Previous Offices Held
State Representative, 2012–2020 State Senate, 2020–present
Top Three Priorities
Affordability: Too many Mainers are struggling to afford the basics. We need to lower costs for housing, food, healthcare and energy. Healthcare: Protect local hospitals and providers, especially in rural Maine. Childcare: Build on clearing the state waitlist by making quality childcare more affordable and accessible for every Maine family.
Why are you running?
I’m running for my final term in the Senate because Maine is facing extraordinary financial and political pressures. I want to use these next two years to protect what makes our state special while building a future where every Mainer, no matter where they live or what they earn, has a fair shot at their version of the Maine dream.
What is one way Maine is on the right track? What is one way the state is on the wrong track?
Right track: Maine has made historic investments in housing that will help create more affordable homes across the state. Wrong track: Energy costs remain far too high. In a rural state where families depend on cars and heating oil, we need to do much more to lower costs and give Mainers relief.
As one of several dozen legislators in your chamber, how would you make a measurable difference for your constituents?
As Senate President, I can make sure the needs of Senate District 23 are heard at the highest levels of state government. I help set the Senate’s agenda, make committee and commission appointments, negotiate budgets and major legislation and advocate directly for our communities. I use that position to deliver results locally while helping move Maine forward.
Surveys show the economy is the top concern of voters. What is a specific proposal addressing Maine voters’ economic anxieties that you’d work to make law?
We need to keep lowering costs wherever we can. I want to make Maine’s tax system fairer, reducing the burden on working- and middle-income families while asking those at the very top to pay their fair share and putting more money back into Mainers’ pockets. We also need to make healthcare more affordable and accessible, whether you live in Pownal, Eastport or Bethel.