With the 2018 midterms days away from the time of publication, it may be useful to the KHS community to learn about who may be representing them in the very near future. I doubt the seniors and staff who plan on voting are going to frantically bubble their ballots with the same lack of awareness of us underclassmen in the last minute of a PSAT section. Even so, everyone should understand why the candidate they choose deserves their vote.

Angus King

King has served as a United States Senator since 2013. He was previously the governor of Maine from 1995 to 2003, and has been a political independent since 1993. He is generally viewed as left of center based on voting history, 77% Democrat, and the fact that he caucuses with that party. Some of the largest issues he is running on are campaign finance law reform, environmental regulations, and expanding health care. He has also cited the opioid crisis, a nationwide problem that has exceptionally affected Maine, as a major reason he seeks reelection.

Eric Brakey

At 30, Republican Eric Brakey is the youngest candidate in the race, but he still has political experience. He has served two terms in the Maine Senate since 2014, and is the chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee. His endorsements by right-wing senators such as Rand Paul and Ted Cruz show he is the most conservative candidate in the race. According to his campaign website, his purpose for running is to “disrupt the status quo, drain the swamp, and give the power back to [the people]”. Brakey’s top issues include privatizing healthcare, decreasing government spending, and an “America First” foreign policy.

Zak Ringelstein

Ringelstein is the Democratic challenger of Angus King, and he is in favor of much more liberal policies across the board than the sitting Senator. The tagline of his campaign is, “For the people. Not billionaires and lobbyists.” The main actions he would take are stopping the influence of companies and wealthy people from influencing politicians, enacting Medicare for all, and making a “green New Deal.” He uses the stunning primary victory of Democratic Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York as evidence of his chance to win the election, and he aligns with her on most issues.

Polls

According to FiveThirtyEight.com, the forecasted vote share of this election is 56.4% to Angus King, 36.5% to Eric Brakey, and 7.2% to Zak Ringelstein, giving King a 98.9% chance of retaining the seat. If we can learn anything for the last election, however, is that none of these numbers matter. Choose your preferred candidate based on what you’ve read here and the mountains of other information, such as the recent debates available online. Happy voting!