Personal/biographical information pertinent to the role

Born and raised in Damariscotta, Kristina calls herself an Ampersand: a person with both a business career and a creative one. Over twenty years, she has worked with some of the world’s biggest brands and most emergent startups. She holds a master’s degree in International Security, focused on how communities recover from violence and discord.

Top three priorities

1.) Term limits for politicians. No one should hold the same job for decades.
2.) Turning down the heat in politics. It’s too hot in this country. If we do not learn to live together and create consensus, things are going to explode further.
3.) We need to find a way to create affordability. For me, this means lower housing costs, lower healthcare costs and lower cost of living. I just joined this race. I do not have the answers for you, but I don’t think any of this can happen in a meaningful and long-term way, if we do not first find a way to work as a unified group.

Why are you running?

Because of my dad, who believes in a better America.
But also, because politics is too damn hot right now. I’m tired of it.
If we cannot find a way to live and work together, things are going to continue to get worse. I do not want to continue to live in a tinderbox of a country where violence breaks out on every corner, people don’t feel safe in their homes, and even children feel terrified by the state of our nation. We are better than that. We deserve better than that. If we keep fighting, if we keep going at each other like this, we are going to explode.

Our recent poll showed that more than half of Maine’s likely voters want Democrats to control Congress, and electability has already been a major issue in this race. Why are you more electable in November than the other candidates?

Because I really and truly want to unify all Mainers. I’m not a career politician. I’m simply a person who believes if we don’t turn down the heat in our state and our country, none of the policies we need for a better tomorrow will ever happen. If you want to care less about politics because someone is trying to make it a mundane place where people work together, then I’m your girl.

What are the highlights of your plan to lower the cost of living for Mainers?

Turning down the heat in politics. We cannot create policy or plans that are long-lasting and deliver affordability today and for the future if we do not first find a way to create state unity and a collective vision for where we are headed.

Would you support term limits for members of Congress? Why or why not?

Yes. Even my dad, a man who is in his late seventies, thinks everyone in Congress is too old. This is a non-negotiable for me. Part of the reason for party entrenchment and the division in our country is that there is not enough turnover at the highest levels.

Would you support Medicare for All — expanding the current social program to all Americans? Why or why not?

I will support anything that we can reach a consensus majority on in the state. The job of a senator is to represent the will of the state. Our job as citizens of the state is to be part of the body politic that works to create that will.

Personally, I think access to affordable healthcare creates a sense that people are cared for and supported by the country. That care and support is essential to feeling safe. Safety is what we need to be able to have discussions. Discussions lead to consensus. Consensus helps us turn down the heat.

Would you support eliminating the filibuster? Why or why not?

I will support anything that we can reach a consensus majority on in the state. The job of a senator is to represent the will of the state. Our job as citizens of the state is to be part of the body politic that works to create that will.

Anything that removes the opportunity for discussion and consensus harms us all.

Graham Platner ran on getting money out of politics. If you share this priority, what is your plan to do so?

I will support anything that we can reach a consensus majority on in the state. The job of a senator is to represent the will of the state. Our job as citizens of the state is to be part of the body politic that works to create that will.

I do personally believe that money in politics turns up the heat, and that it gives brands and individuals an outsized lever that others with less money don’t have. I think when some people are allowed to speak louder than others, it stops a conversation from happening. I think without conversation we can never reach consensus.

Do you support an end to U.S. military aid in Israel? Is Israel committing a genocide in Gaza? Why or why not?

I think two things can be true: Israel is a strategic defense priority for our military. Any systematic slaughter of one group by another is genocide. At all times. Across all boards. Like everything, I will support any position that we can reach a consensus majority on in the state. The job of a senator is to represent the will of the state. Our job as citizens of the state is to be part of the body politic that works to create that will.

Should ICE exist in its current form? If so, explain your answer. If not, what should exist instead?

No. ICE is one of the things that is turning up the heat in our country. Violence in our streets creates fear. Fear makes people quiet. When people are quiet, they are not safe. When we do not feel safe, it is very hard to share or talk or ask for help. That stops us from having real conversation. And it further stops us from reaching any level of consensus. Our core priority should be creating a country where we can all feel safe to talk to each other.

Give Susan Collins a performance grade. What, if anything, has she done well?

I don’t think tearing down Susan Collins helps anything. But I also think that if she had been working harder to unify the state for Mainers, I wouldn’t need to be here. I’d be in my barn making art, reading books, and taking my nieces for a swim.