Rep. Chellie Pingree, center, speaks during the 1st Congressional District debate with her challengers, independent Ethan Alcorn, left, and Republican Ronald Russell, at News Center Maine on Thursday. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

Economic issues dominated a largely polite debate for Maine’s 1st Congressional District on Thursday night, with Rep. Chellie Pingree, the Democratic incumbent, sparring with Republican challenger Ronald Russell and independent Ethan Alcorn.

The debate was broadcast by News Center Maine WCSH-6.

Housing topped the economic concerns. The state estimates that Maine will need 84,000 new housing units built by 2030 to meet soaring demand. With the housing shortage, mortgage and rent costs have spiked.

Pingree, 69, of North Haven, who is seeking her ninth term in office, said worker shortages and supply chain shortages have contributed to the cost of housing, and the federal government needs to invest in its current programs to help boost the supply by encouraging developers to construct more housing stock.

“This problem is growing across the country,” Pingree said. “We have to invest in housing.” Pingree is the favorite in a district that typically favors Democrats. The Maine congressional campaign is happening at the same time as a heated, close presidential contest between Democrat Kamala Harris, the vice president, and former President Donald Trump.

Russell, 69, a retired Army Ranger and Green Beret from Kennebunkport, said the inflation that has dramatically increased during the Biden administration has made it difficult for builders to construct more homes. He said that building more starter homes, such as two-bedroom homes that cost about $200,000, should be part of the solution.

“The demand far outweighs the supply currently,” Russell said. “We have to increase the supply of houses.”

But Alcorn, 60, of Saco, said the free market should be left to resolve the housing shortage.

“We really need to let the free market take over and stop having government be the answer to everything,” Alcorn said.

Inflation also came up frequently during the debate. One dollar in spending in 2020 would require $1.22 in spending in 2024 to reach an equivalent buying power, according to federal statistics.

Russell said the U.S. “needs to get back to being energy independent” by producing more energy of all kinds, renewables and fossil fuels. And Russell said deficit spending is also contributing to inflation.

“We simply can’t afford to do what we’ve been doing,” he said.

Pingree said tax cuts for the wealthy, which were passed during the Trump administration in 2017, drove up the debt, and there needs to be a balance of tax increases for the wealthiest and investing in areas that are costly to Americans, such as child care.

And Pingree said, responding to Russell, that “we are already drilling everywhere,” and the only other places to drill would be offshore drilling, which would be controversial.

Alcorn reiterated that the free market should resolve problems with high prices and inflation.

“I know times are hard and everything’s expensive, but we can’t rely on the government for solutions,” Alcorn said.

The candidates also clashed over immigration, particularly Pingree and Russell, with Pingree pointing out that Trump deep-sixed a bipartisan border control and immigration bill. Russell said the Biden administration’s open borders policy has failed, and that the U.S. needs to finish building the wall on its southern border with Mexico, which was a centerpiece of the Trump administration.

Alcorn said the U.S. is “destabilizing other countries” and that’s one reason why immigrants are flocking to America.

On climate change, Russell said the U.S. needs to stop subsidizing electric vehicles, and redirect the funding to other priorities to combat climate change.

Pingree said that the U.S. needs to invest in clean energy, including electric vehicles, solar panels and heat pumps, to boost the renewable energy industry.

“This isn’t something that’s going to naturally happen in the free market,” Pingree said.