{"id":1503,"date":"2026-04-30T22:31:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T22:31:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/voterguide.local\/?p=1503"},"modified":"2026-05-26T10:49:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T10:49:21","slug":"thomas-e-keefe-sr-59","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/thomas-e-keefe-sr-59\/","title":{"rendered":"Thomas E Keefe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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About the Candidate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Retired associate professor of humanities, teaching history and politics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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B.A., History from Saint Joseph\u2019s University (Philadelphia); M.A., Diplomacy from Norwich University; Master of Arts in Teaching Social Studies Education from Miami University, Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from Grand Canyon University\u00a0<\/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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Previously served one-term (2023-2025) as a representative in the Branford Representative Town Meeting.<\/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 am running for our House 59 seat to lower energy costs for Mainers, to support our students and the vulnerable and to protect our environment. All Maine\u2019s children deserve what my children got: from education, to healthcare, to systems that support families. I want all of our children and grandchildren to be able to flourish here in Maine, personally and professionally, in vibrant and healthy communities. It\u2019s time to make it happen!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Top three priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I will work for a stronger, safer and greener Maine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stronger: I will fight for smart programs that reduce costs, while increasing efficiency and accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Safer: I will work to remove PFAS and microplastics from our drinking water and the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greener: I will increase access to solar energy financially and logistically (0% state-guaranteed loans) so we can reduce our high energy costs and decrease reliance on older energy that hurts us financially and environmentally.<\/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 will improve transparency and accountability by making budget decisions and policy development more accessible and understandable for the public. Too often, people feel disconnected from political decisions: Clearer communication, earlier public input and a more user-friendly reporting system will build trust and strengthen engagement, leading to more informed policymaking. Too often, decisions are siloed, slowing progress and increasing costs.<\/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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The cost of energy, healthcare and education is the biggest challenge we\u2019re facing in our state. We shouldn\u2019t have to choose between prescriptions and keeping the lights on. The opportunity is for us to invest in education and infrastructure to grow our workforce base and ensure all Mainers can not just get by and survive, but thrive!<\/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 will fight hard for smart programs because the taxpayers of Maine deserve no less. As a professor of politics and history, I\u2019ve studied good government; I know what it takes. Having worked at all levels of government in several communities has given me the hard-earned experience to successfully navigate the Legislature, build relationships on both sides of the aisle and deliver for our state of Maine and our Augusta on day one.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2116,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Thomas","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"E","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Keefe","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":2245,"voter_guide_candidate_age":52,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Educator","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":"One year","voter_guide_candidate_website":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"http:\/\/Edward%20Keefe.png","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"3\/12\/2026","voter_guide_candidate_incumbent_years":"","voter_guide_candidate_is_clean_elections":false,"footnotes":""},"vg_party":[1073],"vg_residence_municipality":[341],"class_list":["post-1503","candidate","type-candidate","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","vg_party-democratic","vg_residence_municipality-augusta"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/1503","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":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/1503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3710,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/1503\/revisions\/3710"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=1503"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=1503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}