{"id":2000,"date":"2026-05-26T10:24:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T10:24:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/?post_type=candidate&p=2000"},"modified":"2026-05-26T10:29:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T10:29:06","slug":"maureen-aucoin-2","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/maureen-aucoin-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Maureen AuCoin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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About the Candidate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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With nearly a decade working to ensure Mainers have safe affordable housing and also serving on city council, I have the experience, knowledge and dedication to make changes to better our communities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Bachelors degree from Williams College, licensed plumber<\/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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City councilor in Hallowell 2017-2025, including time as council president and as chairperson of the finance and housing committees. Elected to Hallowell Charter Commission, 2015. Ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Hallowell in 2020 and 2023.<\/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 was raised to show up for neighbors and to stand up for what’s right. I’ve carried those lessons into active engagement in my community and service in public office. I’m passionate about creating policy to better people’s lives, implementing strategies to improve affordability, preserving our natural resources and protecting rights. I’m ready to take the work I’ve done on the municipal level and bring it to the State House to help Mainers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Top three priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Affordability: The gap between wages and affordability is widening. We need responsible spending and thoughtful legislation without overburdening Mainers.
Healthcare: All Mainers deserve healthcare that is affordable and accessible in their communities.
Preservation: Maine offers beauty, clean air and recreational opportunities. But these are threatened. We need solutions to remediate PFAS from our drinking water and farmlands, stabilize shorelands and preserve space to enjoy the wilderness.<\/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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Did not respond<\/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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Unpredictability at the federal level is affecting affordability and budgeting for Mainers. Healthcare is less affordable and less accessible. Threats to Medicaid, SNAP, LIHEAP and other supports are leaving Mainers without help they need. Our biggest opportunity is the resourcefulness of Mainers to tackle the crisis. We have made strides in the housing crisis through changes to zoning, permitting and regulations. This ingenuity will help us tackle the healthcare crisis and affordability.<\/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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Over and over, I’ve been the voice for people that needed change to improve their lives. I will listen to the people of Manchester, West Gardiner and Hallowell to elevate their voices to be heard in Augusta. I want to bring those voices to the table and collaborate with state leaders to enact legislation to better Maine communities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2001,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":2240,"voter_guide_candidate_age":55,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Plumber, housing inspector","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":"Resident of Hallowell for 20+ years","voter_guide_candidate_website":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"","voter_guide_candidate_incumbent_years":"","voter_guide_candidate_is_clean_elections":false,"footnotes":""},"vg_party":[1073],"vg_residence_municipality":[454],"class_list":["post-2000","candidate","type-candidate","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","vg_party-democratic","vg_residence_municipality-hallowell"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/2000","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\/2000\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3694,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/2000\/revisions\/3694"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=2000"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=2000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}