| As ME-02 voters gear up to head to the ballot box tomorrow, Mainers are flooding their local papers with a simple message: State Senator Joe Baldacci is the fighter they need to keep ME-02 blue.
From “tirelessly advocat[ing] for clients in courtrooms” to “protecting mobile home residents from displacement,” Baldacci has a proven track record of showing up and delivering for Mainers — making it clear that he’s “the right candidate to beat Paul LePage.”
As one Mainer put it, unlike LePage, “Joe never left. He’s been here all along, representing real Mainers and ready to push back against anything from the current administration that hurts those most vulnerable in Maine.”
REMINDER: Even Republicans know LePage doesn’t stand a chance against Baldacci, with a shady GOP Super PAC spending over half a million dollars to attack Baldacci and handpick their Democratic opponent.
DCCC Spokesperson Riya Vashi:
“The choice couldn’t be clearer, and Maine voters see it too. Mainers are ready to elect Joe Baldacci and keep ME-02 in Democratic hands.”
Read more of what Mainers are saying:
Portland Press Herald: Support Joe Baldacci for Congress | Letter:
- I urge Democrats and independents participating in the June 9 Democratic primary to rank Joe Baldacci first as a candidate for U.S. representative in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District. His knowledge of the issues is detailed and substantive and second to none. In talking to him and seeing his messaging, it is clear Baldacci is motivated to get stuff done to benefit the residents of his district, especially with regard to healthcare and preserving medical services for rural Maine.
- He’s also the right candidate to beat Paul LePage. […] His extensive legislative experience makes him better equipped to win this November and then make good things happen when he serves in Washington, D.C.
- Please join me in ranking Joe Baldacci No. 1 for CD2.
Bangor Daily News: Letter | Grateful to Joe Baldacci for speaking up:
- While I serve professionally as executive director of the Maine Jewish Museum, I write here in my personal capacity as a member of Maine’s Jewish community to publicly thank state Sen. Joe Baldacci for his leadership and moral courage over many years of public service.
- Over the past several months, I — along with many Jewish Mainers — have experienced an atmosphere of growing hostility surrounding conversations about Israel, antisemitism, and Jewish identity. Regardless of one’s politics, it should concern all of us when people begin to feel that expressing grief, fear, or solidarity may carry social or professional consequences.
- What I have appreciated about Sen. Baldacci is not simply his position on particular issues, but his willingness to engage in difficult conversations with seriousness, fairness, and humanity. He has acknowledged both the complexity of these issues and the very real pain many Jewish people are carrying right now. That matters.
- It is easy to speak when there is no cost attached. It is much harder to do so when criticism, misunderstanding, and public pressure are likely to follow.
- Healthy civic life depends on people who are willing to approach one another with empathy, nuance, and moral steadiness, particularly during emotionally charged moments. I believe Baldacci has consistently and thoughtfully modeled that kind of leadership over many years of public life.
- Many of us noticed. Many of us are grateful.
The Piscataquis Observer: We need Joe Baldacci to represent us in Congress:
- I believe Joe Baldacci is the Mainer we need now to represent us in Congress. In 2001, I worked for Joe and his sister Rosemary at Momma B’s Kitchen. Rosemary ran the show, but Joe often stopped by to see if we needed anything and to talk to people there.
- I remember then a friend telling me about the spaghetti dinners the Baldaccis would host, that those were some of the nights he and his siblings would all go to bed with full stomachs. That’s what it really means to take care of your neighbors.
- Later when the restaurant really did need help, he was there. I know he was beyond busy being a lawyer, chair of the Bangor City Council, and a father, but he would show up and be patient with whatever we needed.
- I moved away from Maine around 2015, got stuck in the Southwest longer than I wanted, but one thing I enjoyed hearing about from back home was Joe’s wins in the state Legislature, like protecting mobile home residents from displacement by corporate investors. How many politicians care about mobile home park residents? I loved seeing his social media posts, sharing Maine politics, celebrating his family, and spreading positivity and Maine pride.
- I’m back in Maine now, and Joe never left. He’s been here all along, representing real Mainers and ready to push back against anything from the current administration that hurts those most vulnerable in Maine. I’m glad to say this time I’m here for it.
Bangor Daily News: Letter | Joe Baldacci will advocate for his constituents:
- State Sen. Joe Baldacci and I studied together for the Maine bar exam 35 years ago. While we pursued different paths as Bangor lawyers, I have been privileged to observe Joe build a successful law practice while accepting clients whose cases challenge power imbalances.
- I believe Joe has always viewed his clients as partners rather than mere transactions. He and the attorneys who work at his law firm have integrated social justice with legal strategies to advance positive systemic change. Joe has centered his firm’s practice on empathy and prioritized his client’s well-being while working alongside grassroots organizations, community organizers, and advocacy groups.
- Further, Baldacci’s law firm has over the years implemented sliding-scale fees, flat-fee structures and accepted contingency arrangements to ensure low- and middle-income Mainers could afford its legal services. Joe has also received awards for generously dedicating significant portions of his time to impactful pro bono (donated) services, defending marginalized and underrepresented individuals and groups. I’ve also observed attorney Baldacci turn down lucrative corporate clientele because he believed they were taking advantage of others.
- In the same way that Joe has tirelessly advocated for clients in courtrooms, I think we can count on him in Congress to act on constituent feedback and dismantle the “billionaire economy” of Donald Trump.
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