Kitchen table issues are at the forefront in Maine’s 1st Congressional District race as Democratic incumbent Chellie Pingree and Republican challenger Ronald Russell talk to voters about a shortage of housing, grocery prices and other economic issues.

Rep. Chellie Pingree attends an opening celebration of Stroudwater Apartments, a new 55-plus apartment building in Westbrook, on Oct. 4. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

“We need to make sure housing is a priority in Washington. Community by community, this is vital to our towns and vital to our state,” Pingree said during a recent speech in Westbrook.

“I saw the nation going downhill, including all this inflation, so I decided to do something about it,” said Russell, who campaigned door-to-door in Biddeford this month.

Pingree lives in North Haven and is a former farmer, small business owner, state legislator and leader of national citizen advocacy group Common Cause. The 69-year-old is seeking her ninth term in the House of Representatives.

Russell, who also is 69, retired from the U.S. Army after 30 years of service, and was an Airborne Army Ranger and Green Beret. He grew up in Fort Fairfield and moved back to his home state in 2021, in part to run for office, and now lives in Kennebunkport.

Also in the race is unenrolled candidate Ethan Alcorn, who says he’s running in part because neither party is offering solutions to longstanding problems, such as the federal government’s debt.

Pingree, as a Democrat in a district where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans, is a heavy favorite to win re-election to a ninth term in Congress. Pingree defeated Republican Ed Thelander 63% to 37% in the 2022 election.

Ronald Russell, a Republican candidate running against Chellie Pingree in Maine’s 1st District, speaks at a gathering with Cornish Republicans on Sept. 26. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

Pingree recently appeared at the grand opening for Stroudwater Apartments in Westbrook, where she discussed how building more housing is a key to easing the housing shortage, and ultimately reducing mortgage and rental costs.

“The good news is everyone wants to live in Maine,” Pingree said to a crowd of about 100 people at the Westbrook event. But she said without enough housing supply, it’s going to be difficult not only for people to afford to live in Maine, but also for employers to be able to hire the workers they need.

Ethan Alcorn, an independent candidate in the 1st Congressional District, on Friday. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

Maine is going to need 84,000 new homes by 2030, according to a state report, to meet existing and projected housing demand. While Stroudwater Apartments – with 55 total units – is a modest amount, Pingree said the project is representative of the overall effort to provide incentives to encourage developers to build more housing supply.

Pingree has been a reliable vote for Democratic causes in Congress. She has helped secure funding for environmental causes, organic farmers, alternative energy and for farmers with land contaminated by forever chemicals. She secured a federal “Wild and Scenic” designation for about 31 miles of the York River, which helps protect the watershed.

Pingree said the Maine coast is at risk from more frequent and more devastating storms driven by climate change and it’s time to prepare by investing in clean energy and making necessary infrastructure upgrades, such as improving water and sewer systems.

“We are extremely vulnerable to these kinds of storms,” Pingree said. “We had two storms this winter that hit in a week, that we never thought we would have.”

Russell said he is in favor of an all-of-the-above energy strategy, embracing alternative energies while also making sure the fossil fuel industry can keep drilling, as the world transitions to cleaner energy.

He said that strategy would help keep energy prices low.

Ronald Russell, Republican candidate running against Chellie Pingree in Maine’s 1st District, speaks at a gathering with Cornish Republicans. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

As Russell campaigned door-to-door in Biddeford Pool recently, voters were quick to bring up the high cost of housing and groceries.

“I just spent a fortune at the grocery store, and I only got two bags of groceries,” said Fran Connolly, a Biddeford Pool homeowner.

Russell, who is also proposing to cut taxes, said “we’ve got to get this economy fixed so we can afford things.”

Although inflation has eased in 2024, prices have gone up significantly since the pandemic. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, $1 in buying power in 2020 is worth the equivalent of $1.22 as of September 2024.

Rep. Chellie Pingree talks with people at an opening celebration of Stroudwater Apartments, a new 55-plus apartment building, on Oct. 4. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

Pingree and Russell disagree about abortion and whether the federal government should protect access.

While Maine expanded abortion rights after the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, 13 states have banned abortion. Some Republicans have called for a national ban, while some Democrats want to pass federal legislation protecting access nationwide.

Russell said he is personally anti-abortion, but he is also against a national abortion ban.

“The Dobbs decision was the right decision, but I am not going to endorse an abortion ban at the national level,” Russell said.

Pingree said she fears Republicans would push for a national ban if they get the chance, and she wants Congress to step in first by passing a law protecting access.

“The truth is we need to codify Roe v. Wade and to do that we need a Democratic president and a Democratic Congress. Women should have the ability to make decisions about their own body,” she said.

Alcorn said he is in favor of women’s right to choose whether to have an abortion, and he believes the U.S. should pass a constitutional amendment enshrining that right.

Ethan Alcorn, independent candidate in the 1st Congressional District, waves the flag from the top of his campaign vehicle while campaigning in Portland on the I-295 overpass on Deering Avenue at rush hour on Oct. 11. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

Alcorn, a 60-year-old Saco resident who owns a landscaping business, said both Democrats and Republicans are complicit in ballooning the federal debt, which is now more than $35 trillion.

“The two parties spend us into debt, and we get the same results from both parties,” Alcorn said. He said he would cut spending in the military, reduce weapons sent overseas and reduce the “bloated” federal workforce.

Alcorn said he objected to Maine’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying there should not have been lockdowns. He also repeated false claims that the COVID-19 vaccines are not safe and effective. The COVID-19 vaccines have saved millions of lives worldwide, and are safe and effective.

Alcorn also falsely cast doubt on childhood vaccinations and said he “suspected” that childhood vaccinations are tied to autism. Vaccines do not cause and are not linked to autism, and a 1998 research paper that suggested a link between childhood vaccinations and autism has been debunked and retracted.