I stand for higher wages and for Medicare for all. But more importantly, my record and experience sets me apart. I have served in the Legislature for the last four years, and as the House assistant majority leader for the past two years I’ve fought to protect health care, workers' rights and unions, the environment, education, and equality.

My family’s struggle to maintain affordable health care is the issue that got me into this race. A diagnosis of skin cancer in 2015 and the snowball of bills around that high deductible almost pushed our family into bankruptcy. In addition to running my online book business I also work a full-time job running the Islesboro Transfer Station to make sure that my family is covered and we don’t slide down that slippery slope again. I would fight every day for universal health coverage funded in the same way that we currently fund Medicare. In addition, I propose a 10 percent Health Care Coverage Fee based on the wages of every working person in the United States: 5 percent paid by the employer and 5 percent paid by the employee. This fee would create a large enough pool to fund a universal system of coverage for every American’s basic health care needs. Not only do we cover everyone, it is also good for business since health care coverage would be a stable expense that is easily budgeted.

All of the Democratic candidates would be an improvement over Congressman Poliquin, who has voted for a tax giveaway to his wealthy donors and to take health care away from more than 100,000 Mainers. Mainers deserve someone in Congress who will represent them, not Wall Street.

I am the only candidate in the race who joined the lawsuit to force the state to implement ranked-choice voting. After multiple attempts to delay or block implementation, including a suit from Republicans in the state Senate that went all the way to the Maine Supreme Court, voters will use ranked-choice voting in June.

Without the lawsuit that we filed along with other supporters of ranked-choice voting, it’s not at all clear that the politicians in Augusta wouldn’t have been successful in their attempts to derail voting reforms supported by the people.

There’s no way to predict whether any of the candidates in the race will benefit more from a ranked-choice election. In the end, it could cost me the race, but I believe political leaders should do what’s right, even if it might hurt them politically. Supporting ranked-choice voting, defending the will of the voters and ensuring that the state could move forward with a timely implementation was the right thing to do.

The nation faces a number of pressing issues, including an economy that is producing stagnant wages, a health care system under attack and a national debt that is set to grow immensely thanks to short-sighted spending and tax policy supported by Bruce Poliquin. I also believe that the divisive nature of our politics is a growing threat. We need to stop viewing the other side as an enemy and recognize that we are all in this together. Democrats, Republicans and independents — we are all Americans.

Skyrocketing health care coverage costs effects everyone in the United States, especially in Maine with an aging population and a growing opioid abuse problem. First, I’d introduce a bill that requires a drop of Medicare eligibility from 65 to 55 and begin the repair of the damage to the ACA done under the current administration. Once that market is stabilized, I would move forward on universal health care coverage based on a 10 percent Universal Health Care Coverage Fee. Next, I’d introduce a bill requiring all members of Congress and their staff to obtain their health care coverage within the states they represent and not through the Washington, D.C., market.

The most pressing issue facing our country right now is the cost of health care and prescription medicine. Even families who have coverage are struggling to pay for it, and they’re worried that it won’t be there when they need it. People can’t afford to see a doctor and are worried about whether they’ll be able to keep their insurance. They know the system is broken.

I support expanding Medicare into a universal system and allowing the program to negotiate for lower prescription drug costs. I will oppose any effort to cut Medicare, Medicaid and to privatize VA health care, and I will work to strengthen rural hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers.

In addition I strongly support Planned Parenthood, recognizing the critical role the organization plays in providing access to health care.

Finally, I will work to ensure that mental health care is treated on par with physical health care and that we take a national approach to combating opioid addiction.

I believe it is time to revisit trade deals that have shipped good-paying, American jobs overseas. Tariffs can be a part of the discussion when other countries are not fair trading partners. That is not the case for our primary steel trading partners in Europe. These tariffs specifically will not help Maine’s workers or businesses and will increase costs on equipment and other inputs in Maine. I would support tariffs that target countries with poor labor practices, lax environmental standards or who manipulate their currency. Another way to help American steel workers would be to prioritize American steel and labor for government-funded infrastructure projects. If we want to rebuild America, we should use American steel and workers.

Any tariffs that are not negotiated by the Department of Commerce and State Department will cause even greater damage to U.S. workers and businesses. Why isn’t anyone sitting back and deciding whether tariffs help or hurt the U.S. economy? It seems like that should be the most important question. We live and trade in a global economy, and any imbalance causes massive repercussions. As an example, the increase in solar panel installation and the reduction in unit price has enabled consumers to reduce their dependence on coal-based electricity and heating with fuel oil by switching to heat pumps and other electric-based forms of heat. Imposing steep tariffs on those panels will move us back to square one and greater fossil fuel dependency. We cannot backtrack on fossil fuel. We must look forward to alternative energy in order to spur new businesses and industries, as well as helping the environment.

Past trade deals have had mixed results – at best – for Maine workers and manufacturing. Going forward, we need to strengthen our trading relationships to ensure U.S. workers are competing on a level playing field. But I have serious concerns about placing tariffs on steel and aluminum. Increasing the price of steel and aluminum has the potential to hurt important U.S. industries, such as energy, transportation and construction. I’m also worried about the impact high steel costs could have on Bath Iron Works.

Research from the 2001 tariffs imposed by President George W. Bush suggests that more American workers lost their jobs because of the tariffs than gained jobs.

I’m also concerned about the impact that a trade war could have on Maine exports. We need to grow the number and types of value-added products that Maine exports, and a trade war makes that much more difficult.

I do not support any rollback of Medicare or Social Security. If anything, given the rising cost of living, we should be looking at expanding the Social Security benefit by removing the loophole that allows the wealthy to avoid paying into Social Security on all of their income. I will fight against all efforts to privatize these vital programs.

We must guard against those who see Social Security and Medicare as an “entitlement” despite the fact that we have all paid into the system the entirety of our working lives and deserve every penny we put into it. Let’s bring younger people back to Maine. They can help with our economy and our state generally. We need to update our infrastructure and expand broadband throughout the entire state. Other parts of the country are creating strategies to attract younger families, helping them with loans and education funding, something we should be doing in Maine. This will also help the older generation by bringing in more specialized care and letting them age in place, compared to having to leave their homes and possibly their communities for live-in care.

I oppose any effort to cut, privatize or weaken Social Security, including raising the retirement age, cutting benefits and slashing cost of living increases.

We need to expand Social Security to ensure that it appropriately recognizes the economic contributions of women who are widowed or needed to leave the workforce to care for their children, parents or other family member.

We also need to modernize the Social Security cost of living adjustments to recognize that older Mainers pay a disproportionate amount of their income on high-cost items such as health care and prescription medicine.

Finally we must fix, once and for all, problems with the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset that make Maine teachers ineligible for Social Security. Teachers and other public servants deserve their retirement benefits.

I support Congress rescheduling cannabis and leaving decisions about legalization to the states. Under such a system, states would be allowed to legalize, decriminalize or maintain prohibition of cannabis without fear of a heavy-handed federal response.

Yes. I believe it should be taxed and regulated in the same way as tobacco and alcohol. Take Colorado as an example, the amount of taxes they have gathered from marijuana sales have helped their state immeasurably. Going forward, I would introduce legislation that a portion of the taxes gained at the federal level are used for research into the long-term effects of marijuana on users as well as its effectiveness in treating chronic pain, cancer treatment side effects and as an alternative for opioid prescriptions.

The majority of Americans live in states where medical marijuana, recreational marijuana or both are legal. Yet there federal law is clear that marijuana for any use remains against the law. This inconsistency is dangerous, bad for patients who use marijuana to treat illness and bad for law enforcement.

The U.S. Congress should either legalize marijuana to provide national consistency, which I support, or develop a waiver system that allows states to apply for an exemption to federal marijuana law based on a strict state regulatory system.

Regulations and laws regarding marijuana should focus on preventing bad outcomes, as outlined in the Cole Memo from the Obama Justice Department: preventing the distribution to minors; preventing revenue from benefiting criminal enterprises, gangs and cartels; preventing marijuana from being used as a cover for other illegal drugs; preventing violence and the use of firearms in regards to cultivation and distribution; and preventing drugged driving.

We also know that there is racial disparity in the way people are treated in regards to marijuana possession that legalization could remedy. Legalization would help to address this.

Trade. People are right to be frustrated that the government, under both parties, has elevated corporate profits over the well-being of America’s workers in most trade deals. This needs to stop.

Our trade policies must once again focus on creating economic opportunity for middle- and working-class Americans first. The United States must stop using trade agreements as investment deals for the world’s wealthiest corporations and instead prioritize higher wages, safer work and meaningful environmental standards.

I have grave concerns about the current Democratic leadership. Sometimes, people just last too long and that ends up not being to anyone’s benefit. Nancy Pelosi, despite her qualifications, has become a lightning rod that I believe has become a distraction for the Democratic Party. I know she has deep feelings for the party and feel that her experience and intricate knowledge of Congress and the political process would be invaluable in mentoring upcoming younger members. I also believe we need a focused and expansive bipartisan review of our immigration policy. Our party needs new energy, spirit, and invigoration. I intend to bring that to Washington.

First and foremost, my votes will be to support the people in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District and what’s best for them and their families, not the wishes of leadership.

I disagree with the efforts of congressional leaders to interfere in primaries, where they want to pick candidates before voters ever have a chance to weigh in. Democratic primary voters are smart, they’re engaged and they’re enthusiastic, particularly this year. They don’t need people in Washington telling them how to vote or who the best candidate is.

I would have voted to oppose the reauthorization of the FISA Act, which allows the government to collect communications on Americans without a warrant. Reauthorization should have included greater safeguards for the privacy of U.S. citizens and better protections against government overreach in the surveillance of Americans.

I do not support raising the age for rifle purchases to 21.

Banning the sale of semiautomatic weapons would make virtually all handguns and most hunting rifles illegal. I would oppose such a ban.

I would support efforts to begin a debate about whether high-capacity magazines should be limited.

I grew up on a farm and learned to fish and hunt at an early age. We must always have a 2nd Amendment, and I hope that our children grow up with and know how to handle guns in a safe and responsible manner. Once properly trained through an approved gun safety course there is no reason for someone to wait to purchase or own a rifle until they are 21. If you can vote and serve in the military at 18, why should gun ownership for law-abiding individuals be limited?

Having said that, I am in full support of banning semiautomatic, assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. There is no legitimate reason for either of those that I can think of. I appreciate the fact that many people may feel differently but let’s start by having a serious, rational discussion about our gun laws.

I own guns, shoot and hunt. I believe in the 2nd Amendment. But I also know that we have to find a place in this country where we can talk about gun violence without retreating to our corners. Perhaps starting with the idea that mass shootings – and particularly shootings at schools – are a uniquely American problem and that they are completely unacceptable. Let’s acknowledge that this doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world and then take an honest look at why.

I support instituting extreme risk protection orders, a ban on bump stocks and strengthening the background check system. I also support limitations on assault-style weapons and large capacity magazines. The definitions matter: Not all semiautomatic weapons are assault-style weapons, and we need to be clear about what we mean. I support raising the age to purchase a rifle to 21.

There’s not one solution that will stop every horrible tragedy, but there are a combination of policies that can make a difference. I refuse to accept that there’s nothing that can be done. I refuse to accept that this kind of carnage is somehow the price we have to pay to be Americans. We need to have a real conversation about all the factors that allow these mass shootings to occur and then take action.

I have not and will not accept donations from the NRA, but the real issue is not the organization. It’s politicians who won’t stand up to it and to other special interests and do what’s necessary to keep our kids safe.

Congress should take a holistic approach to ensuring election integrity which should include the following steps:

1. Require transparency for all advertising relating to elections so that voters know who is paying for the ads, whether they run online or on television.
2. Congress should fund improvements to the nation’s election infrastructure to make sure that it is as secure as can be.
3. Make sure that investigations into claims of Russian meddling are independent and protected from partisan influence on either side.

I am in complete support of legislation that would keep Robert Mueller as special counsel for the Russia investigation and allows a continued and full investigation on the extent of the meddling of Russia. If evidence of further meddling comes to light, we must increase sanctions, and pushing for those sanctions to actually be implemented and respected. I am astonished that more members of Congress, be they Democrats or Republicans, have not come forward to support such legislation. We also have to take a good hard look at the security and integrity of our ballot and voter information and strengthen our security around them.

To date, neither Congress nor the president has released a comprehensive strategic plan to counter the threat posed to our democracy by foreign governments. That’s unacceptable.

The U.S. intelligence community is united in its belief that Russia meddled in the 2016 election, yet Congress has done little to counter the threat. We know, for example, that at least 21 states were targeted by hackers trying to penetrate their election systems. Those efforts are in addition to the massive efforts to sway public opinion using stolen social media data and targeted, inflammatory and often false information. We must take action to counter this threat before the 2018 midterm elections, which includes helping voters to understand what has happened in the past and what is happening right now.

We need to increase funding for the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the Election Assistance Commission so that they can counter these attacks and provide states with the information and tools they need to fight back.

We must increase transparency, both in terms of what the government knows about the efforts to influence U.S. elections and with online and social media advertising. The government needs to tell us what it knows when that information can help us protect ourselves. And we need to ensure that voters know who is trying to influence their vote and how. We need to bring greater disclosure requirements on Facebook, Twitter and other online platforms in regards to political advertising, and we need tighter oversight of technology companies to protect user privacy and data.

Additionally, a report released earlier this year by Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee included smart ideas, including greater collaboration among government agencies and departments, similar to the National Counterterrorism Center that allows for a coordinated rapid response from the U.S. The report also recommended greater support for State Department efforts to counter propaganda in other countries and to help our allies secure their elections from Russian efforts to interfere. Both are good ideas.

Congress should take the following comprehensive steps to address opioids in Maine and around the nation:

Prevention

• Increase funding for education and drug prevention programs in schools and communities.
• Strengthen and expand drug take-back programs so we can get unwanted or unnecessary prescription drugs out of homes.
• Address prescribing practices to limit opioid access.
• Hold big pharmaceutical companies accountable for flooding markets with highly addictive prescription drugs.

Treatment and Recovery

• Increase access to life-saving medications like Naloxone.
• Support programs that increase public awareness of treatment and recovery options for addiction and substance abuse disorder.
• Increase funding and access to treatment opportunities, and provide those in need with more sustainable options for recovery.
• Establish and expand both outpatient and inpatient recovery services to assist those seeking treatment.
• Fully expand Medicaid in Maine, and increase reimbursement rates.
• Work with providers to treat the opioid epidemic’s youngest victims — newborn children who are born drug dependent.
• Support research and discovery of new and novel treatments for addiction and substance abuse disorder.

Law Enforcement

• Ensure law enforcement agencies prioritize the arrest and prosecution of drug dealers and traffickers over users.
• Fund pre-charge diversion programs and drug courts to ensure people get treatment opportunities rather than prison and jail sentences.
• Create and expand treatment and recovery options in correctional facilities for those serving prison and jail sentences.

I would be in favor of bringing the manufacture of opioid medication in this country, and every other country, to an immediate end. People existed without opioids for years and the death toll we live with today is completely unacceptable. Limited manufacture of some pain medication — morphine, for example — might make some sense, but our current situation is intolerable. Opioid manufacturers and their sales forces have created so much harm and tragedy that virtually everyone in the 2nd District has been touched by this epidemic. Opioid manufacturers need to be brought to account for the billions of dollars they have made selling death and destruction to the rest of us and need to answer for their conduct just as we did with the tobacco industry. I will lead that charge and I look forward to the opportunity to do so.

In the interim, I favor decriminalizing opioid abuse use by individuals and will support legislation to provide assistance, through increased funding to treatment programs and facilities that treat the person first, with no judgment. Narcan should easily available to anyone who wants it. Legalization of marijuana would provide an organic, natural substance to help treat the chronic pain that started the addiction. Universal Health Care Coverage must be enacted so that treatment is available for all instead of victims beginning to self-medicate once they are addicted to the substance and do not have the support of substance abuse and medical professionals.

Opioids are killing more than one Maine person every day. There is a lot of talk from politicians about the issue, but we are well past the time for talk, study groups, or committees. It is time to act and save lives. Here are my specific ideas to fight opioid addiction and overdose:

1. Begin by recognizing addiction as a public health emergency and reduce the stigma associated with receiving treatment.
2. Restore the DEA’s power to shutdown drug distributors who refuse to curb diversion.
3. Support the INTERDICT Act, which will improve the ability of US Customs and Border Protection to stop fentanyl, synthetic opioids and other narcotics from coming into the country.
4. Dramatically expand evidence-based treatment programs at the community level by passing the Respond NOW Act, which would create a $25 billion opioid response fund and dedicate more than $18 billion to state efforts to expand medication-assisted treatment.
5. Create new supports for families and children impacted by opioid addiction.
6. Expand access to Naloxone by allowing third-party prescriptions, expand distributions programs and pass Good Samaritan and liability protections so that providers or people responding to an overdose aren’t punished for acting in good faith.