Rep. Deane Rykerson, D-Kittery, is running for re-election against Ronald Pulchlopek, a Republican from Kittery, in Maine House District 1.

The district covers a part of Kittery.

Rykerson, 65, is an architect who has served two terms in the Legislature.

Rykerson said in his responses to a Portland Press Herald survey that he is running for re-election because there is a lack of leadership. “We need to protect our environment and we need healthy, educated and working Mainers to bring our state into an innovative clean energy future.”

He said he supports referendum proposals to expand background checks for gun purchases, raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2020 and legalize recreational marijuana use.

Pulchlopek is an electrical engineer, a grandfather and Vietnam-era veteran, according to his website. He did not respond to the newspaper’s survey.

His website says he wants to address the opioid crisis, restore funding for schools and continue welfare reforms to detect fraud and help people become self-sufficient.

“I believe that we should hold the line on taxes and fees so that our working families and local businesses can catch their breath. Protecting Mainers’ freedoms, creating more job opportunities and improving the quality of life for all Mainers will be my mission,” Pulchlopek says on his website.