The High Road In Politics: Principles Over Party

It is a radical idea in American politics to not engage in negative politics. “Vote for me, this is who I am,” Tim Lajoie, candidate for the Maine House of Representatives in District #74, said. “Don’t vote against anything or anyone.” What he means by this is, don’t vote in his race based on who is in it, what the party affiliation is, or any other superficial factor. Lajoie wants the voters of his District to either vote for him because of who he is in his community and what principles he stands for, or don’t vote for him because of it. If only politics in this country could have such a high standard for it’s elections.

Sitting down at Androscoggin County Republican Headquarters, a symbol of the hard work being put into the area by the party and local volunteers, Lajoie explained his campaign philosophy in a one-on-one discussion. In a previous article, “The Lajoie Campaign Standard”, his positive campaign style was discussed. He does not attack his opponent in the race, nor does he resort to any low tactics at all. Despite negative mailers being sent out in his district by outside parties, he maintains that his focus is strictly on what he stands for.

Tim Lajoie is a lifelong resident of Lewiston and has been an active member of the community. He ran because he saw his values, and those of his neighbors, were not being represented in Augusta.

In discussing politics in general, it is clear that he is a different breed of candidate. Opposing character assassination, Lajoie believes that the focus of candidates and their campaigns, as well as the political parties and even PACs, should be on candidates they support and not those opposed. The unfortunate part of politics, however, is that this will not happen. On this point, he made it clear he does not endorse negative mailers sent out by outside organizations and they are out of his control.

A true candidate of the people, Lajoie is not leaning on his party affiliation or the fact that citizens might be ready for a change in legislative representation. When he goes door-to-door, which he does almost daily in a fairly good size district, he is focusing on his campaign message.

When asked about the details of the campaign message, Lajoie reiterated the points made on his official Facebook campaign page, “Tim Lajoie For Maine House District #74.” It is time for Lewiston to return to the place it was once was for previous generations, a community built on faith, family and honest hard work. He also made it clear that Maine also needs to be a place where families can build a future for themselves, as well as their children who will someday grow up to do the same. This will be accomplished by making government smaller and improving it’s operation to increase efficiently.

Carrying a solid message that is being well-received by the voters of his district, Lajoie still continues knocking door-to-door and will continue to do so up until Election Day. He has gained a respected reputation in the area for his work ethic as he continues knocking on doors each day after working hard to provide for his family. Married to his college sweetheart for twenty-five years, who he has two grown children with, he is a strong family man. His principles and experience gained in life would be valuable to the State Legislature. His positive outlook and productive approach to problems will enable change to occur in a forward manner.

When asked to summarize his campaign race with a message to the voters, Tim Lajoie replied by simply saying “These are my core principles, this is who I am…If you agree with my principles, I ask you to vote for me. I am not asking you to vote against someone else…I am asking you to stand with me.”

Chris Dixon

About Chris Dixon

Chris Dixon is a libertarian-leaning writer and managing editor for The Liberty Conservative. In addition to his political writing, he also covers baseball for Cleat Geeks and enjoys writing on a number of other topics ranging on Medium.