Chellie Pingree

Rochelle M. “Chellie” Pingree (born April 2, 1955) is an American politician. She is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing ME's 1st congressional district since 2009. The district includes most of the southern part of the state, including Portland and Augusta.

Pingree was a member of the Maine Senate from 1992 to 2000, serving as majority leader from 1996 to 2000. She was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States Senate in 2002, losing to Republican Susan Collins. From 2003 to 2006, she was President and CEO of Common Cause. She is the first Democratic woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine.

Early life, education, and early career
Pingree was born to Harry and Dorothy Johnson in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but has lived in Maine since she was a teenager. She attended the University of Southern Maine and graduated from College of the Atlantic with a degree in Human Ecology. Since graduating from College of the Atlantic, she has lived in North Haven, a small island community 12 miles off Rockland.

Pingree held various farming and care-taking jobs until 1981, when she started North Island Yarn, a cottage industry of hand knitters with a retail store on North Haven. Her business expanded and became North Island Designs, employing as many as ten workers. They began marketing knitting kits and pattern books nationwide through 1,200 retail stores and 100,000 mail order catalogues. Through North Island Designs, Pingree authored and produced five knitting books between 1986 and 1992. Eisenhower Fellowships selected Chellie Pingree as a USA Eisenhower Fellow in 1997.

Common Cause
As the leader of Common Cause, Pingree strengthened the organization's programs in media reform and elections, while maintaining programs in ethics and money in politics. Among the specific issues she championed at Common Cause are Net Neutrality; Mandatory Voter-Verified Paper Ballots; Public Financing of Congressional Elections; National Popular Vote (a work-around of the Electoral College), and an Independent Ethics Commission for Congress. She stepped down from Common Cause in February 2007 to return to her home state and run for Congress in 2008.

Elections
Pingree was first elected in 1992 at the age of 37, defeating a popular Republican incumbent. She was outspoken against going to war against Iraq, although counseled by party insiders to avoid that subject. She won re-election in 1994 and 1996. In 2000, she was forced to leave the Legislature due to term limits.

Tenure
Pingree served as the Senate Majority Leader in the Maine Senate representing Knox County. She was elected Maine's second female Senate Majority Leader on December 4, 1996.

During her tenure as a state legislator, Pingree led several economic development initiatives including landmark legislation to enhance small business opportunities and keep businesses in Maine. She gained nationwide headlines when she authored the nation's first bill regulating prescription drug prices, Maine Rx. Pingree also shepherded Maine's largest land-bill initiative, Land for Maine's Future.

2002 run for U.S. Senate
In 2002, Pingree made an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican junior U.S. Senator Susan Collins. Collins, a popular moderate incumbent, won by a margin of 16%.

Elections

 * 2008

In April 2007, Pingree filed papers for her bid to run for Maine's 1st congressional district. On August 15, 2007, EMILY's List endorsed Pingree's campaign for Congress in Maine's 1st District. In December 2007 she also received the endorsement of 21st Century Democrats. She was endorsed by a number of labor organizations and many individuals and state officials, including Congressman Rush D. Holt, Jr.; Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky; Maine Senate Majority Leader Libby Mitchell; former Maine Senate Assistant Majority Leader Anne Rand; State Representative Paulette Beaudoin; State Representative Nancy Smith; progressive writer and activist Jim Hightower; the United Auto Workers; Planned Parenthood, and the League of Conservation Voters.

The top contributors to Pingree's campaign were securities and investment industries, providing roughly $123,900 in funding. Key contributors include Paloma Partners, Caremi Partners, and the J Street PAC.

Pingree was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2008. She was sworn in to Congress on January 6, 2009.


 * 2010

In 2010, Pingree ran for reelection, and won, defeating Republican challenger Dean Scontras by a 57-43 margin. She overcame strong anti-Democrat and anti-incumbent political sentiment to become just one of eight Democrats in the House of Representatives to receive a higher percentage of the vote than in 2008.

On February 29, 2012, an Associated Press story mentioned that Pingree was starting to circulate petitions to run for the U.S. Senate seat that was vacated by the retirement of Olympia Snowe, which she confirmed on The Rachel Maddow Show later that night. She withdrew her name from the race on March 7, indicating that she would run for re-election.
 * 2012

Tenure
In September 2010, a video surfaced on the internet showing Pingree disembarking a private jet at Portland International Jetport owned by her then-fiancé, hedge fund manager S. Donald Sussman. This drew criticism because of past statements Pingree had made that were critical about legislators using private aircraft. The House Ethics Committee, in a bipartisan letter, stated the travel was permissible under House ethics rules.

Committee assignments

 * Committee on Agriculture
 * Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry
 * Subcommittee on Nutrition and Horticulture
 * Committee on Armed Services
 * Subcommittee on Military Personnel
 * Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces

Caucus memberships
Congressional Progressive Caucus (Vice-Chair)

Political positions
On her campaign website, Pingree lists supporting small business in Maine, holding banks and credit cards accountable for consumer protection, increasing Maine manufacturing jobs and preventing the overseas outsourcing of these jobs as key elements of her economic strategy. Pingree's goals additionally include working towards health care reform, increasing women's rights and equality in the workplace, acquiring more sources of clean energy, and ending the war in Afghanistan.

Interest group ratings
Pingree consistently receives high approval ratings from labor, pro-choice, and environmental interest groups. In 2010, Pingree received a rating of 100% from the AFL-CIO, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and the League of Conservation Voters. Pingree typically receives moderate to low approval ratings from socially and economically conservative groups such as the American Family Association and Citizens Against Government Waste, who in 2009 gave Pingree ratings of 0% and 1% respectively. In 2010 the American political magazine National Journal gave Pingree a Composite Conservative rating of 9%, and a Composite Liberal rating of 92%.

Other issues
Pingree helped draft the Fair Elections Now Act, a proposal to provide public 'Fair Elections' funding for popular candidates who raised a sufficient number of small local contributions. Pingree has spoken out against the 2011 Supreme Court ruling McComish v. Bennett, which limited public financing systems for congressional candidate campaigns. The representative favors a campaign finance system that provides increased opportunities for candidates who lack the benefits of private interest and independent expenditure committee funding.

Pingree has consistently voted against resolutions promoting aggressive foreign policy. Pingree voted "yea" in March 2011 on a resolution to remove forces from Afghanistan. In June 2011, Pingree voted "yea" on House Resolution 292, preventing President Barack Obama from deploying ground forces in Libya.

Electoral results

 * 2010 General Election - Maine's 1st Congressional District
 * Chellie Pingree (D) 57%
 * Dean Scontras (R) 43%
 * 2008 General Election - Maine's 1st Congressional District
 * Chellie Pingree (D) 55%
 * Charlie Summers (R) 45%
 * 2008 Democratic Primary - Maine's 1st Congressional District
 * Chellie Pingree 44%
 * Adam Cote 28%
 * Michael Brennan 11%
 * Ethan Strimling 11%
 * Mark Lawrence 5%
 * Stephen Meister 1%


 * 2002 Race for U.S. Senate
 * Susan Collins (R) (inc.), 58%
 * Chellie Pingree (D), 42%

Personal life
Pingree has three children; the oldest, Hannah Pingree, is the Ex-Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives.

On June 18, 2011, Pingree married S. Donald Sussman. The small private ceremony was held at the couple's North Haven home. Pingree met Sussman in 2007 and the two became engaged in 2008.

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