The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Austin Theriault is a former NASCAR driver, small-business owner and Republican candidate for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District. He lives in Fort Kent and represents House District 1 in the Maine House of Representatives.
Are you sick of where our state is heading? I am.
During my NASCAR career, I traveled all around the country. I can tell you firsthand that Maine’s 2nd Congressional District is a unique and special place.
But it’s not being treated that way.
From where I sit in Fort Kent, it’s obvious that Mainers deserve a serious shakeup of the status quo. Politicians in Washington, D.C., communists in China and Wall Street types in New York City have created the conditions that are holding our communities back.
I’m running for Congress to force the shakeup.
Mainers need to aggressively fight for our rural areas and the working class — and fight against the elitist, money-grubbing mess we’re being subjected to.
Donald Trump understands that. He endorsed me because I’m a political outsider who will stand up for the forgotten Mainers: People who are being steamrolled by D.C. politicians.
For example, our current U.S. representative, Jared Golden, is working to roll back our Second Amendment rights by proposing a de facto government registry that would apply to guns commonly used for hunting. And, of course, Michael Bloomberg and others have praised Golden for changing his position on a so-called assault weapons ban that, again, would apply to guns commonly used for hunting. What happened to common sense?
I’m from a logging family. Maine’s outdoor heritage runs through the DNA of most of us. To use the government to restrict that is wrong.
The list goes on, and you bear the brunt of it. Sadly, our leaders have forgotten the 2nd District.
I grew up in an Aroostook County logging and trucking family, so I’m very motivated to protect our way of life and help the overlooked people of this district lead better lives.
I’m out on an 11-County Small Business Showcase tour right now. I’m sick of driving around Maine’s 2nd District and seeing good hardworking people struggling to survive.
Public opinion surveys also show that Mainers feel we’re on the wrong track, and I sure hear about it as I travel across Maine talking about my campaign for Congress.
Here are examples:
The government is making our lives more expensive.
Look at our state energy policies, which I believe are ridiculous and costly. Maine ratepayers will be spending an extra $200 million per year to subsidize a solar program. Come on — we’re making the working class pay more money for energy. We should repeal this scheme immediately.
Look at inflation. It’s up 20 percent since Joe Biden took office, in part because of reckless government spending. By the way, Golden has voted for $4.8 trillion in federal spending since getting elected.
The border crisis is contributing to drugs and crime.
Millions of people have crossed into this country illegally since Biden took office.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says that the deadly fentanyl finding its way to Maine is coming into the country via international channels as well.
Golden has voted against policies designed to strengthen the border and still supports Biden despite his ineffective border policies and obvious shortcomings on other fronts.
If we want to make Maine and our country more safe, we should immediately seal up the border and vote out politicians who disagree.
The progressive left is pushing policies that will actively hurt the working class.
Look at the attempted electric vehicle mandate here in Maine. This scheme would have forced most of us to buy electric vehicles.
I would bet that the people pushing this idea have never been to Fort Kent. Imagine telling an older couple on Social Security in rural Maine that their next car has to be an expensive electric vehicle that they have to drive 40 or 50 miles to charge.
By the way, Golden voted for a huge “green energy” funding bill that was cited as a reason why this electric vehicle mandate would “work.” If the bill had failed, hundreds of Mainers wouldn’t have had to band together and fight this mandate.
Everyone knows there are two Maines, and life is getting more difficult in the 2nd District.
But there are also two Maine futures.
We can stay on the downward spiral we’re on, or we can change it with an aggressive approach. Join me in standing up for the working class and for rural Maine against China, Wall Street and Washington. I’m running for Congress to fight the status quo and stand up for the forgotten Mainers who deserve a break from all of this.
To fight for you, I need your help. I’m humbly asking for your vote in the 2nd District Republican primary by June 11, and for your help in sending Golden packing in November.
