Bruce Poliquin

Bruce Lee Poliquin (born November 1, 1953) is an American businessman and politician.

He attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, where he was a running back on the varsity football team, and graduated in 1972.

He graduated from Harvard University in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in economics.

After college Poliquin worked in the investment management industry in Chicago and New York City.

A 2009 Maine Forest Service report discussed Poliquin's property as an example of one that might not be fully complying with the law, stating that restrictions on timber harvesting in shoreland areas would limit any commercial use of the land.

But the report acknowledged that as long as the property was 10 acres it could remain in the program.

Poliquin later transferred the property in question to the Open Space program, a less generous tax abatement program.

He said the issue was a distraction for the town and was politically motivated by Democrats' dissatisfaction with his policies as treasurer.

At the end of his term Poliquin wrote an op-ed in the Bangor Daily News with a list of his accomplishments as treasurer.

These included reforms to the state workers' pension plan, efforts to reduce the cost of affordable housing, reduced wasteful spending, and retention of the state's Aa2 bond rating.

From 2010 to 2012, he was the 49th Maine State Treasurer.

In 2010 Poliquin sought the Maine Republican Party's nomination for governor of Maine.

He spent $711,000 of his own money on the campaign and finished sixth of the seven candidates.

Paul LePage won the nomination and Poliquin endorsed him.

Following LePage's election in November 2010, the Maine Legislature elected Poliqiun Maine State Treasurer.

In 2011 Poliquin expressed concerns about the Maine State Housing Authority's plans to construct a low-income housing complex in Portland.

Poliquin cited the proposed $314,000 per unit cost as an example of irresponsible government spending.

Dale McCormick, the authority's director and an appointee of Democratic Governor John Baldacci, approved the proposal following a reduction in the per unit price to $265,000.

He was a candidate for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2012, finishing second in the primary election.

In 2012 Maine Democrats accused Poliquin of violating the state constitution by engaging in commerce while in office.

The complaints against Poliquin centered around his involvement with the Popham Beach Club, a private club in Phippsburg, Maine, and Dirigo Holdings LLC, a real estate company.

Maine Attorney General William Schneider advised Poliquin to disassociate himself from his business ventures but did not offer an opinion as to whether he had actually violated the Constitution.

The Maine House voted unanimously to send the issue to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court to settle the matter.

The Court declined to offer a ruling, concluding that there were no circumstances in Poliquin's case requiring immediate attention.

In February 2012 some Democrats criticized Poliquin for his use of the Maine Tree Growth Tax Program, a program meant to preserve forestland from development pressures for commercial timber harvesting, with 10 acres of his oceanfront property in Georgetown.

The program reduced the value of his property from the originally assessed $1.8 million to $725,500, resulting in Poliquin paying $30 a year in property taxes.

In March 2012 Poliquin announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Olympia Snowe.

He lost the Republican primary to Charlie Summers, who lost the general election to Independent former governor Angus King.

On July 10, 2013, Poliquin said he was not interested in becoming the Chairman of the Maine Republican Party, despite encouragement to do so from many Republicans, including Governor LePage.

Poliquin was first elected to Congress in the 2014 general election.

A member of the Republican Party, he represented Maine's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019.

In January 2017, at the start of the 115th Congress, Poliquin was the sole Republican representing a U.S. House district in New England.

Poliquin was defeated by Democrat Jared Golden in his 2018 run for reelection; he became the first incumbent to lose his seat in Maine's second congressional district since 1916.

Poliquin claimed the ranked-choice voting process used in the election was unconstitutional and declared himself the winner because he led after the initial tally.

He sued to be declared the winner and have ranked-choice voting declared unconstitutional, but his lawsuit was rejected.

He conceded to Golden on December 24, 2018.

Poliquin lost his attempt to reclaim the seat in 2022.

Poliquin was born and raised in Waterville, Maine.

He grew up in a family of French-Canadian ancestry.

His father was a school principal and his mother was a nurse.