{"id":12027,"date":"2026-09-25T19:07:44","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/jantzen-craine\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T19:07:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:44","slug":"jantzen-craine","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/jantzen-craine\/","title":{"rendered":"Jantzen Craine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Previous Offices Held<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Currently serving on Houlton Town Council, appointed in 2025; won Republican primary for House District 7 (unopposed)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Top Three Priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Lowering taxes and controlling state spending; expanding Maine\u2019s energy choices to bring down electricity and heating costs; and putting parents back in charge of their children\u2019s education through greater choice, transparency and local control. My focus is making Maine more affordable for working families while protecting the rural communities and values that make our state worth calling home.<\/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 too many families in northern Maine feel Augusta is making life more expensive while listening less to the people who live here. I want my children to have the opportunity to build their lives in Maine rather than leave because they cannot afford to stay. I believe government should live within its means, protect individual liberty and create an environment where families, communities and small businesses can thrive.<\/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 in removing employment barriers for military families, including a new bipartisan law helping qualified military spouses compete for state jobs. But we\u2019re on the wrong track on affordability. High taxes, energy costs and excessive spending are making it harder for working families, seniors and small businesses to stay in Maine. We need more commonsense cooperation where it works and a fundamentally more affordable state.<\/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 would bring the same constituent-focused approach I have taken in local government: Be accessible, do the homework and relentlessly advocate for northern Maine. I will measure success by results, including reducing unnecessary costs and mandates, securing fair treatment for rural communities and making sure District 7 residents have a representative who responds when they need help navigating state government.<\/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 reduce Maine\u2019s income tax burden while requiring corresponding restraint in state spending so tax relief does not simply shift costs elsewhere. Maine families need to keep more of what they earn, and small businesses need room to invest, hire and grow. Tax relief should be paired with regulatory reform and a broader energy strategy aimed at reducing one of the largest costs facing Maine households and employers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7321,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Jantzen","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"Stephen","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Craine","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":12026,"voter_guide_candidate_age":32,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Financial analyst; Maine Air National Guard","voter_guide_candidate_bio":"Houlton Town Councillor, Maine Air National Guardsman, husband and father of five, with experience in business management, finance, and community leadership.","voter_guide_candidate_education":"B.S. in Management, Pensacola Christian College, 2016","voter_guide_candidate_years_in_municipality":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/open?id=1eFqNQbQdpZTLd8XNUjN0pPitgJoa40pl","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"","footnotes":""},"vg_party":[564],"vg_residence_municipality":[],"class_list":["post-12027","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\/12027","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\/12027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12028,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12027\/revisions\/12028"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=12027"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=12027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}