As of late Tuesday, political newcomer Ronald Russell was projected to win the Republican primary for Maine’s 1st Congressional District.
Russell, who grew up on a potato farm in Fort Fairfield, Maine, and returned to the state in 2021, said during the campaign that his run was an attempt to “get the country back on the right track.”
Russell defeated fellow first-time candidate Andrew Piantidosi in the race and will face veteran Democratic Rep. Cherie Pingri in the general election.
He made his own military service a campaign highlight, telling the story of his father, who served as an artilleryman in World War II, and who encouraged the young Russell to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point in New York.
Russell served as a second lieutenant in the Army since 1976.
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Maine lawmakers unanimously rejected a bill that would have allowed out-of-state minors to travel to Maine to undergo gender reassignment surgery. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
Russell’s state borders the north, and the candidate told local media: WMT Illegal immigration at the southern border will be a key issue for him if elected president in November.
“The way to stop this is to stop encouraging illegal immigration. The housing that we give them – free housing until they are independent, which in Maine takes years – the wages that we give them – money to help them get by – all of these are incentives to break the law and come here illegally. Those need to end, too,” he told the outlet.
Maine 2024 Primary Election Results
After leaving the military in 2006, Russell worked for a defense contractor before starting his own business, which he says has grown to 150 employees, according to his campaign website.
Maine’s 1st Congressional District, while much smaller than the others, contains most of the state’s populated areas. The district stretches mostly along the coast, includes the cities of Portland and Brunswick, and borders New Hampshire not far from Portsmouth.
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Maine, the Pine Tree State (Fox News)
Following redistricting related to the 2021 Census, the Cook Political Report gave the 1st District a partisan voting index of D+9, indicating Pingree will have a large advantage in the general election.
Pingree lost her 2002 challenge to popular centrist Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), but was successful in her recent reelection bid.
The last Republican to represent the district, former Rep. Jim Longley Jr., lost the 1996 election.
