Brewer speaks with MPBN about 1st Congressional District race
Mark Brewer, a political science professor at the University of Maine, spoke with the Maine Public Broadcasting Network for the report, “3 GOP candidates emerge to take on Chellie Pingree.” This June, Republican voters will decide who they believe is the best candidate to take on Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree in the fall, according to the report. But given Pingree’s popularity in the district, and the district’s historically liberal slant, the emergence of three GOP candidates comes as a surprise to some political analysts, the report states. “It boggles my mind to think that a Republican, especially a conservative Republican, could think they could go in and have a decent chance of beating Chellie Pingree in the 1st Congressional District,” Brewer said. “I just don’t see it happening.” He added that the GOP struggled to find someone to run against Pingree two years ago, and she has won re-election by big margins. Brewer said the 1st District is more progressive and liberal leaning on issues than the state as a whole.