{"id":1354,"date":"2026-04-30T22:31:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T22:31:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/voterguide.local\/?p=1354"},"modified":"2026-05-26T12:20:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T12:20:32","slug":"shanna-cox-ss-21","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/shanna-cox-ss-21\/","title":{"rendered":"Shanna Cox"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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About the Candidate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Current chair of Lewiston Planning Board, recent president and CEO of the LA Metro Chamber (2019- April 2026), small business owner, mother of three (and a bonus child)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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B.A. in Economics, University of Maine, 2015<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Previous campaigns and elected office(s) held<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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None.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Why are you running?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I\u2019m running to bring a grounded, community-centered perspective to the state Senate, rooted in integrity and shaped by years of working alongside small businesses, workers and partners to solve real challenges. I\u2019ve experienced firsthand how state decisions impact people day-to-day, especially when it comes to affordability. I have a long track record of finding solutions by working across differences. The challenges ahead will require that kind of leadership in Augusta.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Top three priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Affordability and cost of living \u2014 Practical solutions reducing pressure on housing, childcare and healthcare so Maine families and workers can get ahead.
Workforce and economic opportunity \u2014 Childcare, transportation and training solutions so people can access good jobs and businesses can find workforce.
Housing \u2014 Increase supply of all types, but especially workforce housing, while reducing barriers to development and ownership so people can live and work in the communities they choose.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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If you could change one thing about how Augusta functions, what would it be and why?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I would strengthen how we work together. Maine has a long tradition of bipartisan problem-solving, but that\u2019s been slipping as partisan rhetoric replaces collaboration. We need to get back to civil, respectful dialogue and a roll-up-your-sleeves approach to solving problems. Mainers expect results \u2014 and that requires working across differences with focus and dignity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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What is the biggest challenge facing Maine? The biggest opportunity?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Our biggest challenge is demographics \u2014 an aging and declining population that makes it harder to sustain our workforce and economy. To compete, we need a full package: housing, career pathways and affordability across incomes and life stages. Our biggest opportunity is that people want to live here. Maine is safe, spacious and rich in natural and recreational assets, and we need to convert that interest into long-term growth.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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As one of several dozen legislators in your chamber, how would you make a measurable difference for your constituents?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I would focus on results, not just legislation, working across committees and with local and state partners to move practical solutions forward. I\u2019ll prioritize policies that increase housing supply and workforce participation, and pay attention to what\u2019s actually changing on the ground. Staying connected to constituents ensures their real experiences guide decisions and lead to measurable progress.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":243,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Shanna","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Cox","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":2171,"voter_guide_candidate_age":45,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Self-employed small business owner, Project Tipping Point","voter_guide_candidate_bio":"","voter_guide_candidate_education":"","voter_guide_candidate_years_in_state":0,"voter_guide_candidate_years_in_municipality":0,"voter_guide_candidate_time_in_area":"17 years","voter_guide_candidate_website":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/open?id=1E5q4Wf5c4KLyBXpnN0bi2TVCl7Ta_WZX","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"2\/20\/2026","voter_guide_candidate_incumbent_years":"","voter_guide_candidate_is_clean_elections":false,"footnotes":""},"vg_party":[1073],"vg_residence_municipality":[491],"class_list":["post-1354","candidate","type-candidate","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","vg_party-democratic","vg_residence_municipality-lewiston"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/1354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/candidate"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/1354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3800,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/1354\/revisions\/3800"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=1354"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=1354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}