Two new endorsements for Pingree

Note: The video below of U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) is from the Pingree campaign

ME-1 candidate Chellie Pingree (D-North Haven) picked up two endorsements this week.

Pingree is running against Charlie Summers (R-Scarborough) for the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Tom Allen who is running for Senate.

U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) campaigned for Pingree in Maine this week. Edwards was elected this year in a special election.

“I’m a big Democrat,” Edwards said, “But I also know that sometimes we don’t get it quite right. We need people in the U.S. Congress who are going to hold Democrats’ feet to the fire so that we do right by the American people, who are not going to just follow the party line but make sure the party line is the right line to follow. I know that Chellie Pingree is going to be that kind of ‘stand-up, I’ve got a little bit of backbone’ Democrat.”

In a statement, Pingree said: "Donna has set a good example for all of us. She is not afraid to stand up and take on the powerful special interests, and that's a quality we don't see as often as we should among candidates and elected officials."

Pingree also picked up the endorsement of the JStreetPAC this week, a national group designed to promote American leadership to end the Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Isreal conflicts.

She was one of 10 Democrats endorsed by them this week.

In a release Executive Director Jeremy Ben-Ami said: “The growing roster of JStreetPAC candidates demonstrates the breadth of support in Congress for the moderate pro-Israel, pro-peace positions espoused by JStreetPAC. We are very excited to be building a sizeable base of support in Congress for serious American leadership to achieve a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and for smart, tough diplomacy in addressing the toughest problems in the Middle East.”

Pingree’s statement: "I’m proud to be supported by an organization that’s working for peace in such a volatile part of the world. Now more than ever, following the debacle of the Iraq war, the foreign policy challenges facing the U.S. are critical, and the lessons from our current embattled situation are many. We must take a long-term approach to foreign policy, investing in building relationships that will support regional stability in the Middle East."