The primarily rural district comprises nearly 80% of the state by area and includes the cities of Lewiston, Auburn, Bangor, Presque Isle, and Ellsworth.

[7] While initially considered a favorite by some analysts on account of the general unpopularity of incumbent Paul LePage, he lost by a margin larger than expected.

He was a mill worker and supervisor at Great Northern Paper Company in East Millinocket, from 1973 until his election to Congress in 2002, during which time he was a member of the United Steelworkers.

Despite the fact that it was a typical backlash year with one party taking the lead, he defeated incumbent State Senator Margaret Ludwig, a millionaire, 58%-42%.

In a compromise organization, each party agreed to assume the Senate Presidency for one year, with the single Independent awarded the chair of the crucial Appropriations Committee.

He also received the College Board's Education Award at the National Council of State Legislatures annual meeting.

He won the primary with a plurality of 31% of the vote, beating the second place challenger, Susan W. Longley, by 4 percentage points.

[19] Michaud won re-election to a third term, defeating Republican Lisbon Town Selectman Laurence Scott D'Amboise, 71%–29%.

[20] Michaud won re-election to a fourth term, defeating his Republican opponent, professor John Frary 67%-33%.

[21] Michaud won re-election to a fifth term, defeating Republican business owner and U.S. Army veteran Jason Levesque, 55%–45%.

Michaud was the only freshman Democratic member of Congress to vote for the 2003 ban on intact dilation and extraction (IDX), often called partial-birth abortion.

[citation needed] However, Michaud's stance on abortion and related reproductive issues has changed since he entered office.

[citation needed] In addition, Michaud has worked to pass legislation providing scholarships for returning soldiers, and decreasing the rate of homelessness among veterans.

[citation needed] Michaud joined a group of 44 congressmen in November 2011 to express the importance of men's being screened for prostate cancer.

[citation needed] This bipartisan group was formed after the United States Preventive Task Force recommended that healthy men should not have such a screening.

[citation needed] Michaud is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives.

[26] He also co-sponsored a bill in 2008 to allow states to define stricter greenhouse gas emission standards than those specified by the federal Clean Air Act.

[26] In keeping with his voting record, Michaud adopted a Blue Dog Coalition press release to balance fossil fuels and viable renewable energy.

As the head of the Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS), Michaud reported to Secretary of Labor Tom Perez.

[36] Michaud endorsed Michael Bloomberg as a nominee for President of the United States in the 2020 Maine Democratic primary.