Republican Second District Congressperson Bruce Poliquin is urging Mainers who disagree with Nike's decision to use former NFL player Colin Kaepernick in its new ad campaign to vote with their dollars — and their feet.
Kaepernick, a former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, polarized American audiences when he repeatedly opted to take a knee during the national anthem in order to protest racial injustice and police brutality.
Nike's decision to make Kaepernick the face of its new marketing campaign continues to generate controversy, and Rep. Poliquin says that Mainers who oppose the move should buy New Balance footwear instead.
The Poliquin campaign has posted a message on the candidate's Facebook page saying that "there has never been a better time to show off your Maine-Made New Balance shoes! There are hundreds of your fellow Mainers who make these shoes that no doubt agree."
Poliquin then asked readers to share his post if they agreed with him. By mid-afternoon, Poliquin's post had received more than 400 likes and was shared more than 180 times.
Boston-based New Balance has manufacturing plants in Norway, Skowhegan and Norridgewock that employ about 1,000 people.
Originally published Sept. 6, 2018 at 3:43 p.m. ET.