Restore Maine
"Let us not seek the Republican answer
or the Democratic answer,
but the right answer."
- John F. Kennedy
My name is Eric Brakey and I am running for state senate because we must Restore Maine.
Maine people have always fought for liberty.
In the American Revolution, Mainers raised a liberty pole in defiance of the King, seized his ships, and attacked his supply lines to win independence.
When occupied by the British and abandoned by Boston a generation later, Maine people resisted until both were expelled.
Two hundred years have passed since Maine won its statehood, and through every generation since — from the Aroostook War to the shores of Normandy — Maine people have fought for liberty.
These days, however, our political leaders have lost touch with these Maine values.
Instead of defending our freedoms, they mandate our most personal decisions.
Instead of protecting our paychecks, they steal the fruits of our labors with high taxes and inflation.
Instead of caring for Maine people, they only care about their special interests.
Maine deserves better.
Over two terms in the Maine Senate (2014-18), I served as an effective and independent voice for Androscoggin County and New Gloucester.
Campaigning door-to-door each election, I promised to carry the wisdom of John F. Kennedy with me: seek the right answer, not the partisan one.
When I arrived in Augusta, that's exactly what I did. With liberty as my standard, I considered each bill on its merits and quickly developed one of the most independent voting records in the Senate.
This independent attitude made it possible to bring bipartisan coalitions together in divided government to:
Defend gun rights - I sponsored and passed Constitutional Carry — making Maine the safest state in America and setting a standard now emulated in 17 additional states, including recently in Texas and Ohio.
Restore healthcare freedom - I ushered Right To Try through the legislature — nullifying FDA edicts to protect the right of terminally ill patients to try potentially life-saving investigational medications.
Protect Maine taxpayers - I led the negotiations on Welfare Reform — prohibiting the purchase of alcohol, cigarettes, and lottery tickets with welfare dollars.
Gov. Paul LePage signs Sen. Eric Brakey's Constitutional Carry bill into law (2015)
Today, I stand ready to lead the charge once again in the halls of state government for fiscal sanity and individual liberty.
That is why I am running to represent the people of Auburn, New Gloucester, Poland, and Durham in the Maine Senate.
To restore our paychecks, I will work to —
Eliminate wasteful spending that spurs on inflation and cut taxes so working people keep what they earn.
Reform welfare to institute work requirements for able-bodied adults without children, ensuring our social safety net programs function as a hand-up, not a hand-out.
Develop affordable energy, including natural gas, hydro, and nuclear power, to bring down electricity bills for Maine families and job creators.
Sen. Eric Brakey tours Silvex Surface Technology and discusses how to keep manufacturing in Maine (2020)
To restore our freedoms, I will fight to —
Protect parental rights, ensuring that families — not government — are the ultimate authority in the education of their children by funding students, not systems, with our taxpayer education dollars.
Revive medical freedom, upholding principles of informed consent and putting healthcare decisions back in the hands of doctors and patients.
Reinstate religious liberty, making it explicitly clear in our laws that no government official has the authority to shut down churches.
Sen. Eric Brakey visits Auburn students, teaching them about the legislative process (2017)
To restore our Constitution, I will strive to —
Prohibit forever emergencies, requiring all future grants of “emergency powers” to a Governor be renewed by super-majorities of the state legislature every two weeks.
Protect our gun rights, defeating so-called “Red Flag” gun confiscation proposals and passing the 2nd Amendment Preservation Act to nullify unconstitutional federal gun control laws within Maine's borders.
Secure our elections by prohibiting ballot harvesting, requiring voter ID, and preserving paper ballots.
Defend our troops by requiring that, before the men and women of our Maine National Guard can be legally sent off to fight in foreign wars, Congress must formally declare war as the Constitution requires.
Sen. Eric Brakey meets with Maine veterans after participating in a flag retirement ceremony (2020)
This election is an opportunity to Restore Maine by shifting the focus government back where it belongs: protecting the freedoms and paychecks of Maine people — not trampling all over them.
In the long road ahead to Election Day, whether as a voter, volunteer, or contributor — I would be honored to earn your support!
Restore Maine,
Hon. Eric Brakey
Candidate for Maine Senate
Sen. Eric Brakey speaks in the Maine Senate, as the Chairman of the Health of Human Services Committee, on welfare reform legislation to prohibit purchases of alcohol, cigarettes, and lottery tickets (2015)