OAKLAND — U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin has put his home in Oakland up for sale, but any move he makes won’t affect his seat in Congress.

Poliquin, now in his second term representing Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, has claimed residency in Oakland since early 2014, when he announced he was running for Congress.

He has been looking to downsize his home since his son graduated from college, and he now intends to find another home in the Oakland area, said his press secretary, Brendan Conley.

Even if Poliquin doesn’t find another home in Oakland, or anywhere in the 2nd District, he can keep his seat in Congress because members aren’t required to live in the districts they represent.

Poliquin owns property at three locations in the 1st District, in Bath, Phippsburg and Georgetown. He faced criticism during his run for his first term when he claimed residency at the Georgetown property before moving to the family home at 123 Snow Pond Road in Oakland.

“The Congressman’s property in Oakland has been in his family for decades, and he’s hoping to find someone that will appreciate the special home as much as his family has,” Conley said.

The house is listed by Brookewood Realty of Manchester. Poliquin’s home was not featured on the company’s website as of Thursday, and a real estate agent declined to say what the listing price of the house is, as things were still in the works.

Selling his home in the 2nd District could lead to speculation that Poliquin will run for governor in 2018. In February, it was rumored that Poliquin might have been considering a run. The congressman was unsuccessful in a run for the Republican nomination in 2010.

However, political scientists say they have no reason to believe that Poliquin means anything other than what he says.

Jim Melcher, a political science professor at the University of Maine Farmington, said he doesn’t see how Poliquin would help a prospective gubernatorial campaign by selling his home in Oakland.

“He already had people question him about his residence in Oakland when he ran for Congress” in 2014, Melcher said. “Moving out of Oakland would just bring all that up again.”

“Until there’s a reason not to, I’ll believe what he says about this,” Melcher said.

Mark Brewer, a professor at the University of Maine, said Poliquin’s putting his house up for sale certainly could mean he’s considering a run for governor, but Brewer didn’t think Poliquin would want to send an overly confident message about a potential run.

“My guess is that the reason is what he says it is,” Brewer said, “but we won’t know for sure until it all plays out.”

Colin Ellis can be contacted at 861-9253 or at:

cellis@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @colinoellis