Good morning from Augusta. The race for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District appears to be tightening, but the remainder of the campaign will not include direct back-and-forth between the two major-party candidates.
The second and final debate involving the frontrunners was not unlike the first. Notably, there was less name-calling in the WAGM studio in Presque Isle on Tuesday between Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin and his Democratic challenger Jared Golden than in the Oct. 8 debate, when their squabbling was interrupted more than once by the moderator.
“We have a broken immigration system,” Golden said, one that “incentivizes illegal immigration” and “encourages the import of cheaper labor.” In order to compete with low-wage seasonal workers, American wages need to be higher, he said.
Poliquin aimed to portray Golden — and to a lesser extent Bond and Hoar — as outside the mainstream in a district that has long valued moderation in its congressional representatives and has tilted Republican during the past four years. Instead of trying to affix extremist labels onto Golden, the Republican incumbent amped up a theme from his advertising — that Golden would be a foil for out-of-state liberals.
To read the rest of “Poliquin and Golden get defensive in their final 2nd District debate,” an article by contributing Bangor Daily News staff writer Alex Acquisto, please follow this link to the BDN online.
