Name
Eric Brakey
Occupation
Communications
Education
BFA - Theatre
Community organizations/ service
United New Auburn Association, Maine Taxpayers United, Sportsman's Alliance of Maine
Interests/ hobbies
I enjoy hiking Mount Apatite, kayaking Upper Range Pond, and performing on stage at the L/A Community Little Theatre.
Family status (optional)
Married
Social media (optional)
Why are you seeking elective office? (short answer)
To restore the freedoms and paychecks of Maine people.
The single most pressing issue facing our district is ______________ and this is what I intend to do about it.
Inflation. To reduce the impact of inflation on our economy, I will work to (1) lower the cost of living by cutting taxes, especially on life necessities like heating oil, (2) increase our productive capacity by enacting welfare reforms to alleviate the workforce shortage, and (3) build cooperation with state legislatures across America to demand accountability from currency manipulators in Washington, D.C., beginning with a full audit of the Federal Reserve Bank.
What are the critical differences between you and the other candidate seeking this office?
We have different philosophies of government, and our voting records reflect that. While I worked to lower taxes, my opponent voted to raise the gas tax and establish local sales taxes. While I worked to pass welfare reform, my opponent voted to eliminate work requirements on welfare for able-boded adults without children. While I worked to restore 2nd Amendment rights for law-abiding Maine people with Constitutional Carry, my opponent voted to support gun confiscation measures. (This is why Gun Owners of Maine has rated my candidacy with an A+ and my opponent’s with an F).
Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.
We need healthcare that is affordable, accessible, and accountable. Sadly, government policies have built a bureaucracy-driven healthcare system instead of one driven by direct relationships between patients and doctors. Today, bureaucracy accounts for over one-third of the price of healthcare. We are paying for the privilege of being bossed around. Should I return to my work on the Health and Human Services Committee, I will lead on efforts to (1) break-up artificial healthcare monopolies that strangle competition and (2) taking financial and decision-making powers away from bureaucrats and giving them back to patients.
What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence of that you can be effective in this job?
During my first term of office, I was called “Rookie of the Year” in the Portland Press Herald for my successful efforts building bipartisan coalitions in a time of divided government: reforming welfare, restoring 2nd Amendment rights, enacting Right to Try legislation, and overhauling outdated medical cannabis laws. By leading on principle, not partisanship, I work to unite people in areas of common ground and have demonstrated the ability to make policy advances during times of partisan gridlock.
The best advice ever shared with me was:
John F. Kennedy advised America: “Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer.” I carry this advice with me during every moment of service, seeking to follow my principles, not the demands of lobbyists or party leaders. That’s why I look for common ground with anyone willing to collaborate on solutions to the problems we face. Additionally, seeking to do right (and not just what is popular), I am just as ready to stand alone for the Maine people when others are voting away our freedoms or giving corporate welfare to special interests.
What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
My family has lived in New Gloucester for five generations. I am blessed to know many in our community with diverse backgrounds and ways of thinking. No matter how the forces of national politics seek to divide us, I believe we should remember we are all neighbors with more in common with each other than with any of the Washington DC power brokers. So long as we are pitted against each other — Mainer against Mainer — we are powerless to defend our state against the special interests. I promise to fight to defend the freedoms and paychecks of all Maine people.
*This candidate profile was emailed to the New Gloucester GOP by candidate Eric Brakey on Sept. 26th, 2022. The questions were developed by the NGXchange and can be found here.
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