Josh Hartford

Democrat

Candidate’s Links:

Office Sought: Representative – District 105
Age: 38
Occupation: Locomotive machinist
Education: Skowhegan Area High School and United States Army
Family: Married, Wife Heather and sons James and Michael
Hometown: Canaan

Political experience

Not submitted

Why are you running for office?

I am running for State Representative because we need to fix our broken political system to ensure working class Mainer’s have an opportunity to get ahead. Our representatives need to work for working people not corporate special interests. I will fight for policies that protect our retirees and help Maine’s seniors maintain a dignified quality of life and keep them in the comforts of their homes. As a veteran, I will work to ensure our veterans and their families receive the benefits they have earned and help them transition from military life to civilian life.

• Income Tax: Gov. LePage would like to lower Maine’s income tax rate and eventually eliminate it, by increasing the state’s sales tax and expanding it across a broader range of goods and services. Do you support this proposal?
  • No

    Maine’s tax policy should include income tax. Eliminating the state’s income tax in favor of increasing the state’s sales tax would do nothing but help the rich get richer while leaving hard working Mainers further behind. Increasing the state’s sales tax and expanding it on a broader range of goods and services puts a strain on already limited family budgets.

• Background Checks: Do you support background checks for privately sold firearms in Maine?
  • Yes

    I think we all can agree we do not want firearms in the hands of dangerous people who should not have them. Background checks on private sales could help prevent this. If I were to sell one of my firearms to someone I didn’t know, I would want to make sure this person is someone who is a safe and sensible gun owner. However, we Mainer’s are hardworking people and know what is best for us. We do not need out of state interests trying to tell us how to run our lives and we can decide what is best when it comes to firearms safety here in Maine.

• Minimum Wage: In light of the ballot question facing voters this fall, do you support raising the state’s minimum wage from $7.50 to $12 an hour by 2020?
  • Yes

    I support raising the minimum wage. Hard working Mainer’s can not live, let alone support their families on the current minimum wage. Any Mainer who works full time deserves to be paid enough to provide a safe home for their family and set their kids up for a bright future. Maine has lost a tremendous number of good paying jobs due to bad trade deals and companies moving out of state to avoid paying their fair share. Unfortunately, these good jobs have been replaced with low wage jobs or not at all. Working people deserve to make a decent living; we deserve to have a decent life.

• Marijuana: Do you support legalization of marijuana for recreational use?
  • No

    I do not support the legalization of marijuana for recreational use as proposed in the current ballot measure. Maine does not need an out of state corporation controlling the marijuana industry and squeezing out the current Medical Marijuana Care givers. We as Mainer’s can decide when it is right to legalize recreational marijuana or not, not out of state special interests.

• Addiction/Overdoses: Do you believe the state is doing enough in response to the rise in heroin/opiate addiction and overdoses? If not, what else should be done?
  • I do not think the state is doing enough to help combat the current drug problem we are facing. Now is not the time to for the State to cut funding for mental health and addiction services. We need to make access to treatment facilities easier and we need to educate Mainer’s on how to cope with addiction and function in society drug free.