Election candidates state their positions

In the Tuesday, July 14, primary election in Maine, voters will face choices in the Democratic race for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Susan Collins and in the Republican race for the 2nd Congressional District seat held by Democratic Congressman Jared Golden. For both federal offices, ranked choice voting will be held, in which voters rank their preferences for the candidates.
Local polls will be open on July 14, but because of health and safety concerns with in-person voting, residents are being encouraged to vote by absentee ballot. Voters can request an absentee ballot from their local town or city clerk or online through the secretary of state's website, but it needs to be returned by 8 p.m. on the day of the election.
Only those candidates who are running in contested races in the primary are being profiled, with information obtained from their websites.

U.S. SENATE
Three Democratic candidates, Sara Gideon, Bre Kidman and Betsy Sweet, are seeking to run against Republican U.S. Senator Susan Collins in the November election.

Sara Gideon
Sara Gideon of Freeport, the speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, says she has "prioritized listening to Mainers and then working with others to get things done." She's made expanding access to affordable healthcare a priority by helping pass a law that ensures insurance companies are not able to discriminate against Mainers with pre existing conditions and cracking down on pharmaceutical companies to increase drug pricing transparency and help control the cost of prescription drugs.
Gideon has championed job training legislation to address Maine's workforce shortage and increase economic opportunity across the state. She helped pass a landmark bill to provide property tax refunds to Maine homeowners, and her bipartisan LIFT legislation has focused on expanding educational opportunities to make sure Maine families have a chance at financial independence.
Gideon says she has always stood up for a woman's right to choose and has led the fight to make sure women in Maine remain in control of their healthcare decisions.
She has been a leading voice in the legislature to draw attention to and deliver resources to combat Maine's opioid epidemic. Her work has been credited with giving law enforcement and families the tools they need to help save lives. When former Governor Paul LePage vetoed her opioid legislation she brought Democrats and Republicans together to override that veto.
Gideon says she is running for U.S. Senate because she believes too many politicians in Washington are focused more on the special interests than the interests of the people they're supposed to represent.

Betsy Sweet
Betsy Sweet of Hallowell is a human rights activist, political organizer and small business owner. As an advocate for underserved Mainers for almost 40 years, she got her start organizing for the Equal Rights Amendment. She went on to serve as program coordinator for the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, executive director of the Maine Women's Lobby and commissioner for women under Governors Brennan and McKernan.
Her accomplishments on behalf of Mainers include: writing and helping pass the first Family Medical Leave Act in the country; writing and helping create the first Clean Elections system in the country; securing AIDS funding during the height of the AIDS crisis; working to get environmental toxins out of building materials and children's toys; securing money and regulatory reforms to provide home based care for the elderly; working for a program that helped fund microloans to provide economic security for displaced homemakers; expanding the Human Rights Act in Maine to include educational opportunities; co founding the Maine Center for Economic Policy and the Dirigo Alliance; and co founding the Civil Rights Team Project, a student based anti bullying program currently taught in 400 schools across the state. She is also a sexual harassment prevention trainer for businesses, agencies and schools.
She says she is running for the U.S. Senate because "it is time for fundamental change in how politicians operate in D.C. We don't need more rich people in Congress to tell us how they can help us, while they continue to help themselves instead."

Bre Kidman
Bre Kidman of Saco is an attorney with policy experience and, as she says, "an axe to grind with the system that is destroying our democracy."
She states that Maine people "deserve a senator who will combat corruption in Congress. We can't ask a fox to vote on locking up the henhouse and expect anything to change. We need to get out of the trap of tactical framing and back to a Congress focused on finding good legislative solutions without trying to hide as much as possible in every bill. We must work our way back from Citizens United if democracy stands a chance." Kidman pledges to initiate campaign finance reform or be a one term senator and is not accepting any PAC money.
She says the country deserves criminal justice reform, stating, "We are already paying a ridiculous amount of money for mass incarceration. We will get better return on investment from decriminalizing low level offenses and diverting funds -- and people -- to treatment for addiction and mental health issues, housing solutions and job training."
Kidman favors decriminalizing most drug offenses. She also favors a universal healthcare solution and believes that the Medicare for All plan is "a great idea."
Kidman states, "We deserve economically viable solutions to the climate change crisis and this need presents an opportunity to develop new skilled living wage jobs to people in economically depressed regions." As such, she supports the Green New Deal.

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Three Republican candidates, Adrienne Bennett, Eric Brakey and Dale Crafts, are vying to compete against Democratic Congressman Jared Golden in the November election.

Adrienne Bennett
Adrienne Bennett of Bangor grew up in rural poverty in Troy. After earning a degree from the New England School of Communications, she worked at WABI Channel 5 in Bangor. From 2010 to 2017 she served as press secretary for Governor Paul LePage. Since then she has worked as vice president of a Maine bank and as a director at the state Department of Labor.
She says she is grateful for President Donald Trump's work in securing the country's borders and would support the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to ensure those who travel to the country legally have the opportunity to go through the immigration process efficiently and successfully.
Bennett supports the United States Mexico Canada Agreement that President Trump negotiated and says she will fight for more trade agreements like it in the House of Representatives. She would also fight for more federal funding for broadband for small businesses, school systems and industries.
As a member of the NRA and a gun owner, Bennett says she values the Second Amendment and would defend the right to keep and bear arms. Another top priority would be to protect the life of the unborn and to oppose any expansion of abortion rights.
Bennett says the healthcare system is broken, with healthcare costs having skyrocketed and healthcare services having diminished in both quality and access. She would advocate for reforms to bring competition into the healthcare market to bring down costs and increase access for all Mainers.

Eric Brakey
Eric Brakey of Auburn served in the Maine Senate from 2014 through 2018, during which time he was able to introduce and usher through constitutional carry, welfare reform and a right to try law that gives terminally ill patients access to experimental drugs, all while increasing access to medical cannabis for Mainers with debilitating conditions and working with local sixth graders to legalize hedgehogs as pets. The American Conservative Union ranked Brakey's voting record as the most conservative in the Maine Senate in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
In 2018 Brakey ran for U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee, losing to Angus King. Since then he launched the Free Maine Campaign and organized Maine people to defeat the national popular vote plan and red flag gun law proposal.
Brakey's leadership in the 2012 presidential primary as the Maine state director for Ron Paul's campaign led directly to electing a majority of delegates to the Republican National Convention who supported Paul. He then led the Defense of Liberty PAC after the success of the Ron Paul campaign in Maine. By 2013 this political action committee was putting pressure on lawmakers to honor their oath to the Constitution. They were assigned grades with particular attention paid to those who violated that oath by opposing legislation to make it legal for Maine residents to carry concealed firearms.

Dale Crafts
Dale Crafts of Lisbon has built numerous businesses during his lifetime, employing hundreds of Mainers throughout the years and working to create a strong Main Street economy. From 2008 2016, he served in the Maine House of Representatives. He says his record proves he is "a fiscal conservative, a voice for freedom, personal liberty and a tested advocate for our Second Amendment rights. My lifetime membership with the NRA and extensive service on the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine support this."
He states that he "will work with President Trump and support pro growth and pro economic policies that will continue to keep America great for generations to come. I will ensure that each and every one of you have a voice in Washington for the policies that matter most to us all as Mainers."
He has been endorsed by former governor and current Maine Trump Chairman Paul LePage and over 45 current and former legislators.
He states, "As your congressman, I will use my business experience to reduce regulations, protect the free market and capitalism and encourage business and job growth; uphold and protect the Constitution and Bill of Rights; protect the sanctity of human life, 100%; shrink the size of government; fight to balance the budget and reduce the national debt; continue the fight as a Sportsman's Alliance of Maine board member by supporting your right to keep and bear arms and stopping the never ending liberal gun grab."

WASHINGTON COUNTY RACES
Candidates in Washington County races are unopposed in the primary election.
For the State Senate District 6 seat, incumbent Marianne Moore of Calais is running for reelection as a Republican and will be challenged by Democratic candidate Jeffrey Lovit of Addison in the November election.
For House District 138, Democratic incumbent Rep. Robert Alley of Beals will be running against Republican Kimberley Robinson of Harrington.
In House District 139, Republican incumbent Rep. William Tuell of East Machias will face Democratic candidate Patricia Godin of Trescott in the fall.
In House District 140, Democratic incumbent Rep. Anne Perry of Calais will be running against Republican candidate Michael Lawson of Charlotte.
In House District 141, Republican incumbent Rep. Kathy Javner of Chester will be facing Democratic candidate Donald Green of Berry Township.
In addition, incumbent Washington County Commissioner Vinton Cassidy of Calais is running again for the District 1 seat, and Commissioner Christopher Gardner of Edmunds is seeking the District 2 seat again.