{"id":11841,"date":"2026-09-25T19:07:42","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/melissa-winslow\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T19:07:42","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:42","slug":"melissa-winslow","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/melissa-winslow\/","title":{"rendered":"Melissa Winslow"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Previous Offices Held<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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No previous elections<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Top Three Priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Affordability \u2013 Maine has the fifth-highest tax burden in the country and the fifth-highest energy costs, and we rank third for the largest increase in home prices. \n\nAccountability \u2014 Government waste, along with fraud and corruption not only costs us in taxes but has also eroded our trust. \n\nOpportunity \u2014 Our public-school scores have decreased while costs have increased, and unnecessary regulations have hampered businesses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Why are you running?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I\u2019m running because I love Maine and its people. My family has been here for 10 generations, including seven in New Gloucester. Viewing the realities of building a life in Maine through the eyes of my five young adult children, I see that it\u2019s becoming increasingly difficult to envision a bright future here. This is true for both seniors and young people. I want all Mainers to flourish, and government policies should not hinder that.<\/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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It\u2019s hard to compare other states to the natural beauty and diversity of Maine\u2019s amazing outdoors \u2013 I\u2019m so glad we value and preserve it! After I decided to run for office I went to the State House one day a week to speak with legislators and sit in on sessions. As I observed the general sessions, it seemed to me that those in the majority viewed taxpayers and businesses as impersonal piggy banks from which they could shake out a little more to fund pet projects.<\/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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The most important thing I can do for my constituents is listen to them and communicate with them, providing accessible ways for them to provide feedback. It\u2019s important that those who want to know and participate in what is happening in the State House are able to do so. Those who are immersed in their own lives need to trust that I will show up to work every day, learn everything I can about policies being discussed and make wise decisions in their interests.<\/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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Cut taxes, reduce energy costs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Melissa","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"R.","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Winslow","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":11832,"voter_guide_candidate_age":0,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Small business partner, Winslow Agriculture","voter_guide_candidate_bio":"I grew up in New Gloucester and have worked in youth and college ministry. My husband and I own a small business, Winslow Agriculture. I\u2018ve been a foster parent and have volunteered extensively.","voter_guide_candidate_education":"Bachelor's in youth ministry from Cairn University","voter_guide_candidate_years_in_municipality":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"","footnotes":""},"vg_party":[564],"vg_residence_municipality":[],"class_list":["post-11841","candidate","type-candidate","status-publish","hentry","vg_party-republican"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/11841","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\/11841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11842,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/11841\/revisions\/11842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=11841"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=11841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}