Are you looking for a nonpartisan voter guide to the Emily Cain vs. David Poliquin Congressional race? One that will give you an unbiased, no-spin comparison of candidate positions on key issues? That's what our Campus Election Engagement Project guide will give you! We are a national nonpartisan initiative working with college and university administrators, faculty, and student leaders to increase student participation in America's elections. For the 2014 elections we have created and distributed voter guides to campuses in more than 20 states so they can provide their communities with accurate information for informed voting. Because these guides have been so well received and are useful for all voting citizens who want to be better informed, we are also posting them here.
We developed our guides by analyzing information from trusted resources such as www.votesmart.org, www.ontheissues.org, www.ballotpedia.com, www.politifact.com, www.factcheck.org, www.vote411.org and from candidate websites, public debates and interviews, and statements in major media outlets. We also showed them to groups like campus Poliquin Republicans and Poliquin Democrats at the schools we work with to verify their fairness and lack of bias.
So here are the issue-by-issue stands for Emily Cain and David Poliquin, with additional links at the bottom for each candidate if you'd like to dig deeper. (You can also find Maine's Governor and Senate guides here.)
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Budget: Did you support raising the Federal debt ceiling with no strings attached?
Cain: Unknown
Poliquin: No
Budget: Do you support a Constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment?
Cain: No
Poliquin: Yes
Campaign Finance: Do you support the DISCLOSE Act, which would require key funders of political ads to put their names on those ads?
Cain: Yes
Poliquin: Unknown
Campaign Finance: Do you support the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which allowed unlimited independent political expenditures by corporations and unions?
Cain: No. Supports amendment to overturn ruling.
Poliquin: Yes
Economy: Do you support raising the minimum wage?
Cain: Yes
Poliquin: No
Economy: Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
Cain: Yes
Poliquin: No
Economy: Do you support extending unemployment benefits beyond 26 weeks?
Cain: Yes
Poliquin: No
Education: Do you support refinancing of student loans at lower rates, paid for by increasing taxes on income over a million dollars?
Cain: Prioritizes expanding Pell grants and lowering interest on student loans. Passed state bill to shift private loans to state-backed credit unions
Poliquin: Position on student loans unclear, but signed pledge opposing "any and all" tax increases
Environment: Do you believe that human activity is a major factor contributing to climate change?
Cain: Yes
Poliquin: Avoids direct response, says "climate changes over long cycles" but does not provide answer to human activity impacting the changes.
Environment: Do you support government action to limit the levels of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere?
Cain: Yes
Poliquin: No
Environment: Do you support government mandates and/or subsidies for renewable energy?
Cain: Yes.
Poliquin: No. Supports unsubsidized free market development of all domestic energy resources
Gay Marriage: Do you support gay marriage?
Cain: Yes
Poliquin: Personally opposes. Is a state-level decision that should have no federal involvement.
Gun Control: Do you support enacting more restrictive gun control legislation?
Cain: Supports gun rights, but would add background checks
Poliquin: No
Healthcare: Do you support repealing the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare?
Cain: No.
Poliquin: Yes. Replace with free market solution.
Immigration: Do you support the comprehensive immigration plan passed by the Senate in 2013, which includes a pathway to citizenship and increased funding for border security?
Cain: Yes
Poliquin: No
Iraq: Should the US recommit troops to Iraq to combat the rise in insurgency?
Cain: Supports air strikes but no troops on ground
Poliquin: Unknown. Against any involvement in Syria and believes Congress should be involved in all such decisions.
Marijuana: Should marijuana be decriminalized
Cain: No
PoliquinNo
Social Issues: Should abortion be highly restricted?
Cain: No
Poliquin: Yes. Sole exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother, although at some points has just mentioned life of the mother
Social Issues: Should employers be able to withhold contraceptive coverage from employees if they disagree with it morally?
Cain: No
Poliquin: Yes
Social Issues: Should Planned Parenthood receive public funds for non-abortion health services?
Cain: Yes
Poliquin: No
Social Security: Do you support partial privatization of Social Security?
Cain: No
Poliquin: No change for current recipients or those about to retire, but supported Ryan budget that included private retirement accounts
Taxes: Have you signed the Americans for Tax Reform Pledge to oppose "any and all" tax increases to raise revenue?
Cain: No
Poliquin: Yes
Taxes: Would you increase taxes on corporations and/or high-income individuals to pay for public services?
Cain: Possible--has supported both tax cuts and increases while in the legislature
Poliquin: No
Other District 2 candidates include Blaine Richardson (Independent) . Due to limited space, we can't include his positions, but invite you to check out his website.
Learn more about the candidates:
Emily Cain Q&A Bangor Daily News
Bruce Polquin Q&A Bangor Daily News
Cain:Emily Cain Vote Smart page
Poliquin: Bruce Poliquin VoteSmart page