Jean Hay Bright is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 politician from Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

. Originally a member of the Maine Democratic Party

Maine Democratic Party

The Maine Democratic Party is the local branch of the United States Democratic Party in the state of Maine.-Current Democratic officeholders:The Maine Democratic Party is the minority party in both the Maine Senate and Maine House of Representatives. The party, however, holds both of the state's U.S...

, Hay Bright re-registered as "unenrolled" in December 2009 following the announcement of the Afghanistan War troop surge of 2009. It was speculated that she may contest Democrat Mike Michaud

Mike Michaud

Michael Herman Michaud is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district comprises nearly 80% of the state by area and includes the cities of Lewiston, Auburn, Bangor, and Presque Isle...

 and Republican Jason Levesque in the 2010 House of Representatives election

United States House of Representatives elections in Maine, 2010

The 2010 House elections in Maine occurred on November 2, 2010, and elected the members of the State of Maine's delegation to the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; the elected served in the 112th Congress from January 3, 2011 until January 3, 2013...

.

Hay Bright previously ran for the Democratic nomination to the House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 in 1994 and the Senate in 1996. Hay Bright is also a writer and former investigative reporter

Investigative journalism

Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Investigative journalism...

 who has written three books and many published columns.

2006 Senate campaign

She announced her candidacy for U.S. Senate in May 2005, and won the Democratic Party

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 nomination in the June 13, 2006, defeating Eric Mehnert by a 600 vote margin, out of approximately 44,000 votes cast. She lost to Olympia Snowe

Olympia Snowe

Olympia Jean Snowe , née Bouchles, is the senior United States Senator from Maine and a member of the Republican Party. Snowe has become widely known for her ability to influence the outcome of close votes, including whether to end filibusters. She and her fellow Senator from Maine, Susan Collins,...

in the November 2006 general election. Hay Bright captured 20% of the votes, with 109,618 votes cast. Olympia Snowe won with 74% of the vote, with 398,055 votes cast.