Republican CD2 candidates talk energy costs, ethics, and federal spending in radio debate

Austin Theriault (right) and Mike Soboleski (left) are both vying for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden in November. (Photos via congressional campaign websites)

The candidates running in the Republican primary election for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District participated in their third public debate Thursday morning. 

This time Austin Theriault of Fort Kent and Mike Soboleski of Phillips took to the radio with Rich Mellow, news anchor for the Norway-based WOXO Country 92.7. Much like the first two debates back in April, the conversation with the two state legislators focused on foreign affairs, immigration and congressional ethics. 

With the recent news of the Biden administration releasing one million barrels of gasoline from storage sites in Maine and New Jersey in an effort to lower prices at the pump this summer, the candidates also weighed in on energy costs. 

Theriault and Soboleski are on the ballot for the June 11 primary, for which early voting is already underway. The winner of that election will face U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, the Democratic incumbent, in the November election. 

Immigration and the borders

Both candidates said they want to see more action to strengthen America’s borders, particularly the southern one.

Reiterating a position he took in previous debates, Theriault said he wants to see the United States-Mexico border wall completed. He also said that outside of inflation, border security is the biggest concern he hears from voters — though that does not align with recent polling, which did not find immigration to be a top concern of Maine voters. 

Soboleski has also said he wants to see the wall completed, but Thursday he added that he would push to have the U.S. military stationed along the southern border. 

Both candidates said they would support the deportation of people who immigrated to the U.S. without proper documentation. However, Theriault added that he supports “Dreamers,” a term that commonly refers to immigrants brought to the country illegally as children who various bills have tried to provide a path to citizenship. 

Energy costs

As for energy costs, both men agree prices are too high. 

To combat this, Soboleski said the U.S. should “drill, baby, drill.” He said he would also like to see more American ownership of energy companies. 

Theriault said the U.S. should utilize diverse energy sources, citing natural gas, nuclear and hydropower. He argued that subsidies for solar power and limiting the use of other energy sources will hurt the economy and businesses in Maine.

Congressional ethics

The candidates were largely aligned on the matter of congressional ethics. 

They both said they signed a pledge that, if elected, they would only serve three terms. Additionally, they both said they would support full financial disclosure for all members of Congress and limitations to individual stock trading while in office. 

Federal spending

The candidates also spent time talking about federal spending. Similar to prior debates, both Theriault and Soboleski said Thursday that they oppose the recent $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

“How much money did we spend in the Middle East fighting in Iraq that we could have spent here?” Theriault asked. 

Similarly, Soboleski said, “We need to take care of American citizens first.” 

As for taking care of Americans, the candidates spoke to the need for Social Security and other assistance programs. They both said they oppose raising the retirement age, instead saying that there needs to be increased participation in the workforce. 

Rather than “balancing our budget off the backs of our seniors,” Theriault said he would look to cut the budgets of government agencies. He also spoke about his grandparents using welfare systems to lift their family out of poverty. Theriault said he would like to see those programs reformed to be a “hand up” for the people who need it, claiming that some people today rely on those safety nets when they could be working.

Soboleski said he isn’t in favor of increasing taxes or decreasing benefits, but supports making programs like Medicare and Medicaid more solvent. He agreed with Theriault about growing the workforce, but said he doesn’t believe the solution is “bringing more individuals here in across the border to fill those,” falsely insinuating that current officials are encouraging illegal immigration to do so. 

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