Chellie Pingree
Profile
Chellie Pingree is currently a candidate for the United States Congress in Maine. She prior to declaring for congress she was the president and CEO of Common Cause since March 2003. As leader of Common Cause, she oversaw a 35-year-old public interest organization with 300,000 members and supporters whose goal is to engage people in their democracy, and to make government at all levels more open, honest and accountable. Pingree was instrumental in expanding Common Cause’s agenda to include media reform, arguing that access to information and news is crucial to citizens’ participation in their government. She has commented on issues as diverse as Congressional ethics, the problems with the 2004 elections, the corruption of no-bid contracts for Iraq, and the need to preserve the filibuster for major media outlets. Prior to leading Common Cause, Pingree served for eight years in the Maine Senate, with the last four years as majority leader. She also was a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in 2002. In the Maine Legislature, Pingree was known for successful legislative battles regarding health care, economic development and the environment. She authored legislation that created a landmark program known as Maine Rx, which lowered the cost of prescription drug prices for seniors.