About the Candidate
Former Maine Speaker of the House, former director of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future
Education
North Haven Community School, Brown University.
Previous campaigns and elected office(s) held
2002, 2004: Elected and reelected to the state Legislature. 2006: Reelected to state Legislature, elected as House Majority Leader. 2008: Reelected to state Legislature, elected as Speaker of the Maine House. 2011, 2014, 2017: Elected to the SAD #7 School Board – North Haven, served as chair of the school board from 2017-2019.
Why are you running?
I’m running because Maine families deserve a leader who is ready to lead at this critical time and can deliver real results. I’m a mom raising two teenagers in the small rural community I’ve called home my whole life. From the school board to Speaker of the House, I’ve spent nearly 25 years fighting for Maine people, expanding healthcare, building housing and leading bold environmental action. At this critical moment, Maine needs someone tough enough to stand up to Trump and capable enough to keep families in their homes, keep healthcare in their communities, and keep our state moving forward.
Top three priorities
1. Protecting our democracy and the rights of Maine people at an urgent time — standing up to the Trump Administration, defending our values and institutions and fighting to protect Mainers. 2. Addressing the cost of living, housing and economic opportunity so families manage rising costs, workers and businesses thrive, young families can put down roots and every community has what it needs. 3. Accessible, affordable health care — easy to navigate and strong enough to withstand federal cuts.
If you could change one thing about how Augusta functions, what would it be and why?
State government should be easier for everyday Mainers to navigate. Right now, our state systems like permitting, licensing and public services are too slow, too confusing and too inaccessible for people who don’t already know how to work the system. My proposal to set a 90-day processing limit for DEP, Fire Marshal and other approvals while simplifying applications is one example of how we fix that — getting homes built faster and making it easier for small businesses to open and grow.
What is one policy area where you disagree with the consensus of most in your party?
I support changing how Maine selects constitutional officers like the Attorney General, Secretary of State, Auditor and Treasurer. Some of these roles should be decided by statewide election, others by gubernatorial appointment or a bipartisan selection committee, similar to how we select members of the Ethics Commission. Letting the Legislature alone choose these officers limits accountability to everyday Mainers.
What is one issue on which you’d be willing to compromise with the other party’s leaders in Augusta?
I have a long history of working across the aisle, including passing bipartisan budgets and bond packages as Speaker of the House. Maine faces urgent challenges: aging infrastructure, more frequent storms due to climate change and a housing affordability crisis. The next governor must deliver bold infrastructure investment. I’ve done it before, I know how to bring people together, and I’m ready to do it again.