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28 Current & Former Union Members File to Run for Maine Legislature

Andy O’Brien
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Another election is on the horizon this year and several current and former union members have filed to run for the Maine Legislature. The Maine AFL-CIO has not officially endorsed anyone yet as we are still receiving candidate surveys and will not make official endorsements until delegates vote at our COPE Convention in late June.

Twenty-eight of the candidates running for office are current or former union members from several different union locals. Union representation includes the United Steelworkers (USW), the Maine Service Employees Association (MSEA-SEIU), the Maine Education Association (MEA), the Communications Workers of America (CWA), Laborers International Union of America (LIUNA) the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) and the Brotherhood Of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), American Postal Workers Union, and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).

The candidate filing deadline was March 15, but as is often the case, some filers are placeholder candidates, which buys more time to recruit a candidate. The deadline for replacement candidates is in July, so this list could change in the meantime. Below are union members and former union members running for State House and Senate seats at this time.

House Incumbents:

  • Rep. Amy Roeder (AEA, SAG-AFTRA & PATFA-AFT), Bangor
  • Rep. Matt Beck (IBEW 1837, retired), South Portland
  • Rep. Allison Hepler (AFUM-MEA), Woolwich
  • Rep. Lydia Crafts, (MEA), Newcastle
  • Rep. Bruce White, (UPIU, retired), Waterville
  • Rep. Dan Shagoury, (MSEA-SEIU 1989, retired), Hallowell
  • Rep. Morgan Rielly, (IBEW, former), Westbrook
  • Rep. Marc Malon, (IBEW 1837), Biddeford

House Challengers
 

  • Scott Cuddy (IBEW 1253), Winterport
  • Kilton Webb (IBEW 567), Durham
  • Scott Girardin, (LIUNA 327), Sabattus
  • Dan Lauzon, (BLET), Lebanon
  • David Projansky, (MSEA-SEIU 1989, retired), Lewiston
  • Doris Poland (APWU retired), Windham
  • Nate Burnett (MEA), Hiram
  • David McCrea (MEA, retired), Fort Fairfield

Senate Incumbents

  • Sen. Joe Rafferty, MEA (retired), Kennebunk
  • Sen. Mike Tipping (MSEA-SEIU 1989), Orono
  • Sen. Cameron Reny (MEA), Bristol
  • Sen. Chip Curry (UMPSA), Belfast
  • Sen. Tim Nangle (IAFF), Windham
  • Sen. Dave LaFountain (former IBT), Waterville
  • Sen. Henry Ingwersen (MEA), Arundel

Senate Challenger

  • Michelle Labree Daniels, (CWA 1400), Brewer
  • Vaughn McLaughlin (MEA), Fort Fairfield
  • Ethan Brownell, (MEA), Pittsfield
  • Katie O’Donnell (MEA), Wilton
  • Bruce Bryant (USW), Dixfield

Please let us know if we are missing any union members running for the State Legislature.

How to Support Clean Elections Candidates

Several of these candidates are using the Maine Clean Elections Program, a public campaign financing program aimed at reducing the influence of money in politics by providing public funds to qualifying candidates for state offices. Under the Maine Clean Elections Act, participating candidates for state legislature must collect 60 (State House of Representatives) or 175 (State Senate) $5 qualifying contributions from voters within their district. Once they meet these requirements, every qualifying candidate receives the same set amount of public funds to finance their campaign. Amounts vary depending on which office is being sought.

If you would like to help candidates qualify for Clean Elections Funding visit Maine.gov/cleanelections and contribute $5. You can only contribute to each candidate of your choice one time, and it can be no more or less than $5.