Mike Michaud

Mike Michaud
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 2nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2003
Preceded by	John Baldacci
Personal details
Born	(1955-01-18) January 18, 1955 (age 57) Millinocket, Maine
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Single
Residence	East Millinocket, Maine
Alma mater	Schenck High School
Occupation	Politician
Religion	Roman Catholic

Michael Herman (Mike) Michaud (born January 18, 1955) is the U.S. Representative for Maine's 2nd congressional district, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district comprises nearly 80% of the state by area and includes the cities of Lewiston, Auburn, Bangor, and Presque Isle. It is the largest Congressional district by area east of the Mississippi River.

Michaud was previously President of the Maine Senate. He was employed for over two decades at the Great Northern Paper Company where he was a member of the United Steelworkers.

Early life, education and career

Michaud grew up in Medway, Maine, and is a graduate of Schenck High School in East Millinocket. He was a mill worker and supervisor at Great Northern Paper Company in East Millinocket, from 1973 until his election to Congress in 2002, during which time he was a member of the United Steelworkers. Michaud's interest in politics began when he campaigned to clean up the Penobscot River in the late 1970s.

Maine Legislature

Michaud was elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 1980, and served seven terms there. Then in 1994 he ran for and was elected to the Maine Senate. In 1996 he was appointed chair of the Joint Appropriation Committee and in December 2000 was unanimously elected President of the Maine Senate.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections and Tenure

An earlier official Congressional photo of Michaud

Michaud was first elected in 2002, narrowly defeating Republican Kevin Raye in the race to replace John Baldacci. This election garnered considerable publicity because the Democratic candidate was pro-life, while the Republican was pro-choice. Michaud then became the only freshman Democratic member of Congress to vote for the 2003 ban on intact dilation and extraction (IDX), often called partial-birth abortion

However,Michaud's stance on abortion, and related reproductive issues has changed since he entered office. When he was elected in 2003, he received a 10% rating by the NARAL Pro Choice America, a reflection of pro-life votes. But, in 2010 the same organization gave Michaud a 100% rating. This change is likely in part because of the votes Michaud made in favor of allowing and expanding stem cell research, and his vote against banning abortion from federal health care coverage.

He won the 2004 election, defeating Republican Brian Hamel of Presque Isle by a large margin. In the 2006 election he defeated Republican Laurence S. D'Amboise by a 70% margin. In the 2008 election, he defeated Republican and retired Professor John Frary of Farmington, by a considerable majority.

Mike Michaud has been an advocate for veterans for as long as he as served in congress. As Chairman of the Health Subcommittee of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Michaud has advocated for more extensive healthcare benefits for veterans and also for more inclusive rural healthcare for veterans. In 2007 Michaud came close to being elected Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee. He has also called for lowering of the cost of prescription drugs. In addition, Michaud has worked to pass legislation providing scholarships for returning soldiers, and decreasing the rate of homelessness among veterans. Recently, Michaud became an original cosponsor of “Hiring our Veterans Act” which gives tax credits to employers who hire veterans. Michaud has worked with the US Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) on many projects. These include a scholarship foundation for children of soldiers killed in active duty, an expansion of VA care in rural Maine, and a major increase in VA funding.

In addition to veterans' health, Michaud has been supporting healthcare on a larger scale. He has voted in favor of increased health coverage for children, and voted against cuts to Medicare. In 2010 he received a 100% rating from the American Public Health Association, along with favorable ratings from other health care groups. Michaud joined a group of 44 congressmen in November 2011 to express the importance of men being screened for prostate cancer. This bipartisan group was formed after the United States Preventative Task Force recommended that healthy men should not have such a screening.

Michaud is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives. He is the only Congressperson from New England in the coalition. On October 19, 2007, he endorsed former Senator John Edwards for President.

In 2010, Michaud overcame strong anti-Democrat and anti-incumbent political sentiment, and won reelection, defeating Republican Jason Levesque, by a 55-45 margin. It was Michaud's closest margin of victory since his original election.

Michaud was briefly mentioned in Maine native author Stephen King's most recent work, 11/22/63.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Veterans' Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Health (Ranking member)
• Committee on Small Business
  • Subcommittee on Finance and Tax
  • Subcommittee on Rural and Urban Entrepreneurship
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
  • Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials

Caucus memberships

• Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus
• Congressional Biomass Caucus
• Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine
• Congressional Nursing Caucus
• International Conservation Caucus
• Renewable Energy Caucus
• Sudan Caucus

Electoral History

References

1. ^ Cooley represented the Socialist Equality Party

External links

• U.S. Congressman Mike Michaud official U.S. House site
• Mike Michaud for U.S. Congress official campaign site
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Profile at SourceWatch