Assistant House Democratic leader Sara Gideon is running for re-election against Republican Ben Schulz in a rematch for the District 48 seat, which represents Freeport and part of Pownal.

Gideon said she wants to expand solar power and broadband internet access in Maine and do more to handle the state’s addiction crisis. Schulz is campaigning so Gideon will not run unopposed and said he would do “exactly the opposite” of her if he is elected.

Gideon, 44, was elected to the House in 2012 and re-elected two years ago in a race against Schulz, winning 64 percent of the vote. She is a former Freeport town councilor.

In the last legislative session, Gideon championed a bill to dramatically expand solar power in Maine. The bill died after the Legislature upheld a veto from Gov. Paul LePage by two votes. Gideon said that experience was disappointing but there is still support for expanding solar and she intends to resuscitate the issue if re-elected.

“Solar will definitely be coming back, there is no question,” Gideon said.

Other priorities include finding where there are gaps in the state’s broadband internet network and whether state aid can plug them. The state has barely “scratched the surface” on getting a handle on its opiate addiction crisis and needs to create more treatment and beef up preventative education, Gideon said.

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She is in favor of background checks for private gun sales and raising the minimum wage. Gideon is opposed to legalizing recreational marijuana because of significant concerns about how it will affect teenagers.

Gideon is a traditionally funded candidate, and raised $8,425 for the election through Oct. 25. Schulz is funded through the Maine Clean Election act, which limits private contributions and provides supplemental public funds, and had raised a total of $5,500 as of Oct. 25.

Schulz, 46, of Pownal, owns a computer consulting and construction business. He said Gideon runs on a socialist platform and believes the state has all the answers.

“I believe in Mainers,” Schulz said. “I think they are resilient and strong people and most of them stand up for themselves and are hardworking people. They don’t need the state fixing their problems.”

Schulz doesn’t have a specific policy platform, but said government needs to be more transparent with how it spends taxpayer money down to every penny. He has consulted for governments before and is “sickened by how much waste there is in the system.”

“It just seems like government gets bigger and bigger and bigger every year, but the benefits aren’t getting any better,” he said.

Schulz agrees with eliminating the income tax and shifting the tax burden over to tourists who visit Maine. He is opposed to background checks for private gun sales because it would be hard to enforce and would put unnecessary restrictions on law-abiding citizens. He is opposed to raising the minimum wage, and knows many people in Maine use marijuana and thinks they should not be made criminals.

The state is doing a great job addressing the opiate crisis and addicts have ample resources and opportunities to get help, Schulz said. Abusers need to be taught right from wrong and if they choose wrong they need to face the consequences, he added.


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