There is one thing that former U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin possesses that public relations people stress: “message discipline” — trying hard to talk about subjects that he thinks are helping him and avoid those that are not.
All politicians do this. Poliquin takes it to the extreme. He went through two campaigns in 2016 and 2018 not saying in public whether he was voting or had voted for former President Donald Trump. He has now taken Trump’s “America first” line as he tries to turn his race with U.S. Rep. Jared Golden into a standard Republican-versus-Democrat affair in the 2nd District, which was won twice by Trump and appears to be on a long-term trend toward Poliquin’s party.
When you ask voters — especially Republicans — the economy is the top issue in this election. It fits neatly into Poliquin’s political career, which started with a 2010 run for governor that he parlayed into the state treasurer’s seat. The former congressman has been working hardest at trying to associate Golden with national Democrats, while the economy is the issue that he has been hammering the most in public appearances and ads.
Forecasters differ on the favorite in Maine’s 2nd District, but Republicans are the safest bet to win the House in this midterm election. They are feeling bullish and recently outlined a vague agenda that served in part as an homage to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s 1994 majority-making plan. It includes Trump-like policy flourishes on the economy, immigration and social issues.
At a Tuesday event after Poliquin accepted the endorsement of the Border Patrol union, he was asked about his plans to attack costs. He said a new majority would “stop this crazy spending,” cancel taxes enacted by Democrats and increase the domestic supply of oil to drive down prices.
Let’s take that apart. While Golden opposed President Joe Biden’s two most ambitious spending bills, he recently voted for the Inflation Reduction Act, which contains the taxes that Poliquin is referencing. It contains no direct tax increases on those making less than $400,000. Some estimates have said those making less could see indirect effects, but they do not account for benefits under the law.
Domestic oil production has been recovering after a crash when the COVID-19 pandemic set in, but it is not yet back to pre-pandemic levels. Boosting oil production has been a major talking point for Republicans, but it has not lined up neatly with the debate over Democrats’ recent spending bill. Exxon Mobil, for example, was encouraged by energy incentives in the measure.
All of this is to say it is unclear how quickly a Republican majority would be able to bend back the global problem of inflation. They may not need to have a specific plan to gain back control of the House from Democrats at this roiled economic time.
Poliquin could be betting on that and he did not bite on a question about a Republican leader’s suggestion that Biden’s impeachment would be on the table.
“My priorities are very clear. This nice gentleman asked the question,” he said, gesturing to another reporter. “I went through my priorities. The people of the state of Maine are very concerned about how they’re going to get through this winter.”