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 Millinocket, Maine
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Single
Residence	East Millinocket, Maine
Alma mater	Schenck High School
Occupation	Politician
Religion	Roman Catholic

Michael Herman 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 mostly rural 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 and remains a member of the United Steelworkers. He is one of the few members of Congress never to have attended college.

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. During his years in the state legislature, he continued to work at the Great Northern Paper Company until his election to Congress. To accommodate his legislative schedule, he changed his factory shifts, for instance by working weekends. In 1996, he was appointed chair of the Joint Appropriations 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; 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 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 healthcare groups. Michaud joined a group of 44 congressmen in November 2011 to express the importance of men's being screened for prostate cancer. This bipartisan group was formed after the United States Preventive 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

Year	Office	Election		Subject	Party	Votes	%		Opponent	Party	Votes	%		Opponent	Party	Votes	%
2002	Maine's 2nd congressional district	General		Mike Michaud	Democratic	116,868	52.01%		Kevin Raye	Republican	107,849	47.99%
2004	Maine's 2nd congressional district	General		Mike Michaud	Democratic	199,303	58.03%		Brian Hamel	Republican	135,547	39.47%		Carl Cooley	Independent	8,586	2.50
2006	Maine's 2nd congressional district	General		Mike Michaud	Democratic	179,732	70.52%		Laurence D'Amboise	Republican	75,146	29.48%
2008	Maine's 2nd congressional district	General		Mike Michaud	Democratic	226,274	67.44%		John Frary	Republican	109,268	32.57%
2010	Maine's 2nd congressional district	General		Mike Michaud	Democratic	147,042	55.13%		Jason Levesque	Republican	119,669	44.87%
2012	Maine's 2nd congressional district	General		Mike Michaud	Democratic	191,456	58.19%		Kevin Raye	Republican	137,542	41.81%

External links

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

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by John Baldacci	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 2nd congressional district 2003–present	Incumbent
United States order of precedence
Preceded by John Kline R-Minnesota	United States Representatives by seniority 163rd	Succeeded by Candice Miller R-Michigan