Chellie Pingree won the Democratic nomination to fill the Congressional seat of Maine’s 1st District on Tuesday. After running an exhaustive race against five competitors, Pingree captured the position with 44 percent of the vote, according to New England Cable News. Pingree’s run was supported by the Feminist Majority PAC, Emily’s List, National Women’s Political Caucus, and the Women’s Campaign Forum, among others.
Pingree, a strong feminist and a favorite among voters, built her experience working as a general member, and later as Majority Leader, of the Maine Senate and as president of the advocacy group, Common Cause. She has been a consistent supporter of reproductive health care, has spoken out against the Iraq war and took on the pharmaceutical industry while in the Maine Senate, guaranteeing Maine patients more affordable prescription drugs, reports EMILY’s List.
“I am looking forward to the next five months where we get to talk to the voters again,” Pingree commented after her win, according to Politicker Maine.
Chellie Pingree will face Republican Charlie Summers of Scarborough in the upcoming months in a battle for the southern Maine Representative seat.