Democratic U.S. House candidate Emily Cain said Tuesday that she continues to support presidential nominee Hillary Clinton following reports last week that the FBI was again looking into Clinton’spu use of a private email server for government business.
Cain’s statement came after the National Republican Congressional Committee called on her to publicly state her position on the former secretary of state’s handling of sensitive emails. On Friday, FBI Director James Comey sent a letter to Congress saying more emails had been found that might be linked to the email investigation.
Cain, who is running a close race against U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, endorsed Clinton last year. But Cain also said Tuesday she would like to see more information made available to voters about the emails discovered during a recent investigation of Anthony Weiner, the former New York congressman who has been involved in a sexting controversy and the estranged husband of one of Clinton’s top aides, Huma Abedin.
“I’ve said from the beginning that Secretary Clinton’s use of a private email server was a mistake,” Cain said in a prepared statement. “We have too little information to draw new conclusions about Secretary Clinton, and I believe the FBI should immediately release all of the information it has about these new emails so voters can make informed decisions.”
She also criticized Poliquin for “ducking and dodging” questions on Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and said a key difference between the two candidates is “I’ll always tell the truth and be straightforward about my beliefs.”
Michael Byerly, press secretary for Poliquin, did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
The presidential race has become a major talking point in the 2nd District race, in part because of the effect it’s expected to have on turnout, but also because of the positions the candidates have taken. While neither has been overly eager to talk about the presidential race, Cain has said she supports Clinton while Poliquin has not commented on whether he supports Republican nominee Donald Trump and has been hesitant to comment on Trump’s character.
The discussion has prompted both national party committees to take aim at the 2nd District candidates and their positions on the presidential race.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has posed several questions to Poliquin about Trump, including his thoughts on whether Trump should honor the results of the election, which Poliquin hasn’t commented on; and Trump’s vulgar comments on women, which Poliquin addressed in a tweet, calling them “repulsive.”
On Monday, the Republican committee sent out a news release asking Cain whether she will continue to support Hillary Clinton in light of the news Friday on the newly discovered emails. That investigation was suspended in July with no charges brought.
Cain on numerous occasions has said she feels it is important for voters to know where the candidates stand on the presidential race and has said previously she supports Clinton because she is focused on growing the middle class and good jobs. Poliquin has said that voters didn’t elect him to get involved in the “media circus” surrounding the presidential race and he is focused on other issues.
Cain, in a debate last month on Maine Public Radio, said, “It’s not about media circus. It’s about telling the truth, about being clear and honest. It’s not about whether we always agree, it’s about whether or not we can be trusted to stand up and tell the truth when it comes to fundamental questions about the direction of our country.”
The Republican committee questioned in Monday’s release whether Cain will “still stand behind FBI target Hillary Clinton, who recently had her email scandal show enough probable cause of a crime to have a judge grant the FBI a search warrant?”
“Emily Cain has tried her hardest to make the race in Maine’s 2nd District about the top of the ticket instead of what she would do in Congress,” the release states, “so now it’s time for her to answer for Hillary Clinton’s FBI investigation.”
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