Eric Brakey

In September 2019, Brakey announced his candidacy for Maine's second district of the United States House of Representatives against incumbent Democrat Jared Golden. Brakey earned early endorsements from several Republicans in Maine's state legislature as well as endorsements from conservative organizations such as Club for Growth and FreedomWorks.

Brakey was the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018, losing to incumbent Senator Angus King with 35% of the vote in a 3-way race.

In 2017, Brakey sponsored legislation to increase access to birth control by making it easier for persons with "an outdated birth control prescription to get the medication as long as certain conditions are met."

In April 2017, Brakey announced his intention to run for U.S. Senate in 2018 against incumbent independent Senator Angus King, who caucuses with the Democrats in the Senate. During the campaign, Brakey sought to appeal to both Trump supporters and to libertarians. King was favored throughout the race, and defeated Brakey by a wide margin in the November election. King received 344,575 votes (54%); Brakey received 223,502 votes (35%), and Democratic nominee Zak Ringelstein received 66,268 votes (10%).

In 2016, as Senate Chairman for the Health and Human Services Committee, Brakey negotiated welfare reform legislation, which banned the use of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds on purchases of tobacco, liquor, gambling materials, lottery tickets, bail, firearms, vacations, adult entertainment, and tattoos. To enforce this prohibition, penalties for making prohibited welfare purchases include required restitution for intentional violations and suspensions of benefits ranging from up to three months on the first offense and up to 24 months of suspended benefits on third and subsequent offenses.

Brakey, as chair for the Health and Human Services Committee, was the lead Senate sponsor of state "right to try" legislation in 2016, which guarantees terminally ill patients the right to use investigational drugs, treatments and medical devices that have not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The legislation passed the Maine House and Senate and was signed into law by Governor Paul LePage signed the legislation on March 30, 2016, making Maine the 25th state in the nation (and the first in New England) to pass right-to-try legislation.

Brakey initially declined to say who he voted for in the 2016 presidential election, saying only that he did not vote for Hillary Clinton. In April 2018, however, Brakey tweeted saying he "proudly voted for Donald Trump and the foreign policy he advocated."

At the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, Brakey represented Maine on the National Platform Committee. Brakey sponsored several amendments to the platform that were successfully adopted, including a measure that declared support for "Right To Try" legislation, which would allow terminally ill patients to try investigational medicines not approved by the FDA, as well as measures supporting an audit of the Pentagon, the abolishment of the IRS and development of thorium nuclear power. Brakey also sponsored several amendments that were voted down, including a measure that would have declared support for medical marijuana, and another measure that would have condemned U.S. military intervention in Libya and called the "deposing of secular dictators in the Middle East" a "failed policy" that should be ended.

The American Conservative Union ranked Brakey's voting record as the most conservative in the Maine Senate in 2015 2016, and 2017.

In 2015, Brakey sponsored legislation that eliminated Maine's requirement to obtain a permit to carry a concealed firearm "for legal gun owners who are age 21 or older, and for all military servicemen or servicewomen over 18 years old." The legislation won broad bipartisan support in the House and Senate and was signed into law by Governor Paul LePage. The legislation was supported by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the Maine State Police, and opposed by Everytown for Gun Safety, the Maine Chiefs of Police Association, and the Maine Sheriffs' Association.

In 2015, Brakey sponsored legislation to repeal state restrictions on patient access to medical marijuana in hospital and nursing home settings. Brakey also supports the legalization of marijuana for adult use. He supported the Maine Marijuana Legalization (Question 1), a ballot question on the Maine 2016 ballot that legalized adult use marijuana in the state.

In 2015, Brakey introduced legislation to eliminate cash bail in Maine and replace it with a risk-assessment system that would allow defendants not determined to be a flight risk to be released pending trial. Brakey said that such a policy would save taxpayer funds and protect the civil liberties of defendants; Brakey noted that "about 69 percent of the inmates in Maine jails are those who have yet to go to trial and are unable to post bail."

Brakey was elected to the state Senate for District 20 in 2014; the district includes Auburn, New Gloucester, Poland, Minot, and Mechanic Falls. He was reelected in 2016. Brakey served as chairman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.

Brakey announced his campaign for Maine State Senate in July 2013. His campaign chairman was former State Senator Lois Snowe-Mello. In January 2014, Brakey visited Bitcoin Center NYC to raise money and became "the first candidate in his state to accept campaign donations in bitcoins."

In August 2013, during his campaign for the state Senate, Brakey gained attention for a commercial he acted in for Vita CoCo coconut water several years earlier. The commercial featured men dancing in Brazilian bathing suits.

Brakey was born in Cleveland, Ohio and attended Ohio University, where he studied theater performance. After college he moved to New York City and worked as a professional actor. A supporter of Congressman Ron Paul, Brakey took a job on his 2012 presidential campaign and moved to Maine.

Brakey was Maine State Director for the 2012 Ron Paul presidential campaign; he led Ron Paul's supporters to win a majority of Maine delegate seats to the 2012 Republican National Convention and won key seats on the Maine Republican State Committee and National Committee. After working for Paul's 2012 presidential campaign, Brakey led Defense of Liberty PAC, a libertarian political action committee in Maine.

Brakey served as the Maine State Director for the 2012 Ron Paul presidential campaign during the events of the 2012 Maine Republican Convention, in which Ron Paul supporters elected a majority of Maine delegates to the Republican National Convention and took over many key positions in the Maine Republican Party. Bill Nemitz of the Portland Press Herald called this event "the most successful political coup in recent Maine history."

In June 2012, Brakey founded the Defense of Liberty PAC, a libertarian political action committee in Maine. In 2013, the group assigned grades to lawmakers based on their votes on bills they supported (such as legislation to make it legal for Maine residents to carry concealed firearms without a permit) and on bills they opposed (such as legislation to increase the minimum wage). The group designated 10 Republican legislators as "Honor Roll" members for positions aligned with the group, and deemed 21 Democratic legislators and independent Representative Joseph E. Brooks "constitutional threats" for positions opposed to the group.

Eric Brakey (born August 8, 1988) is an American politician in the U.S. state of Maine.