Candidate Profiles

JIM BOYLE

Jim Boyle, a small business owner, forester, and environmental scientist is running for office for the first time as a Democrat in Senate District six, which includes all of Gorham and large parts of Westbrook and Scarborough. Boyle is running to fill a seat left vacant by fellow Democrat Phil Bartlett, who has been termed out. Jim’s experience as a small business owner, and his knowledge about land use and environmental issues help him understand some of the most important issues facing Maine people. 

Jim will stand up for workers and small businesses to find solutions to the lack of good paying jobs with benefits and affordable healthcare. He also will support the development of job training opportunities for the jobs that are already available.

Jim is running against Ruth Summers, a Republican from Scarborough and current vice chairperson of the Maine Republican Party. Ruth is also the wife of US Senate candidate and Secretary of State Charlie Summers, who was a strong proponent of repealing same-day voting rights and implementing voter id restrictions at the polls.

COLEEN LACHOWITZ

Colleen Lachowicz, a social worker from Waterville, is running for Senate District 25 which includes Waterville, Winslow, Benton, Albion, Pittsfield, Detriot, Clinton and Unity Plantation. Colleen’s life and career in social work has given her an understanding of the challenges that average Mainers face trying to support themselves and their families.

If elected, Colleen has pledged to fight for policies that improve access to affordable health care, promote economic fairness, and increase educational and vocational opportunities that provide a path to jobs that pay a living wage.

Her opponent, Republican Senator Tom Martin has spent his first term in office as a rubber stamp for the Lepage administration. His vote for the health insurance rate hike bill hurt small businesses all over the state by raising their insurance rates. His support for a bill that stripped Decoster workers of their right to organize puts him squarely on the side of the extreme right in its attacks on working men and women, while his vote for Lepage’s DHHS budget resulted in the thousands of vulnerable Mainers losing their badly needed health care.

A victory over a conservative politician like Tom Martin in Paul Lepage’s home town will send a message that the far-right agenda of Republicans is not what the people of Maine deserve, or want. MPA and other organizations are mobilizing hundreds of volunteers in the area in a grassroots campaign that includes community meetings, house parties, town hall events and door to door conversations and voter registration.

CHRIS JOHNSON

In February, Democrat Chris Johnson won a special election for the vacant seat in Senate District 20 which includes all of Lincoln County and the towns of Windsor, Friendship and Washington. Since then Chris has continued to work hard, both in the State House and in his district.

Chris came into the State House and immediately became a strong voice in the Legislature for thousands of elderly Mainers and young children, voting to protect them from unnecessary budget cuts. In the short time that he’s been in the Senate, Chris has already voted to protect businesses from health insurance rate hikes and opposed Republican plans to give a tax break that would overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest 1% of Mainers while cutting funding for local schools and firefighters.

Chris is running against Representative Les Fossel, who worked with other Republican legislators to push through LePage’s extreme budget that slashed Head Start funding and kicked more than 10,000 Mainers off of MaineCare, all while giving the wealthy a new tax break.

Maine People’s Alliance members in the Midcoast are working hard in Senate District 20 to re-elect Chris Johnson because we know he will continue to be a positive voice and leader in Augusta for issues that really matter for working class Mainers.

GEOFF GRATWICK

Geoff Gratwick, a doctor who has lived and worked in Bangor for more than 35 years, is running as a Democrat in Senate District 32, which includes Bangor and Hermon. Part of Geoff’s motivation to run comes from his service on the Bangor City Council and as private practice physician serving over 25,000 rural Mainers.

In his practice, he’s seen first-hand how the rising cost of health insurance is making it even harder for Maine families to get by. Geoff is passionate about creating a health care system that works for all Maine people. He also understands that we cannot continue to give tax breaks to the wealthy if we want strong, local economies built on good paying jobs and a strong public education system.

His opponent, Republican incumbent Nichi Farnham, has voted to put more tax breaks in the pockets of the rich, cut vital funding for Head Start, gut MaineCare, deny people injured on the job workers’ compensation, and take away the right to register to vote on Election Day. As chair of the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee, she led the charge against Maine’s Clean Election system and voted for the health insurance rate hike bill - choosing to pad profits for insurance companies by raising rates on small businesses and rural Mainers.

From now until Election Day, Penobscot Valley Chapter members will be talking to voters, registering new ones, and working to send Geoff to Augusta.

JOHN CLEVELAND

John Cleveland has deep roots in Auburn – he’s a small business owner, former mayor of Auburn and a former state senator. John is running in Senate District 16 which includes Auburn, Poland, Durham and New Gloucester. His focus in the Maine Senate will be to attract new jobs to his district and to help small businesses grow and prosper. He supports expanding access to health care and opposed the cuts to vital health care and social programs in the last legislative session.

His opponent, Republican Senator Lois Snowe-Mello of Poland, a retired beautician and social worker, is serving her third non-consecutive term in office and this year essentially rubber-stamped all of Governor LePage’s extreme, conservative policies. Her vote for the rate hike bill hurt small businesses all over the state by raising their insurance rates, and her vote for the DHHS cuts resulted in the thousands of vulnerable Mainers losing their badly needed health care. Senator Snowe-Mello even voted against a school funding bill that would have given schools in her district an additional $1 million in funding.

John is running an aggressive door-to-door campaign in all four towns in his district. MPA members in the Lewiston-Auburn area are ready to support John and send someone to Augusta who won’t balance our state budgets on the backs of the most vulnerable.

JOHN TUTTLE

John Tuttle, an EMT from Sanford and a long-time member of the Maine Legislature, is running for Senate District 3 which includes Sanford, Alfred, Waterboro, Limington and Lyman. After serving four consecutive terms in the Maine House, John has proven himself to be a leader on issues that MPA members believe are critical to moving our state forward.

A staunch champion of labor rights, John is the sort of elected official willing to stand up to attacks on hardworking Mainers. In a time when the LePage administration is committed to weakening environmental protections and demonizing education professionals, John Tuttle will be a consistent and respected voice and vote for the needs of MPA members and voters in the Sanford area.

John Tuttle was the first candidate in the Sanford region to commit to attending one of MPA’s town hall events where he articulated the need for affordable health insurance and a plan to put Mainers back to work at living-wage jobs. MPA members and leaders in York County are excited to work hard and send John Tuttle back to Augusta.