Eric Brakey
Eric Brakey (Republican Party) was a member of the Maine State Senate, representing District 20. He assumed office on December 7, 2022. He left office on November 4, 2024.
Brakey (Republican Party) ran for election to the Maine State Senate to represent District 20. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Brakey was a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate from Maine in 2018. He lost the general election on November 6, 2018, after advancing from the primary on June 12, 2018.
In 2020, Brakey participated in a Candidate Conversation hosted by Ballotpedia and EnCiv. Click here to view the recording.
On November 30, 2023, Brakey announced he would not seek re-election to the Maine State Senate District 20.[1]
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes yearly updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org
2023-2024
Brakey was assigned to the following committees:
Elections
2024
- See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2024
Eric Brakey did not file to run for re-election.
2022
See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Maine State Senate District 20
Eric Brakey defeated Bettyann W. Sheats in the general election for Maine State Senate District 20 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Eric Brakey (R) | 50.4 | 9,064 |
 | Bettyann W. Sheats (D)  | 49.6 | 8,918 | |
| Total votes: 17,982 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic Primary for Maine State Senate District 20
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Bettyann W. Sheats in round 1 .
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Total votes: 1,345 |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican Primary for Maine State Senate District 20
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Eric Brakey in round 1 .
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Total votes: 1,494 |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
2020
See also: Maine's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020
Maine's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 (July 14 Republican primary)
Maine's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 (July 14 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Maine District 2
The ranked-choice voting election was won by Jared Golden in round 1 .
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Total votes: 373,235 |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic Primary for U.S. House Maine District 2
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Jared Golden in round 1 .
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Total votes: 57,718 |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican Primary for U.S. House Maine District 2
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Dale Crafts in round 2 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.
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Total votes: 42,347 |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- John Hiatt (R)
2018
General election
General election for U.S. Senate Maine
Incumbent Angus King defeated Eric Brakey and Zak Ringelstein in the general election for U.S. Senate Maine on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Angus King (Independent) | 54.3 | 344,575 |
| Eric Brakey (R) | 35.2 | 223,502 | |
 | Zak Ringelstein (D) | 10.4 | 66,268 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 64 | ||
| Total votes: 634,409 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Chris Lyons (L)
- Alex Hammer (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Maine
Zak Ringelstein advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Maine on June 12, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Zak Ringelstein | 100.0 | 89,841 |
| Total votes: 89,841 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Maine
Eric Brakey advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Maine on June 12, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Eric Brakey | 100.0 | 59,853 |
| Total votes: 59,853 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Max Linn (R)
2016
- See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Maine State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 14, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 15, 2016.[2]
Incumbent Eric Brakey defeated Kimberly Sampson in the Maine State Senate District 20 general election.[3]
| Maine State Senate, District 20 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Eric Brakey Incumbent |
61.37% | 13,047 | |
| Democratic | Kimberly Sampson | 38.63% | 8,214 | |
| Total Votes | 21,261 | |||
| Source: Maine Secretary of State | ||||
Kimberly Sampson ran unopposed in the Maine State Senate District 20 Democratic primary.[4][5]
| Maine State Senate, District 20 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Kimberly Sampson (unopposed) | |
Incumbent Eric Brakey ran unopposed in the Maine State Senate District 20 Republican primary.[4][5]
| Maine State Senate, District 20 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Eric Brakey Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
- See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Maine State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 10, 2014, and a general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for party candidates wishing to run in this election was March 17, 2014. The deadline for write-in candidates to run in the primary election was April 28, 2014, and the deadline for non-party candidates to run in the general election was June 2, 2014. District 15 incumbent John Cleveland ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Eric Brakey was unopposed in the Republican primary. Brakey defeated Cleveland in the general election.[6][7][8][9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Eric Brakey |
56.5% | 10,138 | |
| Democratic | John Cleveland Incumbent | 39.8% | 7,144 | |
| None | Blank Votes | 3.7% | 668 | |
| Total Votes | 17,950 | |||
Endorsements
In 2014, Brakey's endorsements included:[10]
- U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
- Former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX)
- State Rep. Ellie Espling (R)
- State Rep. Mike McClellan (R)
- Laurence Pelletier, chairman of the Auburn School Committee
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Eric Brakey did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Candidate Conversations
Candidate Conversations is a virtual debate format that allows voters to easily get to know their candidates through a short video Q&A.
Click below to watch the conversation for this race.
Eric Brakey did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Brakey’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
HEALTHCARE We all know the old saying, 'The customer is always right.' That’s why competitive businesses regularly bend over backward to ensure their customers are satisfied with the goods and services provided, always looking for new ways to provide better quality at lower prices. Sadly, our healthcare system isn’t working this way. As far as patients are concerned, healthcare is increasingly expensive for services that are stagnant in quality. Why is this happening? This is happening because our healthcare system is focused on serving its customers — but sadly, we the patients are not the customers. Instead, big government and big insurance companies have stepped between us and our doctors — taking our money and paying on our behalf — stealing the power of the customer for themselves so healthcare providers cater to their needs, not ours. Meanwhile, us little guys, the patients, are treated like products on an assembly line. If we are going to improve healthcare for the little guy, we need to give power and choice to the patients, not to big government or big insurance companies. Our healthcare system is a tangled, expensive web of policies and regulations that result in Americans not being able to access the care they need — or paying too much for insurance and care. ObamaCare has failed, and Americans are hurting because of it. We must look to free-market solutions to spur innovation, increase competition and give patients control over their own healthcare decisions. Big government solutions are not working, and they cannot be the answer for our future. CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS All American citizens have basic Constitutional rights that cannot be violated. Unfortunately, we have seen our federal government creep further and further into our lives, and our rights are being compromised as a result. The Second Amendment is constantly under attack across the nation by well-funded liberal groups. In the Maine Senate, I have been a leader in protecting Mainers’ Second Amendment rights. During my first term I sponsored Constitutional Carry legislation. As a result, law-abiding Mainers no longer need a permission slip from government to carry a concealed firearm. Our Congress recently reauthorized FISA without protections for Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights. Warrantless spying on innocent American citizens is simply wrong. As a United States Senator, I will work to ensure that we have privacy rights built into policies such as FISA. We must defend our nation, but we cannot relinquish our rights to do so. And, the Attorney General has recently taken us down a dangerous path on the rights established for states in the Tenth Amendment. I believe that when it comes to matters like cannabis policy, the federal government needs to step out of the way and let states make their own choices. States’ rights are a cornerstone of our nation’s founding, and the more power the federal government takes from the states, the further power moves away from the people and where it really belongs. In the United States Senate, I will stand up for each and every one of our rights that are enshrined in the Constitution. Our liberty is too precious to be taken for granted, and I will defend it at every turn. FOREIGN POLICY I believe that our foreign policy must put America First. America cannot be the world’s policeman. Nor should we ask our taxpayers to send money to foreign governments that work against our interests. Our military is over-extended, with a presence in 177 countries across the world. We have been fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq for over a decade. American lives are being put at risk every day for nation-building efforts that are not working. Defending our nation is the most important role of our federal government, but in doing so we must be sure that our actions are within the Constitution and are in the best interest of our nation. The Constitution tasks Congress with the serious responsibility of declaring war. War should never be a unilateral decision; sending our men and women overseas to die for their country is a decision that should be long debated and considered as the serious, weighty decision that it is. America must defend itself, and we must defend our founding principles as we do so. IMMIGRATION Milton Friedman was right when he said that we cannot have open borders and a welfare state. It simply does not work. Our immigration policy must include a strong, comprehensive security solution for our border. Any approach to security should be multifaceted, combining a physical structure with aerial surveillance and other technologies to support our border patrol agents. And we cannot have America be a destination for welfare benefits. We must reform our social safety nets so that we do not have welfare as an enticement for people to come to our nation. We must defend our nation, and put our citizens first. In the State Senate, I have a track record of advocating that we need to make citizens our first priority, sponsoring legislation to end welfare benefits for non-citizens so that our limited resources can be used for our most needy and vulnerable citizens. Americans are a generous people, but we cannot be foolish. For our own safety and economic well-being, our immigration system must serve America’s interests. A REAL PLAN TO REIGN IN OVER-SPENDING 1. NO INCREASES IN SPENDING UNLESS OFFSET WITH DECREASES IN SPENDING. We cannot, however, continue piling on more and more spending without accompanying cuts when we are $20 trillion in debt. When Washington DC prioritizes everything, they are really prioritizing nothing. If a new priority arises, let’s make it a real priority and pay for it with cuts to spending elsewhere in the budget, not by saddling Americans with more debt. 2. INSTITUTE THE 'PENNY PLAN' If we cut just one penny for every dollar spent in Washington DC, then over ten years we would save $8.7 trillion. We all know there is waste and bloat in government. Washington DC spent $850,000 on a televised cricket league in Afghanistan, $450,000 on a video game to teach children about climate change and half a million studying whether selfies make you happy. If they can afford to waste our money on programs like these, we can afford to cut them by a penny. 3. REAL BUDGETING. Do you know what they call it when they plan to increase spending by 15%, but instead it goes up by 10%? They call that a 5% cut. If you planned to gain 15 pounds, but instead you only gained 10, did you lose 5 pounds? Of course not. This is phony math designed to fool us into giving them more of our money. It is time for Washington DC to live under a real budget. 4. SOCIAL SECURITY PRESERVATION ACT. We shouldn’t let the fox guard the hen house any longer. The Social Security Preservation Act would protect our Social Security dollars from the politicians by placing it all in a trust fund that they can’t touch: preserving the program for our seniors today and future generations tomorrow. 5. GIVE SENIORS GREATER USE OF PRIVATE CONTRACTING IN MEDICARE. With this plan, we can both improve choice and quality for our seniors, while shoring up the solvency of Medicare so that it continues to function for our most vulnerable. ENDING CORPORATE WELFARE AND DRAINING THE SWAMP America was founded on the promise that you can succeed in the country, not based on who you know in government, but based on what you can do for your neighbors. GOVERNMENT SPENDING & TAXES Our national debt is growing at a rate of $1 million a minute. We have $20 trillion in debts and $100 trillion in unfunded liabilities. Between the two, every American taxpayer is on the hook for $1 million each. And yet, Washington still asks taxpayers for more. Washington, DC is the richest region in America and the rest of the country simply cannot afford for it to remain so. Corporate welfare payments that give favors to special interests on the backs of average Americans must be cut. Foreign aid to countries that burn our flag and work against our interests must be cut. And our bureaucracy must be trimmed — our founders would roll over in their graves if they knew how large our federal government has become. Doing so will take hard votes and standing up to the special interests who profit from government largesse, but I will not back down. As your United States Senator, I will work to bring our government back under control.[11] |
” |
| —Eric Brakey’s campaign website (2018)[12] | ||
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Maine committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Health and Human Services, Chair |
| • Marine Resources |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Brakey served on the following committees:
| Maine committee assignments, 2015 |
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| • Health and Human Services |
| • Environment and Natural Resources |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Maine scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Maine State Legislature was in session from December 7 to March 30.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Maine State Legislature was in session from January 3 to May 2. The legislature held a special session from June 19 to September 13.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Maine State Legislature was in session from December 7 through July 4. The legislature reconvened on July 20. The legislature held a veto session on August 2. The legislature held its first special session on October 23. The legislature held its second special session on November 6.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Maine State Legislature was in session from January 6 through April 20. A one-day veto session was held on April 29.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Maine State Legislature was in session from December 3, 2014, through July 16, 2015.
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2016 Republican National Convention
- See also: Republican National Convention, 2016
| Eric Brakey | |
| Republican National Convention, 2016 | |
| Status: | Delegate |
| State: | Maine |
| Bound to: | Unknown |
| Delegates to the RNC 2016 | |
| Calendar and delegate rules overview • Types of delegates • Delegate rules by state • State election law and delegates • Delegates by state | |
Brakey was a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Maine.[13] In Maine’s caucuses on March 5, 2016, Ted Cruz won 12 delegates, Donald Trump won nine, and John Kasich won two. Ballotpedia was not able to identify which candidate Brakey was bound by state party rules to support at the national convention. If you have information on how Maine’s Republican delegates were allocated, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.[14]
Delegate rules
Delegates from Maine to the Republican National Convention were elected at the state convention in April 2016. Maine GOP bylaws stipulated that delegates were to be bound to the candidate to whom they were allocated through the first round of voting at the national convention. If a candidate withdrew prior to the convention, his or her delegates were to become unbound.
Maine caucus results
- See also: Presidential election in Maine, 2016
| Maine Republican Caucus, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
|
Ted Cruz |
45.9% | 8,550 | 12 | |
| Donald Trump | 32.6% | 6,070 | 9 | |
| John Kasich | 12.2% | 2,270 | 2 | |
| Marco Rubio | 8% | 1,492 | 0 | |
| Ben Carson | 0.7% | 132 | 0 | |
| Rand Paul | 0.3% | 55 | 0 | |
| Other | 0.3% | 58 | 0 | |
| Totals | 18,627 | 23 | ||
| Source: The New York Times | ||||
Delegate allocation
Maine was expected to have 23 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, six were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's two congressional districts). District-level delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; a candidate had to win at least 10% of the statewide caucus vote in order to be eligible to receive any of the state's district delegates.[15][16]
Of the remaining 17 delegates, 14 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated proportionally; a candidate had to win at least 10% of the statewide caucus vote in order to be eligible to receive any of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.[15][16]
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ “Bangor Daily News,” “Maine GOP senator will lead New Hampshire libertarian group,” November 30, 2023
- ↑ Politics1.com, "Maine," archived December 31, 2015
- ↑ Maine Secretary of State, "2016 Election Results," accessed December 20, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Maine Secretary of State, "List of Candidates who have filed for the June 14, 2016 Primary Election," accessed March 20, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Maine Secretary of State, "Tabulations for Primary Elections held on June 14, 2016," accessed August 11, 2016
- ↑ Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions, "List of Primary Candidates," accessed May 8, 2014
- ↑ Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions, "List of Non-Party Candidates," accessed June 2, 2014
- ↑ Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions, "Primary Election - June 10, 2014," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions, "General Election - November 4, 2014," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ Brakey for Senate, "Endorsements," accessed October 3, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Brakey U.S. Senate, "On the Issues," accessed October 19, 2018
- ↑ ME GOP, "Master List: National Convention Delegates and Delegate Alternates," April 24, 2016
- ↑ To build our list of the state and territorial delegations to the 2016 Republican National Convention, Ballotpedia relied primarily upon official lists provided by state and territorial Republican parties, email exchanges and phone interviews with state party officials, official lists provided by state governments, and, in some cases, unofficial lists compiled by local media outlets. When possible, we included what type of delegate the delegate is (at-large, district-level, or RNC) and which candidate they were bound by state and national party bylaws to support at the convention. For most delegations, Ballotpedia was able to track down all of this information. For delegations where we were not able to track down this information or were only able to track down partial lists, we included this note. If you have additional information on this state's delegation, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ned Claxton (D) |
Maine State Senate District 20 2022-2024 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Maine State Senate District 20 2014-2018 |
Succeeded by Ned Claxton (D) |
