A Republican newcomer who jumped into the race for Maine’s 2nd District U.S. House seat says he admires former President Donald Trump and has little use for the media or either of the major political parties.
Sean Joyce, 42, said Monday he understands he is “a bit longshot” in the GOP primary, but felt he ought to run anyway to show his four children it is possible.
Joyce, who lives in the Penobscot County town of Newburgh, is a U.S. Army veteran and stay-at-home father who is caring for children between ages 2 and 10. He has never sought elected office.
The latest 2nd District congressional candidate, Republican Sean Joyce, lives in Newburgh, Maine, a little west of Bangor. Google Maps
He joins a Republican primary field that also features former U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin and state Rep. Mike Perkins of Oakland. They are vying for their party’s backing to take on two-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden of Lewiston in next year’s election.
Poliquin has a big lead in both campaign cash and name recognition, but the presence of two challengers within his party points to the chaotic nature of politics these days. Golden does not face a primary challenge, but that could change in the coming weeks.
“Our country is in turmoil right now,” Joyce said, “and it doesn’t seem like either party wants to fix it.”
Joyce added, “Politics is out of control,” and the media is egging it on.
Joyce said restoring the country would not be easy.
“A lot of what Donald Trump laid out is what we needed to do,” he said.
Joyce pointed specifically to Trump’s having brought back manufacturing to the United States and taken on China.
Joyce said corporate interests and Chinese communists want to see the nation divided, and are happy to use President Joe Biden as their puppet in their quest to establish what he called “a new world order.”
“The whole thing’s a mess,” he said.
Joyce said the way to fix things is “pretty much pick what Joe Biden is doing and do the opposite.”
Joyce, who grew up in Vermont and moved to Maine seven years ago, said if he does not win the nomination in next year’s primary, he will support Poliquin.
But, he said, Poliquin is “boring and he’s not going to beat Jared Golden.”
“I have nothing against him,” Joyce said.
He added that the former two-term member of Congress, who lost to Golden in 2018, lacks ideas that can propel him to victory. He said Poliquin is “not speaking in the shoes of the people” in his campaign, partly because of his wealth and his long residence in the 1st District.
Poliquin has said he plans to move to the Bangor area. He has lived in a seaside mansion in Georgetown.
Joyce said he does not think Golden is especially strong in the sprawling, rural district that leans Republican, but he thinks the GOP still faces “an uphill battle” to oust Golden because ranked-choice voting gives the Democrats a boost. It is not clear, though, how ranked-choice voting helps either party.
Joyce, who is married, said he “doesn’t expect to go very far” with his campaign since he does not have the money or backing of Poliquin. But he figures it is important he try.
The key thing, Joyce said, is for voters to take on the establishment.
“The people need control,” he said. “We need to go big or go home.”
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