AUGUSTA, Maine — After losing his congressional seat in 2018 to Democrat U.S. Rep Jared Golden, Republican Bruce Poliquin is looking to return to Washington, D.C.
"When I was in Congress, we didn't have these problems," Poliquin told reporters on Tuesday.
The problems he's referring to include a 40-year record-high inflation rate, and he's blaming President Joe Biden and Democrats, including the man in his former seat.
"Where is Mr. Golden? Where is he? He's done nothing to fix this," Poliquin said of Golden.
Golden was first elected in 2018, winning a slim majority after ranked-choice voting. It's not an automatic rematch between Golden and Poliquin, though. Newcomer Liz Caruso is vying for a shot at Congress, and she says rural Mainers want to see themselves represented in the nation's capital.
"They want more of Washington County in Washington, D.C.," she said.
Caruso added that her campaign has been strong, and she's looking forward to what's ahead.
"We have an intense momentum going into [Primary] Election Day. It's really been a grassroots revolution," she said.
The winner of this primary will go up against incumbent Golden and independent attorney Tiffany Bond. The winner of that race will be decided by ranked-choice voting on Nov. 8.