Jason Levesque wants you to know he’s not a politician. He’s just like you. But he is running for Congress and he’s hoping voters’ current disgust with government and his “outsider” status will help sweep him into office this fall.

“The wind is at our backs,” he said in a recent interview.

Levesque, an Auburn Republican and Edward Little grad, is a small-business owner who has served in both the U.S. Army and Army Reserves. Now he’d like to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. In order to do so, he needs to unseat U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, a Democrat who was first elected to Maine’s 2nd Congressional District in 2002.

In person, Levesque is bright, energetic and friendly. He emphasizes what he sees as Maine’s assets — its people and products — and says he can’t wait to make the sales pitch about Maine in Washington.

“There are so many great things here to really appreciate and I can’t wait to get to Washington to tell everybody about it,” he said. “I mean, I’ve done it in business, but it’s been focused just in my one arena. Now, I’m going to have the ability to tell everybody around the world about what Maine has to offer. And provide that real, true leadership to make sure Maine goes forward.”

Levesque’s business is Argo Marketing Group, a marketing management and logistics firm he began in 2003 that now employs more than 40 people.

“I saw a need in marketing, specifically with large industries and small industries that are trying to get a product to market throughout the world,” he said. “So what I did is start a company, the first of its kind, to handle the logistics to be the interface between the client and all the vendors, whether it be a customer service support vendor or manufacturer, a media buyer or a production company. We were the first of its type in the world and now there’s been a lot of others. We’re still the biggest.”

Argo Marketing’s services have been utilized by companies selling products that include the NuWave Oven, a countertop, infrared oven; Paravol, a male performance enhancer; and the Rug Doctor, a carpet cleaning product, according to its Web site.”

Levesque said he’s enjoyed being able generate revenue for Maine companies by promoting them with his clients, who are all from out-of-state.

“We’ve been able to introduce them to vendors here in Maine, from production, to manufacturing, to customer service fulfillment, and that’s great. Because of those activities, we are bringing money into Maine, we’re helping this state, we’re helping the economy,” he said. “And that’s one of the reasons I decided to run for Congress. I saw what I could do in the private sector and I believe I can do that in the public sector as well.”

He’s also running because he feels Mainers have been “sorely lacking a voice” in Congress and he feels he can provide the kind of leadership Mainers want.

“What needs to happen is we need to have someone in Washington that won’t play party politics, someone who is bipartisan, someone who’s going to work and, based upon their merits and what they bring to the table, they are going to be listened to,” he said. “We need someone who is going to go there and work with both sides in order for Mainers to benefit and this country to benefit, and that’s what I plan on doing.”

Press releases issued by his campaign since he began running for Congress last spring, however, have not overflowed with bipartisanship.

In an October press release, Levesque said, “Mike Michaud is nothing more than a professional politician who surrounds himself in the comfortable Capitol cocoon while the people of his district are begging for reform and relief.”

He’s also taken Michaud to task for voting for the stimulus package, the health care reform bill and the cap-and-trade bill, which seeks to limit carbon emissions.

And in a January release to supporters, Levesque wrote, “Congressman Michaud insults us by voting for a stimulus and promising ‘millions of new jobs.’ Our deficit grows, but where are the jobs? He stands with Nancy Pelosi, and against Maine, with a vote for a massive tax increase, cleverly disguised as ‘cap and trade.’ And now, while Democrats in Congress plan a massive government takeover of our health care, Mike Michaud won’t even listen to us!”

Levesque also accused the Auburn Public Library of canceling a recently scheduled campaign event there due to interference by Democrats, though library officials said it was canceled because Levesque was going to charge an attendance fee, which is against the library’s policy.

When asked about the juxtaposition of his in-person overtures of bipartisanship and his press release partisan rhetoric, Levesque said, “I agree, some of the press releases…” and then his answer trailed off.

“What I do believe in is strong businesses, a strong economy. And I do believe we need to start fostering an attitude of ‘How can we do this,’ versus automatically ‘No’ or ‘This is the right way,’ or ‘the federal government needs to encroach on state rights and individual liberties.’ That’s what I think we need to avoid by all costs. And a lot of the current legislation infringes on those state rights and personal liberties,” he said. “I don’t believe that there’s just one way to do this.”

Levesque said he has more real-life heroes — like his grandfather, who emigrated to Lewiston from Canada via Madawaska, and Bruce Whittier, his 8th-grade history teacher in Poland — than political ones.

When pressed, he praised Ronald Reagan’s ability to communicate and Maine’s two sitting Republican U.S. senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, for their “work ethic.” Auburn’s new mayor, Dick Gleason, also made the list.

“It’s a new mayor, he’s successful in the private industry and he’s got great vision for the city of Auburn,” he said.

But Levesque said it was his grandfather that taught him the most.

“I was 9 years old, swinging a hammer with my grandfather, building a garage, and he used to walk around and if we screwed up with the nails, he’d circle it. And he’d write your initial. And he’d say, ‘Your kids one day will see how you screwed up. Don’t screw up.’ Well, that’s a great lesson. I mean, every politician should know that,” Levesque said.

Levesque, who is married and has three children from ages 11 to “nearly 2,” said he doesn’t plan on becoming a permanent fixture in Washington, D.C., if elected.

“I’m sacrificing my time with my family and my business and my extended family there in order to make sure that they can all, and everybody in Maine can, have a better tomorrow,” he said. “So that means I don’t want to be there for 20 years. I want to go and do the job and let someone else come and take over and carry that torch and I can come back home and feel good that I did a good job.”

For more information, visit www.levesqueforcongress.com.