PORTLAND — Republican Bruce Poliquin brought most questions back to Democrat Emily Cain in the first televised debate between the candidates for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat on Tuesday night.

The debate was the first of five in the next two weeks with another in the race to replace U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, a Democrat running for governor, on Thursday.

Questions focused on remedies for the 2nd District’s faltering manufacturing economy and national immigration reform with the debate’s half-hour time limit largely stretched by rebuttals.

Those were required after Poliquin, a former state treasurer from Oakland, repeatedly hit positions held by Cain, a state senator from Orono whom he called extreme and liberal.

Echoing attacks in ads that he and Republican allies have run against her, Poliquin said Cain’s support of a carbon tax would drive up the cost of energy for families and make it harder for manufacturers to hire workers in the 2nd District, where three mills will have closed by the end of the year.

“That would kill more jobs and would hurt our families here in the 2nd District,” he said.

But Cain shot back by highlighting her record in the Legislature: She has voted for an omnibus energy bill that passed the Maine Legislature last year, which expands pipelines and aims to lower the cost of energy statewide.

“It’s ridiculous that anyone would ever want to increase the cost of energy,” she said. “And in fact, I’m the only one standing on this stage that has actually taken action, working with colleagues across the aisle to lower the cost of energy.”

The two also sparred on immigration, with Poliquin saying the government must ensure that employers only hire legal citizens, calling it “a jobs issue.”

He also criticized Cain for supporting the DREAM Act, a proposal that would give students in the country illegally a path to citizenship tied to completion of higher education or military service.

“We barely have enough resources here in the country to take care of our own,” he said. “We don’t need to provide amnesty for those who are here illegally.”

At the federal level, Democrats and Republicans have conflicting plans to address immigration reform, and House Republicans have said they won’t move forward with a plan to change the system this year. Cain said while Republicans and Democrats agree that it must be addressed, gridlock in Washington is stopping it.

“We need to get away from this partisan rhetoric and these silly attacks,” she said. “That’s just it, plain and simple.”

When an exchange continued between Poliquin and Cain, the third candidate, conservative independent Blaine Richardson of Belfast, intervened to say, “There you go again, Bruce: Attack, attack, attack,” while largely agreeing with him on the issue, saying the country can’t afford to give amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants.

The candidates agreed on one issue, opposing the referendum on the November ballot that would ban bear baiting, trapping and hounding in the state, which would largely impact guides in the 2nd District.

But on gun issues, they diverged, with Cain supporting mandatory background checks on private gun purchases. Poliquin, who is endorsed by the pro-gun National Rifle Association, opposes that, saying Maine has a high rate of gun ownership and a low level of crime.

“We need to protect our gun rights, not whittle away at them, as Ms. Cain says she will do,” he said.

Cain didn’t say she would restrict rights, saying she supports the Constitution’s 2nd Amendment, but called expanding background checks “the right thing to do” to reduce gun violence.

Richardson opposed them, saying he would fight “any incursion” on the 2nd Amendment. In his closing statement, the retired Navy captain who favors limited government said he better represents the district’s working people than Cain and Poliquin.

“We have a government down in Washington, D.C., that we cannot trust anymore, and if you’re as fed up as I am, I’m willing to go down and give you a voice,” he said.

Poliquin, a former investment manager, highlighted his private sector experience against the record of Cain, who he said was in step with Washington Democrats.

“I will work with anybody — Republicans, Democrats, independents — anybody who wants to address our serious problems in Washington that are killing jobs up here in Maine,” he said.

But as she has campaign-long, Cain pivoted to what she pitched as a record of compromise in Augusta, saying Maine needs someone willing to work across party lines in Washington.

“I will be that voice at the table for Maine people,” she said.

Tuesday’s debate was hosted by WGME, a Portland CBS affiliate, and the Bangor Daily News. Thursday’s is hosted by the Maine Public Broadcasting Network.

Michael Shepherd — 370-7652

mshepherd@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @mikeshepherdme

Copy the Story Link