Rep. Chellie Pingree D-Maine is all but certain to make a bid for the Senate in the wake of Sen. Olympia Snowes R retirement announcement, she told The Huffington Post in an interview Wednesday.
“I cant think of anything right now thats holding me back,” Pingree said. “I mean, I love being in the House, Im on the Ag[riculture] Committee and Im working on all kinds of issues I care about, but there arent too many opportunities that come along in life where you feel like you can have this big an impact on the future of politics in the Senate. So Im not likely to say no.
“The progressive movement has already coalesced around Pingree. Less than 24 hours after Snowe made her announcement, more than 2,000 individuals had signed a petition the Progressive Change Campaign Committee circulated in hopes of drafting the congresswoman. MoveOn had a similar petition, which more than 2,500 Mainers signed.
“Weve gotten so many emails, calls, people offering to volunteer. I think MoveOn delivered 2,000 petitions to our office in Maine saying, Please run,” she said. “Clearly theres already a ton of focus on this race and the role it could play in determining who controls the balance of power in the Senate. And Im really excited about it.”
Pingree, if she decides to run, will join Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Baldwin, running in Massachusetts and Wisconsin, in an effort to expand the ranks of progressive women in the Senate. “Its about time we enhance the numbers of women,” said Pingree. “I just think women bring a different perspective into this, and particularly to have progressive women in the Senate, you know, it would be a whole different place. Maybe people would start to become confident in their legislative bodies again.”
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via Chellie Pingree: Im Not Likely To Say No To Senate Bid.