Chellie Pingree
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 3, 2009
Preceded by	Tom Allen
Maine State Senate Majority Leader
In office 1996 – 2000
Member of the Maine Senate from the 12th district
In office 1992 – 2000
Born	April 2, 1955 (1955-04-02) (age 54) Minneapolis, Minnesota
Political party	Democratic
Residence	North Haven, Maine
Alma mater	College of the Atlantic
Profession	politician
Religion	Lutheran
Website	chelliepingree.com

Rochelle M. Pingree, usually known as Chellie Pingree (born April 2, 1955) is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Maine's 1st District. The district includes most of the southern part of the state, including Portland, and Augusta. She is the immediate past President and CEO of Common Cause, a nonpartisan citizens' lobbying group based in Washington, DC. Pingree is Maine's first Democratic woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

[edit] Personal

Pingree was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but has lived in Maine since she was a teenager. She attended the University of Southern Maine, and graduated from the College of the Atlantic with a degree in Human Ecology. Since graduating from College of the Atlantic, she has lived in North Haven, a small island community 12 miles off Rockland.

Pingree held various farming and care-taking jobs until 1981, when she started North Island Yarn, a cottage industry of hand knitters with a retail store on North Haven. Her business expanded and became North Island Designs, employing as many as ten workers. They began marketing knitting kits and pattern books nationwide through 1,200 retail stores and 100,000 mail order catalogues. Through North Island Designs, Pingree authored and produced five knitting books between 1986 and 1992.

Pingree has three children; the oldest, Hannah Pingree, is the Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives.

[edit] Common Cause

As Common Cause's leader, Pingree strengthened the organization's programs in media reform and elections, while maintaining programs in ethics and money in politics. Among the specific issues she championed at Common Cause are Net Neutrality, Mandatory Voter-Verified Paper Ballots, Public Financing of Congressional Elections, National Popular Vote (a work-around of the Electoral College), and an Independent Ethics Commission for Congress. She stepped down from Common Cause in February 2007 to return to her home state, in order to run for Congress in 2008.^[1][2]

[edit] Maine Senate

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Pingree served as the Senate Majority Leader in the Maine Senate representing Knox County. Pingree was first elected in 1992 at the age of 37, defeating a popular Republican incumbent. She was elected Maine's second female Senate Majority Leader on December 4, 1996. In 2002, she made an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican junior senator Susan Collins, and lost by a margin of 16%. She was outspoken against going to war against Iraq, although counseled by party insiders to avoid that subject.

During her tenure as a state legislator, Pingree led several economic development initiatives including landmark legislation to enhance small business opportunities and keep businesses in Maine. She gained nationwide headlines when she authored the nation's first bill regulating prescription drug prices, Maine Rx. Pingree also shepherded Maine's largest land bill initiative, Land for Maine's Future. In 2000, she was forced to leave the Legislature due to term limits.

[edit] 2008 U.S. House of Representatives campaign

In April 2007, Pingree filed papers for her bid to run for Maine's 1st congressional district.^[3] On August 15th, 2007, EMILY's List endorsed Pingree's campaign for Congress in Maine's 1st District.^[4][5] In December 2007 she also received the endorsement of 21st Century Democrats.^[6] She was endorsed by a number of labor organizations and many individuals and state officials, including Congressman Rush D. Holt, Jr., Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Maine Senate Majority Leader Libby Mitchell, former Maine Senate Assistant Majority Leader Anne Rand, State Representative Paulette Beaudoin, State Representative Nancy Smith, progressive writer and activist Jim Hightower, the United Auto Workers, Planned Parenthood, and the League of Conservation Voters.^[7] S

Pingree was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2008. She was sworn into Congress on January 6, 2009.^[8]

[edit] Congressional career

Pingree is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a group of more than 80 progressive House Democrats and Independent Vermont Senator Bernard Sanders.

[edit] Committee assignments

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
• Committee on Rules
  • Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process

[edit] Electoral results

• 2008 General Election - Maine's 1st Congressional District
  • Chellie Pingree (D) 55%
  • Charlie Summers (R) 45%
• 2008 Democratic Primary - Maine's 1st Congressional District
  • Chellie Pingree 44%
  • Adam Cote 28%
  • Michael Brennan 11%
  • Ethan Strimling 11%
  • Mark Lawrence 5%
  • Stephen Meister 1%

• 2002 Race for U.S. Senate
  • Susan Collins (R) (inc.), 58%
  • Chellie Pingree (D), 42%

[edit] References

http://www.asmainegoes.com/blogs/pingreereport/chellie-pingree-donald-sussman-and-acorn

[edit] External links

• Congresswoman Chellie Pingree official U.S. House website
• Chellie Pingree for U.S. Congress official campaign website

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Congressional profile at GovTrack.us
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Common Cause official website
• Chellie Pingree at the Open Directory Project