Democratic state Rep. Benjamin Chipman is being challenged by a moderate Republican and a self-described socialist to represent the eastern part of Portland in the Maine Senate.

Republican Adam Pontius said he is running to give voters an opportunity to cast a ballot for someone unencumbered by ideological and personal battles with Gov. Paul LePage, who has taken aim at Maine’s largest city over its welfare programs.

Green-Independent and self-described socialist Seth Baker said he is running with the hope of creating a movement that will eventually lead to a $15-an-hour minimum wage and single-payer health care system.

Chipman said he will help tackle Maine’s opiate epidemic, while also protecting state funding coming to the city. Neither Baker nor Pontius has run for political office before and Chipman said his experience will make him a more effective senator.

None of the candidates supports LePage’s goal of eliminating the state income tax. They all support legalizing marijuana and background checks for privately owned firearm sales in Maine. And they don’t believe the state is doing enough to combat the opiate epidemic.

The District 27 seat is currently held by Justin Alfond, who cannot run for re-election because of term limits.

SETH BAKER

Baker said the most important issue of his campaign is addressing the cost of living in Portland, as well as other communities.

He supports a ballot question to increase the minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2020, but he doesn’t think it goes far enough. He believes the minimum should be $15 an hour – an idea that was rejected by Portland voters in a citywide referendum last year.

He would also use his position as a state senator to persuade local municipalities to adopt some form of rent control, especially in Portland.

“I want to be a bully pulpit for everyday working people in Augusta,” he said.

He believes the only way to rein in health care costs is through a signal-payer system, which would eliminate insurance companies. Absent a change nationally, he pointed to Colorado as an example of a state trying to adopt a single-payer system.

Baker said the state needs to change its approach to drug addiction. In addition to increasing funding for treatment, rehabilitation and needle exchange programs, the state should remove all penalties for drug use and possession, he said.

Regarding income taxes, Baker believes that the state needs a more progressive system that provides relief to the middle class by taxing higher-income earners at a higher rate. Income tax should be eliminated for people making under $30,000, while a higher rate should be adopted for incomes above $100,000, he said.

“I strongly believe higher-income earners should pay more of the tax burden and starting the top bracket at six figures makes sense for Maine as it’s approximately double the median income,” he said.

So far, Baker has raised $570 for his campaign.

BENJAMIN CHIPMAN

Chipman said his top priority is combating opiate addiction by expanding MaineCare.

LePage has vetoed five previous attempts to expand the MaineCare program, prompting advocates to begin collecting signatures for a statewide vote on the issue. However, Chipman hopes the Legislature will be able to muster enough support in the next session to overturn another LePage veto. If there is not enough support for a full expansion in accordance with the Affordable Care Act, he would like to see a limited expansion that would extend coverage to uninsured people struggling with addiction.

“I think we need more facilities and more beds,” he said. “We need to make sure everyone has the coverage they need to get into treatment centers.”

Once people kick their addiction, the state should help them find a sober living environment to reduce the chances of a relapse, he said.

“Sometimes it’s something as simple as helping them with a security deposit so they can live in a sober house,” he said.

Chipman also believes that schools should focus more of the anti-drug curriculum on the dangers of opiates.

Although he would like to work with the governor, Chipman said he is skeptical that can occur. Instead, he is looking to circumvent the governor by working on issues that affect rural and urban areas.

Chipman said he would continue fighting to make sure that the city of Portland, which contributes more income and sales taxes to the state than any other community, receives its fair share of state funding for education, revenue sharing and social services.

Having experience as a legislator is important, especially during this election, he said.

“We’re losing both senators at the same time as well as members of the House,” he said. “I’m the only one in the race who has that experience. I think we need that in order to be successful.”

Chipman is a publicly funded candidate under Maine’s Clean Election Act, which limits private contributions and provides $20,000 to $60,000 in matching funds to candidates for the Senate.

ADAM PONTIUS

Pontius said tax reform and economic development, as well as tackling the state’s opioid crisis, would be his top priorities.

Although he agrees that Maine’s budget relies too heavily on income taxes, Pontius believes that LePage’s call to eliminate the income tax goes too far.

He thinks the state should increase the sales tax on tourism-related industries, such as dining and lodging, in order to reduce the income tax. That would bring in more revenue from the 33 million tourists who visited Maine in 2015, using the roads, parks, public transportation and other services, he said.

As senator, he would encourage other legislators in Greater Portland to look at economic development on a regional level, as well as encouraging neighboring communities to consider regionalizing services, which could lead to lower costs. Improving public transportation from Portland to surrounding communities is also needed, he said.

“This is absolutely the most economically dynamic part of the state and that’s what I would try to focus on when talking with the governor and other members of my party,” he said.

Pontius said he opposes the state ballot question to raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2020, calling it “too far, too fast.” He fears it will hurt small businesses and possibly lead to the elimination of tipping at restaurants, which could hurt wait staff.

So far, Pontius has raised no money for this election and hasn’t really been knocking on doors. That’s because he is working full time on a statewide ballot initiative to bring ranked-choice voting to Maine.

Pontius, who worked on independent Eliot Culter’s 2014 gubernatorial campaign, believes that ranked-choice voting would improve the political dialogue, especially when it comes to primaries, which have been increasingly dominated by the more extreme ideologies and personality conflicts in both parties.

“It’s not a panacea, but it’s certainly a part of that solution,” Pontius said.