{"id":11581,"date":"2026-09-25T19:07:40","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/joseph-martin\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T19:07:40","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:40","slug":"joseph-martin","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/joseph-martin\/","title":{"rendered":"Joseph Martin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Previous Offices Held<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Elected to the Maine State Senate District 19 in 2024; serving in the 132nd Maine Legislature, 2024-present. Currently seeking reelection in 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Top Three Priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Lowering the cost of living and taxes for Maine families; protecting rural Maine's economy, property rights and traditional industries; and bringing accountability back to state spending. Maine government must live within its means, provide essential services efficiently, and remember that every dollar Augusta spends first came from someone who earned it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Why are you running?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I am running because western Maine needs a strong voice in Augusta that understands how people here actually live and work. I didn't go to Augusta to make government bigger. I went there to make it work better. I want to protect taxpayers, strengthen our rural economy, defend individual and property rights, and make sure the people of western Maine are heard when state government makes decisions affecting their lives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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What is one way Maine is on the right track? What is one way the state is on the wrong track?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Maine is on the right track when we invest in our people, roads, communities and natural-resource economy. We are on the wrong track when government spending grows faster than the ability of taxpayers to pay for it. Augusta cannot solve every problem by creating another program, regulation or tax. We need to get back to setting priorities, measuring results and living within our means.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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As one of several dozen legislators in your chamber, how would you make a measurable difference for your constituents?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I measure the job by results, not the number of bills I introduce. That means answering constituents, fixing problems with state agencies, fighting for roads and infrastructure, protecting rural property owners and making sure western Maine gets its fair share of state resources. A senator should be accessible, know the district and be willing to push the bureaucracy when government isn't working for the people it serves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Surveys show the economy is the top concern of voters. What is a specific proposal addressing Maine voters\u2019 economic anxieties that you\u2019d work to make law?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I would work to limit the growth of state spending and property-tax pressures while reducing the cost government places on families and small businesses. Maine needs predictable taxes, affordable energy and fewer unnecessary regulations. I also want stronger protections against sudden property-tax increases, particularly for seniors and rural landowners who can be taxed out of property they have owned for generations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5056,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Joseph","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"E.","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Martin","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":11554,"voter_guide_candidate_age":71,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Businessman, mining entrepreneur and Maine State Senator","voter_guide_candidate_bio":"Lifelong businessman with decades of experience in mining and international development, bringing practical private-sector experience and a rural Maine perspective to Augusta.","voter_guide_candidate_education":"","voter_guide_candidate_years_in_municipality":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/open?id=1IsRt_S3LlPihMOwSzvXYG1pZctB1zDXz","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"","footnotes":""},"vg_party":[564],"vg_residence_municipality":[],"class_list":["post-11581","candidate","type-candidate","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","vg_party-republican"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/11581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/candidate"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/11581\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11582,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/11581\/revisions\/11582"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=11581"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=11581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}