Maine — 1st District

Chellie Pingree

Supports progressive taxes and worker protections

Pingree advocates for an economy centered on working families through livable wages, paid family leave, and affordable child care. She favors a progressive tax code where high earners and corporations pay higher taxes rather than receiving tax relief.

• Voted against H.R. 1 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act) in 2025 and the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023.
• Supports paid family and sick leave, affordable child care, and union organization rights.
• Opposes massive tax cuts for corporations and wealthy individuals.

“We need a tax code that asks the rich to pay their share, rather than giving them more massive tax breaks on the backs of working families.”

Ronald C. Russell

Supports permanent federal tax cuts

Russell contends that Maine taxpayers are burdened by high state and local tax rates and cannot afford additional federal taxation. He advocates making permanent the temporary tax cuts enacted under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to spur investment.

• Pledges to make permanent the temporary federal tax relief in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
• Argues tax complexity and high tax rates discourage hiring and small-business expansion in Maine.
• Emphasizes free-market principles to address cost-of-living and inflation issues.

“We need to protect the temporary tax relief gains made by passage of the Big Beautiful Bill and make them permanent.”

Chellie Pingree

Supports public school funding and college affordability

Pingree views universal public education as a key tool to break poverty cycles and maintain global competitiveness. She supports increasing federal resources for underfunded public schools and making higher education and student loans more manageable.

• Advocates for increasing federal resources for public school classrooms and supplies.
• Supports policy measures to lower college tuition and make student loan repayment manageable.
• Voted against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025.

“Universal quality education, tailored to meet the rapidly changing needs of tomorrow’s workforce, is the absolute best way we have to break the cycle of poverty and to ensure America continues to lead the world for years to come.”

Ronald C. Russell

Advocates parental rights and back-to-basics curriculum

Russell argues that despite high funding levels, American schools are failing students in fundamental subjects. He calls for prioritizing core academics like math, science, history, and English while expanding the role of parents in educational decisions.

• Focuses curriculum standards on core subjects: math, science, history, and English.
• Calls for treating parents as active partners rather than bystanders in education.
• Highlights low U.S. international rankings in math, reading, and science as evidence for reform.

“Parents deserve a stronger voice in their children’s education. They should be treated as partners, not bystanders. We need to get back to the basics: math, science, history, and English, so students graduate ready for life.”

Chellie Pingree

Opposes strict enforcement and deportation measures

Pingree has consistently voted against Republican-led border security and enforcement bills. She opposes measures that mandate detention or deportation for specific non-violent or misdemeanor offenses.

• Voted against the Laken Riley Act (S. 5) in 2025.
• Voted against the Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act (H.R. 875) in 2025.
• Voted against the Secure the Border Act of 2023 (H.R. 2).

Ronald C. Russell

Supports strict border enforcement and citizen-first solutions

Russell views current immigration levels as a national crisis that threatens security and public safety. He calls for strong border solutions that put the security of citizens and Mainers first.

• Identifies border security and immigration management as an urgent national crisis.
• Advocates for policy solutions that prioritize physical security and citizen safety.

“Whether we are dealing with the current immigration crisis, inflation, crime, the drug epidemic, or national security – we must discuss the best solutions to solve these problems.”

Chellie Pingree

Supports rapid clean energy transition

Pingree advocates for urgent federal climate action to transition energy and transportation sectors to wind, solar, and hydroelectric power. She opposes offshore drilling along Maine's coast and supports strict environmental protections.

• Serves as Ranking Member/Chair on the Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee.
• Opposes offshore oil drilling along the Maine coast.
• Advocates for federal investments in wind, solar, and hydro power.

“Chellie believes that quickly transitioning our power and transportation systems from dirty fossil fuels to clean, job-creating, renewable sources like wind, solar and hydropower is critical.”

Ronald C. Russell

Supports free-market energy approach

Russell lists Energy and the Economy as a foundational issue on his platform, advocating for free-market energy development that emphasizes affordability and economic independence.

• Identifies Energy and the Economy as a core policy issue.
• Supports free-market principles to guide energy production and lower consumer costs.

Chellie Pingree

Supports stricter gun control measures

Pingree supports restrictions on firearms to prevent gun violence while respecting Maine's hunting traditions. She advocates for universal background checks, closing gun show loopholes, and banning bump stocks and high-capacity magazines.

• Endorsed Maine Question 2 (Extreme Risk Protection Orders Initiative) in 2025.
• Supports banning bump stocks and high-capacity magazines.
• Advocates for universal background checks by closing the gun show loophole.

“At the same time, the specter of mass shootings, especially devastating when they occur at schools, has become all too common.”

Ronald C. Russell

Opposes new gun control regulations

Russell lists gun control as a main issue area on his campaign platform, opposing new federal restrictions on firearm ownership.

• Features Gun Control as a primary issue section on his campaign website.

Chellie Pingree

Supports expanded voting access and protection

Pingree focuses on voting accessibility and democratic norms. She opposed Maine's Question 1 referendum restricting absentee voting rules and photo ID, and voted against the federal SAVE Act in Congress.

• Opposed Maine Question 1 (Voter Photo ID and Absentee Ballot Rules Initiative) in 2025.
• Voted against the SAVE Act (H.R. 22) requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.

Ronald C. Russell

Supports bipartisan civility and election integrity

Russell emphasizes civility and productive discourse in Congress, arguing that strictly party-line legislation is inefficient and unsustainable. He also lists election integrity as a fundamental platform priority.

• Promotes civil discourse to achieve durable bipartisan legislation.
• Argues party-line votes waste public money because laws are reversed when power shifts.
• Lists Election Integrity as a core issue on his campaign platform.

“In my view, legislation drawn strictly along party lines wastes time and money, as it is quickly discarded or reversed by executive order when the opposing party takes power.”

Chellie Pingree

Supports Medicare for All and Canadian drug imports

Pingree views healthcare as a fundamental human right and supports establishing a Medicare for All single-payer system. She advocates empowering Medicare to negotiate drug prices and allowing Americans to import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada.

• Supports passing a single-payer Medicare for All system.
• Introduced legislation permitting consumer importation of prescription drugs from Canada.
• Advocates for Medicare prescription drug price negotiations.

“Ultimately, Chellie believes that the time has come to pass Medicare for All.”

Chellie Pingree

Supports federal abortion rights protections

Pingree opposes federal restrictions on abortion and supports codifying Roe v. Wade precedent. She advocates for preserving federal funding for Planned Parenthood and guaranteeing access to birth control without out-of-pocket costs.

• Supports federal legislation to codify Roe v. Wade.
• Opposes efforts to defund Planned Parenthood or restrict contraceptive access.
• Fights to maintain Affordable Care Act protections for pre-existing conditions.

“We cannot compromise on a woman’s absolute right to make decisions about her own health care without intrusion from the federal government.”

Chellie Pingree

Supports local organic farming and food waste reduction

Pingree, an organic farmer, leads federal efforts supporting local food systems, sustainable farming practices, and food waste reduction. She introduced the Local FARMS Act and co-founded the House Food Waste Caucus.

• Author of the Local FARMS Act and Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act.
• Co-founded the bipartisan House Food Waste Caucus and introduced the Food Recovery Act.
• Serves on the House Agriculture Committee.

“As a Co-chair of the Food is Medicine Working Group, Chellie believes that federal policy should better reflect the link between nutrition and health.”

Ronald C. Russell

Supports law enforcement and crime reduction

Russell emphasizes reducing crime, tackling the drug epidemic, and backing law enforcement and first responders across Maine.

• Features Reducing Crime & Supporting First Responders as a key platform issue.
• Pledges support for law enforcement resources to address crime and illegal drugs.