgotten that they work FOR us. It’s time to take back our country, the one we fought for and worked to build.
Again, Mike Michaud voted against TARP.
Just read the ‘issues’ section of this guy’s website. Not much going on there. There are one or two GOP talking points, a few vaguely worded statements, but nothing to suggest that he has really given much thought to any of the issues that he writes about.