Mediaboss Marketing

Good morning from Augusta, where Maine has its first real 2018 campaign with state Sen. Eric Brakey kicking off a steep underdog bid today to unseat independent U.S. Sen. Angus King.

We reported the 28-year-olds campaign launch last night, but there was more in the notebook from our Saturday interview with the Republican from Auburn. Heres what you should know.

Brakeys run will be deeply rooted in a small-government philosophy far different than Maines congressional delegation has championed. A libertarian-edged candidate running for federal office in Maine has to run up against a reality: The state is heavily dependent on federal funding.

Thats part of the reason why even Republicans in the congressional delegation have championed federal awards here, such as the millions of dollars in grants awarded last year to boost the flagging forest products industry.

In a general conversation about federal aid, Brakey decried the strings that come with federal aid and said that tax money would be better spent if returned to Mainers in the form of tax cuts.

So, I think if we were to move in a direction away from that, the Maine people would do much better, he said.

Brakey got his start in politics working for 2012 presidential candidate Ron Paul and is allies with his son, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who have both advocated for cuts to defense spending.

In Maine, thats potentially another problem, since Bath Iron Works, which employs 6,000, is heavily dependent on Navy and Coast Guard contracts.

Brakey gave a qualified defense of the Bath shipyard, saying as long as the U.S. military needs ships, they should be built in Maine, but pushed Bath to also focus on commercial shipbuilding.

He wouldnt say who he voted for in the 2016 presidential election. That small-government philosophy has sometimes boxed Brakey in among his party. For instance, it separates him from President Donald Trump, who has melded socially conservative stances with big-government planks like sharp increases in defense and infrastructure spending.

When asked who he voted for in the election, Brakey took about 20 seconds in which he laughed, paused and thought before saying, I did not vote for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, saying the outcome was far better than if she won and that it showed people that they not the establishment in both parties control the process.

If elected, his path to the U.S. Senate would be far different than anyone Maine has ever sent. Its hard to say what past Maine campaign Brakeys bid resembles, given his youth and Kings status as a popular former two-term governor. Brakey will be 30 years old in August 2018, making him just old enough to assume the office under the Constitution. He would be Maines youngest U.S. senator ever, eclipsing the record held by Peleg Sprague, who was elected at age 35 in 1829.

Maine also hasnt sent someone straight to the U.S. Senate from the Maine Legislature since Eugene Hale in 1881, but Brakeys not really a fair comparison because Hale had served five terms in Congress before that. Were in uncharted territory here. Michael Shepherd, with research by the Maine Law and Legislative Library

The House and Senate convene at around 10 a.m. today and early on the House calendar is a LePage veto of LD 213, which seeks to provide access to medical facilities for military veterans whose state-issued drivers licenses are not compliant with federal Real ID laws. The bill, which would provide funding for Real ID-compliant passport cards, passed 110-8 in the House and unanimously in the Senate last month. LePage vetoed it because he doesnt believe the Legislature should provide carve-outs, but instead should enact a broader bill to comply with Real ID. Legislative leaders were still deciding whether to take up the veto override vote this morning.

In todays Senate Calendar, Sen. Geoff Gratwick, D-Bangor has proposed a joint order to create the Maine Health Advisory Committee to advise the Legislature regarding the interests of Maine citizens and businesses with respect to the delivery of health care in Maine. The panel would include five members of the Legislature, and people representing the insurance industry, Maine hospitals, hard-to-reach populations, health care providers, a health care advocacy group, a health economics group, and a health statistics, polling and data analysis organization.

On the committee schedule this afternoon are a number of work sessions. The Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee will consider recommendations on a number of bills involving workplace safety and workers compensation laws. The Inland Fisheries and Wildlife committee will consider several bills related to Maines annual moose hunting season. The Health and Human Services Committee has a lengthy-looking afternoon scheduled, including a debate over a bill that would require the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to expend federal funds within a year of receiving them. This bill comes in the wake of reporting by the Bangor Daily News that some of those funds have been left unspent. Christopher Cousins

A bill from Rep. Heather Sirocki, R-Scarborough, that aimed to prohibit lying from everyone who testifies before a legislative committee was amended and endorsed by a committee on Monday to only apply to one group of people lobbyists.

In a 10-2 vote, the Legislatures State and Local Government Committee removed members of the public and state employees from the bill. Legislators, however, were never affected by Sirockis bill. It now goes to the floor.

The bill has been criticized by Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap for being unenforceable, though Sirocki has cited National Conference of State Legislatures data saying Maine is one of just nine states that doesnt address false testimony in law.

But in a statement, she said she hopes that in the future, the law will apply evenly to anyone who testifies in front of a legislative committee. Well see. Heres your soundtrack. Michael Shepherd

With tips, pitches, questions or feedback, email us at politics@bangordailynews.com. If youre reading The Daily Brief on the BDNs website or were forwarded it, click here to get Maines only newsletter on state politics and policy delivered via email every weekday morning.

Read more from the original source:
So, who is this young Republican who wants to unseat Angus King? - Bangor Daily News