Mainers protest Rep. Poliquin’s health care repeal vote outside closed-door cocktail reception

Rep. Poliquin’s constituents aren’t forgetting or forgiving his vote for a Republican health care repeal plan that would devastate rural Maine. Dozens of them packed the sidewalk outside the Tarratine Club in Bangor on Tuesday night as the congressman was attended an exclusive cocktail reception hosted by the Maine Heritage Policy Center.

“While Poliquin enjoys cocktails and conversation we will be outside and remind him that his vote for the AHCA was a vote that threw Mainers under the proverbial bus,” said Marie Follayttar Smith, co-founder of the group Mainers for Accountable Leadership.

The American Health Care Act that Poliquin supports would raise premiums to an astronomical degree for Maine seniors and rural residents, allow insurers to deny coverage for certain conditions and would drastically cut Medicaid, which hundreds of thousands of Mainers rely on for health care.

The bill was halted in the Senate when Senator Susan Collins of Maine and two Republicans colleagues broke ranks and voted with the Democratic minority to prevent the legislation from passing.

Both before and after his vote, Rep. Poliquin has refused to hold public town halls and has avoided discussing the issue with his constituents. In July he fled a retirement facility out a side door rather than answer questions from seniors about the consequences of his vote.

Demonstrators on Tuesday held signs reading “Poliquin: wanted for questioning,” “look in our eyes, hear our voices, explain your choices” and “repeal and replace Republicans.”