Why I am running for Congress

The 2008 election is likely to be the most important one in our lifetime.

So much is at stake. We must bring truth and transparency to Washington. We must reclaim our country now--by ending the war in Iraq, by strengthening the middle class that has been so weakened under the Bush Administration, and by restoring accountability to government. We must fix our unfair health care system, protect good jobs and retirement, regain the respect of the international community, and work together with other nations to combat global warming, protect the environment, and achieve energy independence. In Congress, I will always have the voices of the people of Maine in my mind and will fight to change what is going on in Washington.

Those who have worked with me and those whom I've represented as a state senator always knew that they could count on me to take the toughest of stands, to tell the truth, and to bring about change. I will always listen carefully to the voices of Maine, speak my mind, and not go home until the work is done.

It will take a lot of hard work to put our nation back on track after the long war in Iraq that has killed or wounded so many of our brave young soldiers, cost billions, and made us less secure in the world. There is work to be done, together, to help strengthen the middle class that is stretched thin by high energy costs, skyrocketing health care costs, ballooning interest rates, increasing college tuitions, and declining retirement funds.

Whether serving as North Haven planning board and school board member, starting a small business and meeting a payroll, leading the Democratic caucus in the Maine Senate, or running the reform group Common Cause, I have always had the same commitment to believe in a big vision, to work hard, and to act with practical purpose and principle.

I encourage you to join me.  Together, we can -- and will -- make a difference.