{"id":1479,"date":"2026-04-30T22:31:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T22:31:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/voterguide.local\/?p=1479"},"modified":"2026-05-26T10:50:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T10:50:43","slug":"nicolas-john-hamlin-sr-49","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/nicolas-john-hamlin-sr-49\/","title":{"rendered":"Nicolas John Hamlin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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About the Candidate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Army veteran and biomedical equipment specialist with two deployments to the Middle East. Organized fundraisers for homeless veterans. President of Sagadahoc Beekeepers Association.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Associate of applied science in biomedical equipment repair from Aims\u00a0Community\u00a0College<\/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 give my neighbors in District 49 an honest, common-sense voice in Augusta. As a veteran who answered the call to serve our country, I now feel the same tug to serve my community. I\u2019ve raised well over $100,000 for homeless veterans in Maine, yet the number of veterans without homes hasn\u2019t improved. I learned that money alone doesn\u2019t solve problems \u2014 policy does. We need leaders who are truly committed to fixing what\u2019s broken. I\u2019m that leader.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Top three priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Reduce the tax burden \u2014 Maine families and small businesses are severely overtaxed. We must cut wasteful spending so working families can afford to live and raise children here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strengthen education and workforce readiness \u2014 Our students must graduate with the skills needed to compete and succeed in today\u2019s
economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protect seniors and veterans \u2014 No one should lose their home due to skyrocketing property taxes. We need real property tax relief for
those on fixed incomes.<\/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 replace partisan gridlock with a \u201cMaine-First\u201d attitude. Too often, politics in Augusta put party loyalty ahead of what\u2019s best for Maine families, small businesses and veterans. We must set aside division and focus on practical solutions that keep our state affordable and prosperous.<\/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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Biggest challenge: Growing a strong, vibrant economy so Maine is no longer overly dependent on federal funds \u2014 while protecting the natural beauty and rugged character that make our state unique. Biggest opportunity: We still have the power to vote our way back to prosperity. With the right policies and leadership, Maine can once again be a place where hard-working families can thrive and build a future.<\/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 bring real-world perspective: a kid from Portland who joined the Army to better himself, served in combat zones, and now runs a small
beekeeping business in West Bath. I know what it means to struggle and to lead under pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will approach every issue with a \u201cMaine-First\u201d mindset, outside-the-box thinking, and the disciplined leadership the Army taught me. My focus will always be on delivering measurable results \u2014 lower taxes, better schools and real relief for seniors and veterans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1954,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Nicolas","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"John","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Hamlin","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":2234,"voter_guide_candidate_age":47,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Beekeeper \/ Small business owner","voter_guide_candidate_bio":"","voter_guide_candidate_education":"","voter_guide_candidate_years_in_state":0,"voter_guide_candidate_years_in_municipality":6,"voter_guide_candidate_time_in_area":"6 years","voter_guide_candidate_website":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/open?id=1uPgKXZj6CpOKbjq6yg7HJQBO4jDlJ7-b","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"1\/22\/2026","voter_guide_candidate_incumbent_years":"","voter_guide_candidate_is_clean_elections":false,"footnotes":""},"vg_party":[564],"vg_residence_municipality":[835],"class_list":["post-1479","candidate","type-candidate","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","vg_party-republican","vg_residence_municipality-west-bath"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/1479","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":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/1479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3711,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/1479\/revisions\/3711"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=1479"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=1479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}