HARPSWELL, Maine — Maine tea party activist and former U.S. Senate candidate Andrew Ian Dodge has died. He was 46. Dodge's relatives say he died from colon cancer Friday at his home in Harpswell.
Dodge ran unsuccessfully for the Senate seat being vacated by Olympia Snowe two years ago. He told MPBN during his campaign that his interest in politics began while attending college in Waterville.
"I got involved in politics while at Colby College and have been involved in politics all over the world, because I believe in enfranchisement and having as many people dictate how they're governed, not fewer, and it disgusts me to see anybody actively say 'We don't care what you think,'" he said.
Dodge said that at one point he worked for a conservative think tank in England and got a graduate degree in British and European politics from Hull University before coming back to Maine. Dodge said that while he was a tea party activist, his political beliefs were libertarian, and he applied its principles to everything from foreign policy and the war on drugs to the stimulation of the U.S. economy.
"Unfortunately government tends to prevent the creation of jobs rather than helping it by taxation, overregulation, and just getting in the way," he said. "People aren't spending because they're worried about their future and the best way to stop that is to get the economy going again and the best way to do that is get the government the hell out of the way."
Dodge also challenged the need for certain federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, which he said has stood in the way of medical cannabis and other drugs that could help seriously ill people feel better or get better.
"Look, I've had colon cancer," he said. "I have seen people who puked their guts out every day, who could barely keep food down and who are losing everything. There are studies that show that people smoking a bit of cannabis will prevent them from throwing up after having chemo. There are also things to prevent cancer that are there, but the FDA won't approve them because they have to go through all these steps."
Dodge's family posted a final statement by him on his website Sunday. He paid tribute to his wife, Kim, and thanked many people including editors and co-writers who worked with him on political, musical and creative projects.
