State Rep. Andrew McLean, a two-term Democratic legislator, is being challenged Nov. 8 by Republican James Means in a race for the House District 27 seat representing parts of Gorham and Scarborough.

Both Gorham residents, the candidates differ on some major issues facing Mainers, such as raising the minimum wage and requiring background checks for private gun sales, and they agree on others, such as opposing the proposal to legalize marijuana for recreational use.

McLean, 31, has a master’s degree in public policy and management from the Muskie School of Public Service and is an administrator in the Dean of Students Office at the University of Southern Maine. Means, 66, has a bachelor’s degree in industrial management from Clarkson University and is a retired real estate manager, founder and president of a real estate firm.

McLean raised $11,288 from individual and other contributors, including $750 from the Maine Association of Realtors, $375 from the Maine Education Association, and $325 from Churchill Downs, the Kentucky company that owns Oxford Casino, according to campaign finance reports through Oct. 25. He spent $11,161 on lawn signs, printing, postage and Web-based campaigning and fundraising assistance from NGP VAN and ActBlue.

Means raised $1,000 in seed money from individual donors and received $12,985 in state funding through the Maine Clean Election Act, according to finance reports. He spent $12,779, including $9,622 on campaign supplies, advertising and other work done by Whistlestop Strategies of Scarborough and $2,122 on newspaper ads.

McLean is seeking re-election to further his efforts to invest in workforce training, reduce property taxes, expand health care coverage for working Mainers, reduce the cost of college and upgrade Maine’s long-neglected transportation infrastructure, he said in responding to a Portland Press Herald survey.

“Our state’s transportation network of roads, bridges, rail, airports and seaports lags behind the rest of New England and the United States,” McLean said. “Our failure to invest in maintenance and modernization is negatively impacting economic development in our state.”

McLean led a bipartisan group of legislators that developed a transportation reform package to be introduced in January, he said. He also co-sponsored legislation to provide suicide-prevention training for educators and financial-literacy education for public school students.

“Maine’s best days are ahead, but we need leaders who reach across the aisle to get things done,” McLean said.

Means said he’s running for the House District 27 seat because he believes its constituents have not been adequately represented in Augusta.

“I am not a career politician and believe in a citizens’ Legislature,” Means said. “We face some serious challenges and need to focus on finding solutions rather than playing partisan politics.”

Means said he will bring “30 years of successful management experience, along with common sense, real-world solutions to Augusta in representing the people of Gorham and Scarborough. My wife and I raised three sons to adulthood in Gorham and have experienced the kind of problems and challenges as those who I want to represent.”

Means said he supports Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s efforts to reduce and eventually eliminate the state income tax, in part by increasing and expanding sales taxes. He said it would happen gradually as the state lowers electricity costs and more businesses expand and locate here. The state’s educational opportunity income tax credit, which offsets college loan payments, will encourage highly educated young people to stay and raise families in Maine, he said.

McLean said he opposes eliminating the income tax, but he supports lowering it for low- and middle-income earners. “Our tax system has not been modernized in years. I would support bipartisan tax reform,” he said.

On the November ballot initiatives, McLean supports raising the state’s minimum wage to $12 by 2020 because “working Mainers deserve a livable wage that will help their families make ends meet,” as well as requiring background checks for private gun sales. “I support the Second Amendment and reasonable steps to prevent guns from being purchased by terrorists, domestic violence offenders and other criminals,” he said.

Means said he opposes raising the minimum wage because he believes it will cause business closures and job losses and he opposes background checks because “it will not stop criminals from obtaining firearms and will make law-abiding citizens unintentional lawbreakers because of its vague language.”

Both candidates oppose legalizing recreational marijuana use and said the state needs to do more to address the drug addiction crisis, including education, treatment and support and job training following rehabilitation.

Correction: This story was updated on Oct. 31 to correct the number of terms Rep. McLean has served. He is a two-term representative, not a freshman.