Matthew William Stone

Republican

Candidate’s Links:

Office Sought: Senator – District 32
Age: 28
Occupation: Not-for-profit financial services
Education: Attended USM, but dropped out when I realized political science degrees are a waste of time and money
Family: Not submitted
Hometown: Litchfield

Political experience

I dropped out of college so I could focus on working for Peter Mills’ gubernatorial campaign in 2010. He lost in the primary, but Governor LePage ended up appointing him to take on corruption at the Maine Turn-Pike Authority. I have great admiration for these men. I went on to help raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for Maine’s same-sex marriage initiative in 2011 and 2012. I also served as Angus King’s Associate Finance Director during his successful U.S. Senate campaign in 2012.

Why are you running for office?

This is a unique election year in the history of our country. Considering my experiences in politics and the private sector, I thought it was time for me to step forward and help lead a community that has been so good to me over the years.

I believe Maine is one of the best places in the world to raise a family, but that’s becoming increasingly difficult because of stagnant wages and out-of-control healthcare costs. This is compounded by a rising tide of Third World immigration that threatens the historic character and culture of our people. I saw first hand what the Somalian refugee crisis did to Lewiston and I never want to see that happen to Biddeford. All of these problems can be attributed to the failures of globalization. The current reactionary trend throughout Europe and America is towards a new kind of nationalism that rejects the ruinous open border and free trade policies of our global elite. And what better way to fight globalism than by organizing at the local level?

I’m running for this seat because I’m a proud American Nationalist. It’s time to reject the false duality of Left-Right politics and take the best of both sides. By embracing economic populism and a healthy dose of social conservatism, we have a serious chance of preserving the historic American nation.

• 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?
  • Other

    I am sympathetic to the Governor’s desire to tax consumption over income, but I still believe a progressive state income tax is the only way we’ll be able to raise enough revenue to meet our budget goals. The best solution is a tax code that shifts a larger burden onto out-of-state tourists – meals and lodging, tolls for out-of-state vehicles, etc. similar to the bi-partisan 2010 tax overhaul that failed at the June ballot.

• Background Checks: Do you support background checks for privately sold firearms in Maine?
  • No

    Gun ownership is a civic virtue and a Maine tradition. Despite high levels of gun ownership throughout the state, we have a much lower violent crime rate than say Chicago or New Orleans. This fact is a direct reflection of the character and quality of our people. Background checks laws are simply unnecessary in a peaceful, culturally homogeneous state such as 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?
  • No

    Decades of outsourcing and mass immigration have left wages low and stagnant, while the gap between the richest and poorest has grown to historic levels. All of these problems can be traced to the failures of globalization. While I strongly support an increase in the state’s minimum wage, I don’t believe a ballot question is the way to do it. We need to make exceptions for certain businesses and industries, especially those that depend on low-skill or teenage workers. This issue belongs in the legislature, not a “one-size fits all” referendum.

• Marijuana: Do you support legalization of marijuana for recreational use?
  • Other

    I support a pathway to legalization, but this ballot question is flawed, particularly in how it deals with enforcement and taxation. I’m also troubled by the possibility of potent, candy-like edibles being marketed towards children. Again, these are questions that the legislature should handle. Special interests have enough power without letting them abuse the referendum process to buy votes en masse. Direct democracy didn’t work for ancient Athens and it won’t work now.

• 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?
  • No. Opioid abusers need a strict regimen of “tough love” if they’re to overcome their addiction. That means drying them out, not weaning them onto other substances. Ever since a recent drug-related murder in Biddeford, I keep hearing the phrase “Law and Order” come up as I go door-to-door. I believe it’s time to temporarily deploy the Maine National Guard’s military police unit along our state borders to help identify and catch out-of-state heroin distributors before they’re able to deliver their poison. These criminals will think twice before coming to Maine when they hear of roving squads of armed soldiers patrolling York County.