Today, Roll Call devoted more than 1,000 words to a profile of Bruce Poliquin, the Republican representing Maine’s 2nd District in Congress.
In the piece headlined “Why this vulnerable freshman is surprising people,” writer Simone Pathé describes Poliquin as the Energizer Bunny:
“He may be new to the halls of Congress, but when the Energizer Bunny pauses, it’s not for long.
“Ray-Bans shading his eyes, Maine Rep. Bruce Poliquin stood on his tip-toes after votes one recent afternoon to whisper in the ear of a guard outside the House chamber. The freshman needed directions.
“Seconds later, he scurried toward the elevators.
“For Republicans, the battery-powered bunny captures Poliquin’s get-things-done energy; for Democrats, it conveys a nervous personality.”
Pathé goes on to weigh the odds of Poliquin’s re-election in 2016. The Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report/Roll Call Race Ratings has labeled the race one of the country’s few toss-ups.
Will Democratic former state Sen. Emily Cain best him this time? (After all, in November, he won with 45 percent of the vote; Cain got 40 percent in the three-way race that also included independent Blaine Richardson.)
Poliquin is certainly trying to prevent it. As Pathé writes:
“Even before posting near record-breaking fundraising numbers, Poliquin has emerged as a freshman who wants to be known.
“He canvasses the House floor to introduce himself to his Democratic colleagues, and he hasn’t been shy about grabbing the ear of the president, first at the State of the Union address.
“‘I purposefully positioned myself at the back of the room, nudged my way through the crowd and got his attention,’ Poliquin told CQ Roll Call. ‘And I held him there long enough,’ he continued, to tell him about the threats to the district’s paper mills. The first-term lawmaker said he made a similar move at the White House’s freshman picnic.
“‘I’m certain that he knows who represents Maine’s 2nd District,’ Poliquin said.”
Read the full piece by clicking here.
