Patrick Eisenhart

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Patrick Eisenhart

Democratic Party

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Service / branch

U.S. Coast Guard

Patrick "Ike" Eisenhart was a candidate seeking the Democratic nomination for governor of Maine in the 2018 election.

Click here for more information on the June 12 primary election. Click here for more information on the November 6 general election.

Biography

The recipient of a bachelor's degree in sociology and a master's degree in vocational rehabilitation, Eisenhart's military service includes time spent as a sergeant of parachute infantry in the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army and as a commander in the U.S. Coast Guard. Eisenhart served as the chief executive officer of Countrywide Home Health Agency from 1974 until 1994, when he left the company to establish a small business. Eisenhart retired in 2007.

Elections

2018

See also: Maine gubernatorial election, 2018 and Maine gubernatorial election, 2018 (June 12 Democratic primary)

Eisenhart ran as a Democratic candidate for governor of Maine in the 2018 election.

Campaign issues

The following campaign issue statements were found on Eisenhart's official website. For a full list of issue statements, click here.

“	Hunger in Maine People have asked me, "If elected governor, what would be the first three issues you would address?" If elected, the first three priorities would be to ensure all Mainers have enough to eat, access to affordable health care, and a good-paying job. THE ISSUE While food insecurity nationwide is on a downward trend, Maine’s hunger problem is growing. In 2015, 12.7% of U.S. households experienced food insecurity, down from 14.6% in 2008. Yet the percentage of hungry families in Maine is at 16.4%--and growing, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A report released in September finds that Maine ranks 3rd in the nation for extreme food insecurity, having experienced a 27% increase in food insecurity over the past decade. According to a report released earlier this year by Good Shepherd Food Bank and Preble Street, 1 in 6 adults and 1 in 4 children in Maine lack reliable access to affordable nutritious food. Health Care Plan The relatively poor performance of the United States on major health indicators, despite per capita health care expenditures that are much higher than those of any other country, is a pressing concern for policymakers, the business community (which has, historically, paid for much of the health insurance in the country), and, ultimately, taxpayers. Efforts to improve the system to achieve better health at lower cost are rapidly becoming imperative. A greater emphasis on primary care can be expected to lower the costs of care, improve health through access to more appropriate services, and reduce the inequities in the population's health. Opioid Solutions As a candidate for Governor in Maine, voters may wish to have some understanding of how I, if elected, would address the opioid addiction problem in Maine. THE PROBLEM Every day 91 Americans die from some form of drug addiction. Drug overdose deaths and opioid-involved deaths continue to increase in the United States. The majority of drug overdose deaths (more than six out of ten) involve an opioid. Since 1999, the number of overdose deaths involving opioids (including prescription opioids(https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/opioids/prescribed.html) and heroin(https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/opioids/heroin.html)) quadrupled. From 2000 to 2015 more than half a million people died from drug overdoses. 91 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. We now know that overdoses from prescription opioids are a driving factor in the 15-year increase in opioid overdose deaths. Since 1999, the amount of prescription opioids sold in the U.S. nearly quadrupled, yet there has not been an overall change in the amount of pain that Americans report. Deaths from prescription opioids—drugs like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone—have more than quadrupled since 1999. According to the U.S Center for Disease Control, one of the major reasons for this epidemic is doctors writing too many prescriptions. In 2015, the amount of opioids prescribed was enough for every American to be medicated around the clock for 3 weeks Even at low doses, taking an opioid for more than 3 months increases the risk of addiction by 15 times. A dose of 50 MME or more per day doubles the risk of opioid overdose death, compared to 20 MME or less per day. At 90 MME or more, the risk increases 10 times. Among the opioids prescribed by physicians as well as those illegally produced is fentanyl which is primarily prescribed to manage acute and chronic pain associated with advanced cancer Fentanyl is a synthetic (man-made) opioid that is 50x more potent than heroin and 100x more potent than morphine. There are two types of fentanyl: The death rate of synthetic opioids other than methadone, which includes drugs such as tramadol and fentanyl, increased by 72.2% from 2014 to 2015. Synthetic opioid death rates (other than methadone) increased across all demographics, regions, and numerous states. Recent state reports have indicated that increases in synthetic opioid-involved deaths have been associated with the number of drug products obtained by law enforcement testing positive for fentanyl but not fentanyl prescribing rates. These reports indicate that increases in synthetic opioid-involved deaths are being driven by increases in fentanyl-involved overdose deaths, which are likely due to illegal production.	”
—Patrick Eisenhart

Campaign finance

Following are campaign finance figures obtained from the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics & Election Practices containing information on all contributions to and expenditures by candidates as of May 1, 2018.

Maine Clean Elections Act

The Maine Clean Elections Act is Maine's optional public financing program for political campaigns. Gubernatorial candidates participating in the program are allowed to solicit up to $200,000 in seed money contributions, which must be donated by individuals and cannot exceed more than $100 per donor. Participating candidates are also required to solicit at least 3,200 contributions of $5 or more to the MCEA's fund, known as qualifying contributions. In order to receive financing from the MCEA fund, candidates were required to file the required paperwork with proof of 3,200 qualifying contributions before October 16, 2018. Once a candidate has submitted their paperwork, they are no longer allowed to collect additional seed money contributions. Candidates may receive additional payouts from the fund by submitting proof of additional qualifying contributions. Each candidate could collect up to four payments of $150,000 each before May 22, 2018, in exchange for 800 qualifying contributions per payment, and an additional eight payments of $175,000 each could be collected before October 16, 2018, in exchange for 1,200 qualifying contributions per payment. The only Democratic candidate who pursued MCEA fundraising was Betsy Sweet (D).

On May 22, 2018, the Portland Press-Herald reported that as a result of a clerical error in the most recent state budget, the Maine Clean Elections Fund would not be permitted to disburse funds to candidates after July 1. The Press-Herald reported that a special session of the legislature would need to be called in order to correct the clerical error. On June 26, 2018, Maine Ethics Commission Executive Director Jonathan Wayne sent a letter to legislators which stated that $1.3 million in funding that was in the commission's accounts could not be released to candidates as a result of the error. The letter stated that Gov. Paul LePage (R) had twice refused the commission permission to use $1.9 million in funding left over from 2016's clean elections fund to make up the shortfall. Maine Citizens for Clean Elections filed a lawsuit against LePage calling on him to approve the release of the remaining funding from 2016. On August 2, 2018, the judge ruled in favor of Maine Citizens for Clean Elections. LePage announced on August 7, 2018, that he had released the requested funding.

See also

• Governor of Maine
• Maine gubernatorial election, 2018
• Maine gubernatorial election, 2018 (June 12 Democratic primary)

External links

Suggest a link

• Office of the Governor of Maine
• Patrick "Ike" Eisenhart for Governor of Maine