Finding common ground is rare in politics. These days, it’s practically unheard of.

As lawmakers on the state’s budget-writing committee we know finding common ground is the best way to solve problems. For the past eight years, we’ve worked together on the Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee to balance tough budgets and find agreements that will move our state forward.

Maine people don’t expect their leaders to agree on everything, but they do expect us to be able to work together to pay our bills, fund our schools, look out for our seniors and veterans, help our most vulnerable neighbors, and keep our state running.

We stand on opposites sides of the aisle, but we come to the table and work together to get the job done. We are united in our belief that good governing depends on building consensus to find the best solutions to move us all forward. That’s why we endorse Emily Cain for Congress.

We worked with Emily at the State House over the past 10 years, six of them while serving together with her on the Appropriations Committee. We can tell you firsthand, she is an intelligent, straight-forward consensus builder who can always be trusted to stand up for Maine people.

Like us, Emily believes in results, not rhetoric. Whether it was reining in state spending, protecting health care for seniors and veterans, funding our schools, or negotiating tax cuts for businesses and families, Emily always put Maine people first. The three of us worked across party lines on many budget issues over the years and, while we didn’t always agree, we always stayed at the table to find solutions.

Emily has a strong work ethic, a positive vision and a unique ability to cut through complex issues to find real solutions. When the state faced massive revenue losses in the wake of the recession, we stood shoulder to shoulder and worked together. We had to make tough choices that neither party liked. Yet when most people saw a roadblock, Emily saw a path forward.

For example, when it came to finding more funding for our schools or ensuring retirees got the funds they were promised, it was Emily who was able find an innovative resolution that both Democrats and Republicans could and would support. It was Emily who was able to bring everyone to the table to get results. She refused to allow partisanship to get in the way of what is best for Maine.

Even when she was not serving with us on the Appropriations Committee, Emily stood with us and worked with us to craft a budget we could all support. As the House Democratic leader in 2011, she stayed at the table with us to negotiate one of the toughest budgets we have passed. Despite objections from some members of her own caucus, Emily stayed at the table. The result was a balanced budget that included the largest tax cut in Maine’s history, changes to the pension system and continued support for critical programs, including protecting health care for 28,000 Mainers.

From our perspective here in Maine, it looks as if Congress is broken and that too many politicians in Washington have let personality politics and partisan gridlock stand in the way of solving problems. Unfortunately, it seems as if they would rather score political points than get results.

That’s not Emily’s style, and it never has been. Throughout her time in the Legislature, she has worked to find the right answer, not the Democratic answer or the Republican answer. She knows that the issues facing our state and our country are rarely solved by one party alone.

We must send leaders to Washington who will be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Emily has demonstrated again and again that she is the kind of leader Washington needs and Maine people deserve. Please join us in supporting her on Nov. 4.

Rep. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston, is the House chairwoman of the Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee. Sen. Patrick Flood, R-Winthrop, is the former House chairman and current Senate Republican lead on the committee. Both are veteran members of the committee.