Backroom Bruce Poliquin knows being on the Trump ticket imperils his reelection
Today, as Donald Trump storms into Backroom Bruce’s Bangor backyard, vulnerable Congressman Bruce Poliquin is once again revealing himself to be the worst kind of politician, willing to say or do anything to avoid answering for his support for Trump. Poliquin repeatedly dodged questions about whether or not he would join his mentor and fellow Trump fan Governor Paul LePage at today’s event, after months of dodging questions about Trump – even after a closed door recording emerged of Poliquin singing Trump’s praises.
By enthusiastically supporting Trump behind closed doors, but refusing to come clean in public, Poliquin is only making a bad situation worse. Being on the Trump ticket imperils his reelection, and now Poliquin has to also answer for his constant doublespeak and putting politics over Mainers, who deserve to know where he stands. There’s nothing Poliquin can do to escape the damaging reality of Trump’s being atop the Republican ticket, and yet he continues to dig himself deeper with his refusal to be accountable for his Trump support.
“Bruce Poliquin continues in his failed attempt to squirm away from the damaging reality of being on the Trump ticket, but the truth is, you can’t get there from here,” said Christie Stephenson of the DCCC. “Poliquin has already embraced his ticketmate Donald Trump behind closed doors, so his avoiding Trump’s rally today is all for show, and politics at its worst. Voters should know that Poliquin wants Trump to ‘win it all,’ so hopefully one of Poliquin’s fellow Trump supporters can grab him the Trump yard sign he clearly wants.”
Poliquin’s silence is disappointing for voters, but perhaps not surprising. Many observers have noted that Poliquin’s mentor Paul LePage paved the way for Trump’s divisive politics and racist commentary, and Poliquin refused to comment on LePage’s notorious, racist outburst earlier this year.