{"id":12021,"date":"2026-09-25T19:07:44","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/nancy-mcdowell\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T19:07:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:44","slug":"nancy-mcdowell","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/nancy-mcdowell\/","title":{"rendered":"Nancy McDowell"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Previous Offices Held<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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June 2026 House District 29 special election, lost<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Top Three Priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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1. Support Maine tax reform to relieve local property tax burdens by increasing taxes for the wealthy, revising or eliminating tax breaks. Revise income tax so tax burden is decreased for public servants like teachers and firefighters.\n2. Increase income security for disabled, veterans and the elderly by protecting Social Security and Medicaid.\n3. Healthcare needs in rural Maine require increased funding for mental health, telehealth and home health services so people can live safely in their homes.<\/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 I feel that my life experience, empathy and energy will benefit the people in House District 29 as I work to bring funding to programs that make life better. My goal is to help allocate money and work with my colleagues so food, housing, daycare, education, healthcare, infrastructure and public safety needs are not only met at a basic level, but supported so that lives improve.<\/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 because the crime rate is low and life satisfaction is high. Maine\u2019s environment is clean, healthy and small towns are full of people who look out for each other. On the other hand, Maine can be quite expensive to live in, as the time and cost of travel to reach healthcare can be prohibitive. Lack of mental health and telehealth services lead to increased self-medication through drug and alcohol use and increased isolation.<\/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 will treat all my constituents with dignity and respect and listen to their concerns. I will respect other opinions as long as they do not disrespect someone else\u2019s existence. I will advocate for inclusive programs that welcome diversity. Our tax dollars should be making our lives better and there are many opportunities we can build together to accomplish that, if we focus on protecting human rights.<\/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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To address Maine\u2019 s economic imbalance, I would work toward funding higher education programs that certify and train child care workers so additional child care centers can open. More adults would be able to join the workforce if quality daycare with extended hours and low or no cost were available. I would also include permanent funding for Dolly Parton\u2019s reading program because it is a matching program with significant long-term benefits for children.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7324,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Nancy","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"Marie","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"McDowell","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":12020,"voter_guide_candidate_age":67,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Retired Customs and Border Protection officer","voter_guide_candidate_bio":"As a CBP officer, I learned to listen, keep an open mind and gather facts so I could make lawful determinations. Assisting the public and my colleagues is my priority.","voter_guide_candidate_education":"B.A. Liberal Studies, Business concentration, cum laude, University of Maine Presque Isle","voter_guide_candidate_years_in_municipality":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/open?id=1GqGQziUwoaVFuz8y9I4satMWbFxRj_cu","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"","footnotes":""},"vg_party":[1073],"vg_residence_municipality":[],"class_list":["post-12021","candidate","type-candidate","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","vg_party-democratic"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12021","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\/12021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12022,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12021\/revisions\/12022"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=12021"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=12021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}