Ahead of primary, Democratic legislative candidates share top issues and priorities

The Senate chamber in the Maine State House in Augusta. (Jim Neuger/ Maine Morning Star)

On June 11, voters across Maine will head to the polls for the state’s primary election.

The election will feature contested primaries for 17 seats in the Maine Senate and House of Representatives, with eight of those races taking place on the Democratic side. The winners of those contests will be the Democratic candidate for their district in the November general election, when every seat in the Maine Legislature is up for grabs.

In advance of the June primary, Maine Morning Star asked each Democratic candidate in a contested race what the most important issues facing the state are and what their top priorities would be if elected. 

Here are the responses we received. 

Senate District 24 (all of Sagadahoc County and Dresden in Lincoln County)

Jean Guzzetti: A former Public Utilities Commission employee and legislative policy analyst, Jean Guzzetti said talking with voters in Senate District 24, she frequently hears concerns about affordable housing, health care access, a dearth of transportation options in rural areas especially, and challenges with child care.

“One of my priorities is ‘helping the helpers’ — supporting the people and groups in our communities who are doing the work on the ground and know firsthand the challenges and opportunities facing our communities,” Guzzetti said, noting that local groups need resources to address these issues and that lawmakers should follow up on such investments to ensure they are effective.  

Guzzetti added that she also wants to focus on policies that “begin to unravel the systemic barriers that keep economic security and well-being out of reach for many,” citing the need to implement a strong paid family leave policy in Maine, close health care gaps and strengthen housing initiatives such as the rental assistance pilot program. 

Denise Tepler: Former state Rep. Denise Tepler said the top issues facing Mainers are steep increases to the cost of living, including for housing, health care, childcare and food. Tepler also cited the potential for a loss of reproductive rights in Maine — given the attacks at the national level, including threats to medication abortion — and said property tax increases are worrying Mainers as well. 

“My top priorities are affordable healthcare (this is an area I have experience in as the former House chair of the Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee), increasing the availability of affordable childcare, climate change mitigation, and protecting reproductive freedom,” Tepler said.  

“I will strongly support efforts to increase housing availability, especially both workforce housing and affordable housing,” she added. “Fair taxation, especially chasing corporate malfeasance that impacts ordinary people’s burden, has always been important to me.”

Senate District 27 (parts of Portland and Westbrook)

Kenneth Capron: Self-described “watchdog,” Kenneth Capron said the biggest issues facing Mainers are housing, ineffective leadership, transportation, high taxes, a lack of sustainable economic development, education, a “terrible justice system” and too much government. 

If he defeats incumbent Sen. Jill Duson (who did not respond to the survey) in the Democratic primary and is ultimately elected, Capron said his top priorities would be housing, highway safety, economic development and education, while also reducing taxes. 

House District 24 (Veazie and parts of Bangor, Brewer and Orono)

Joe Perry: Incumbent Rep. Joe Perry said Maine has made significant progress in recent years, including by meeting its commitment to fund 55% of the education budget, restoring revenue sharing with municipalities, and implementing earned income and child tax credits, among other steps forward. Perry wants to continue that work while also being cognizant of state finances.

“We are in an unprecedented time of economic expansion and budget surplus,” he said. “That can’t go on forever and I would like to use my experience to protect the most vulnerable, especially if revenues start to decline in the future.” 

Perry also argued that Maine can’t go back to the policies of former Republican Gov. Paul LePage, which he said often benefited the wealthy at the expense of others, such as the state’s retirees. The LePage administration oversaw four rounds of income tax cuts, which experts say primarily benefited the highest earners, while the estate tax threshold was raised from $1 million to $5.6 million for individuals or $11.2 million for joint estates of married couples. 

Perry said a future budget surplus should be used to undo the harm caused by that revenue loss.

Zachary Smith: Attorney Zachary Smith said he believes the top issues facing Mainers are the high cost of living, lack of sufficient housing and climate change.

If he wins the Democratic primary against Perry and is elected in November, Smith said his biggest priorities would be “the expansion of affordable housing stock, dealing with corporate price gouging, and major criminal law reform.” 

House District 64 (parts of Waterville and Winslow)

Flavia DeBrito: Community advocate Flavia DeBrito said access to health care is a top issue, particularly in rural areas. She also named education reform as a priority, citing funding gaps and teacher shortages as major hurdles. DeBrito added that long-term economic issues remain and that diversifying sectors and attracting younger workers are key to addressing such problems. 

On her priorities if elected, DeBrito said that municipalities need more financial assistance from the state, noting that “access to affordable housing, quality education, and opportunities for economic growth are fundamental pillars of a thriving community” and that local governments need the resources to tackle these issues. DeBrito also cited a proposed constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion rights in Maine as an important issue. 

Andrew Dent: Waterville community member Andrew Dent said the cost of living is the most pressing issue facing the state. He also cited Maine’s housing shortage and lack of affordability as a major problem — a challenge Dent said has been compounded by high interest rates and changes to property taxes. Finally, Dent said climate change is a significant problem, with powerful storms becoming more frequent and warming temperatures hurting bedrock state industries. 

“If I am elected, my priorities will largely reflect what I see as the most pressing issues facing Maine today: raising everyday Mainers’ disposable incomes, incentivizing the development of affordable, permanent housing, and taking the necessary steps to reduce carbon emissions and adapt to climate change,” he said. 

House District 65 (part of Waterville)

Cassie Julia: Community advocate and Waterville Planning Board member Cassie Julia named reproductive and LGBTQ rights, the state’s housing shortage, its mental health care system, a lack of access to health care, and the underfunding of education as the most pressing issues facing Maine. 

“My top priorities will be tax relief for service centers, increased funding for public education, creative housing solutions that include support for the unhoused as well as mixed use housing that supports diverse workforce, and defending reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights,” Julia said. 

Bruce White: Incumbent state Rep. Bruce White said a top issue is property tax relief, particularly for older Mainers. He also said the state must continue to support businesses and that funding for mental health treatment, affordable housing, food insecurity and nursing home care is needed as well. 

“One of my priorities has been maintaining the state’s commitment to fund 55% of public

education, which helps to offset increases in local property taxes,” White said, adding that the state should also support its child care providers. 

House District 109 (part of Gorham)

Ellie Sato: Former Senate Majority Office aide Ellie Sato said the top issues facing the state are education funding, climate change and access to health care, including abortion. 

“I would address these issues by filling in gaps in both private and public health insurance coverage, working towards Maine’s climate goals by advancing affordable access to renewable energy, investing in improving our education infrastructure, and continuing to fully fund education at 55%,” Sato said, arguing that her experience as an aide in the Legislature would allow her to hit the ground running.  

Seven Siegel: Gorham town council member Seven Siegel said high costs for housing, medical care and groceries have made getting by increasingly difficult. Specific to the Legislature, Siegel said lawmakers pass many bills each year, but problems continue to grow. He said legislators need to ensure laws have their intended impact and that they work for each community.   

“My first two priorities are dealing with the housing crisis and modernizing our state laws to empower towns,” Siegel said, arguing for using tax dollars to build public housing, specifically for older Mainers, rather than giving money to private developers. He added that he would introduce a bill designed to “address a collection of outdated laws that are making it harder for municipalities to improve and innovate.” 

House District 118 (part of Portland)

Herb Adams: Former state Rep. Herb Adams named affordable housing and climate change as two major issues. He said the Legislature should send to voters a bond of at least $100 million for affordable housing, which he argued would help make real progress on the issue. On climate change, Adams said Maine should expand its efforts to find other ways to heat homes, fuel cars, and generate electricity in a sustainable way. 

Adams also said the state must “stop exporting our young people.” He said one way to do that is to invest more in education, such as by permanently extending a program that makes the first two years of community college free for Maine graduates and also helping people who stay here pay off college debt. 

As for his priorities if elected, Adams said working families should “not be an endangered species” and that “millionaires can take care of themselves, and do.” He added that the cost of living for the average person is directly impacted by legislative policies and that justice and opportunity starts “on the streets and finds legs in the Legislature.” 

House District 123 (part of Cape Elizabeth)

Michelle Boyer: Cape Elizabeth Conservation Committee member and community advocate Michelle Boyer said she has found by knocking on doors throughout her campaign that residents are seeking property tax relief, state support for school construction, meaningful gun safety legislation and more affordable housing. 

“In response to these concerns, I would work to enact additional gun safety measures such as banning semi automatic weapons and a true extreme risk protection order law. To help keep more Mainers in their homes, I believe boosting the homestead exemption is essential,” she said, adding that helping the Maine Redevelopment Land Bank begin its work is also crucial to addressing the housing crisis. 

Boyer cited the need to support public schools as well, saying she would work to ensure the state continues funding 55% of education costs and would also look to change the way public school building construction is funded by the state to allow more projects to qualify. 

Cynthia Dill: Former Maine legislator Cynthia Dill said top issues facing her district include a school building project along with rising property taxes, affordable housing, the local workforce, and how to help older residents. At the state level, Dill said the most significant challenges are the high cost of living, protecting civil liberties like reproductive rights, and balancing the desire for immigration to Maine with better border security.

She also said people are worried about a broken health care system, public schools that are “failing to teach fundamental American principles and ideals” and “cancel culture.”

“My top priority is to give a strong voice to the citizens of Cape Elizabeth in Augusta. I will fiercely defend our rights under the Constitution,” Dill said, adding that she would also work to protect children, older residents and the environment while being a “responsible steward of the public purse,” seeking to solve problems in a bipartisan way, lowering the tax burden, cutting through red tape to help business development, and looking for ways to spur affordable housing. 

Kim Monaghan: Former Rep. Kim Monaghan said access to health care — particularly in rural areas — and the overall health of Maine people are top issues facing the state.

Climate change is another pressing problem, Monaghan said, noting the severity of a series of winter storms and arguing for the need to transition to renewable energy. Finally, she named affordable housing as another significant issue and said the state should move forward with reforms that increase opportunities for housing rather than putting up barriers. 

On her priorities if elected, Monaghan said she will “work to fight the extreme-right attacks on reproductive rights and protect health care access for all Mainers,” make addressing climate change a focus, continue to push for affordable housing, and “take on the gun lobby to secure common sense gun reforms, keeping Mainers safe from gun violence.”  

Editor’s Note: Maine Morning Star did not receive responses from the following Democratic candidates for state legislature: Sen. Jill Duson (Senate District 27), Sen. Ben Chipman (House District 118), and Yusuf Yusuf (House District 118).  

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