{"id":11985,"date":"2026-09-25T19:07:44","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/cory-raymond\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T19:07:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:44","slug":"cory-raymond","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/cory-raymond\/","title":{"rendered":"Cory Raymond"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Previous Offices Held<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I ran for the same seat in 2024 against a popular incumbent and I did lose. Losing did not strike me down, it made me stronger and it's why I'm running in 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Top Three Priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Expanding homestead exemptions and implementing state-level tax reforms to shield working families and retirees on fixed incomes from rising municipal property valuations. Opposing costly state energy mandates that drive up electricity and heating bills, ensuring that utilities remain affordable for average household pocketbooks. Stop regulatory overreach and bureaucratic barriers to allow local small businesses to hire staff, grow organically and better compete within the Maine economy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Why are you running?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I will make a measurable difference because I have personally navigated low-income housing and relied on public assistance programs, I understand the day-to-day financial struggles of working families. I view public assistance as a vital hand up rather than a permanent handout, and I will focus on creating clear policy incentives for individuals to achieve financial independence. I also hold them both parties accountable for their failures.<\/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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Unfortunately I don't see Maine being on the right track. One party rule has run Maine for the last 8 years and I haven't seen anything for the better. The price of living is up the property taxes are crazy and crime is up in big cities. And people will be first to point at the guy in the White House but the reality is the government closest to you is the one that affects you the most. It's important to vote according to platform and not just by party.<\/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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This election is going to be about comparing the difference of socialism and capitalism. I am a candidate that won't promise free things or promise things that are unreachable. What I will do is Inspire change by delivering results. It is time for both parties to come together and pass common sense legislation for Mainers. No more one party passing of laws the state of Maine will be stronger if we work together.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7250,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Cory","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"Christopher","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Raymond","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":11952,"voter_guide_candidate_age":31,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Grocery Department Lead","voter_guide_candidate_bio":"I was born in Lewiston and lived there most of my younger life. In my teens I moved to Western Maine, graduating from Oxford Hills in 2014. I volunteered on the local fire department from age 15-21.","voter_guide_candidate_education":"I graduated from Oxford Hills high School in 2014. I also completed fire fighter one and two schooling at Waterville fire department, 2014.","voter_guide_candidate_years_in_municipality":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/open?id=1-TltydgMLqDDkcXhNqZ8X7m5TBKdFtSf","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"","footnotes":""},"vg_party":[564],"vg_residence_municipality":[],"class_list":["post-11985","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\/11985","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\/11985\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11986,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/11985\/revisions\/11986"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=11985"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=11985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}