A New Deal for Maine

As a student of history, I’m drawn to the past for inspiration in challenging moments. I’ve been thinking a lot about the 1930s. When FDR took office, the shadow of fascism was lengthening across Europe, and at home, the United States was gripped by the most devastating economic depression we had ever faced. The future of America was uncertain, to put it mildly. 

And then, one Mainer changed everything. 

When FDR asked Frances Perkins to be his Secretary of Labor, she didn't just accept the honor. She arrived at his home with a list of "practical possibilities"—a bold, non-negotiable agenda. She told him she wouldn't take the job unless he committed to a federal minimum wage, unemployment insurance, and a program for Social Security. Together, they created the New Deal, reshaping the American economy and ushering in the largest period of economic growth since the industrial revolution. 

I’ve spent the  past few months on a listening tour of Maine, hearing about what keeps people up at night, what’s holding them back, and what they dream for their children. I’ve heard about ways the state is making life better – and the ways in which we’re falling short.

I know the challenges we face are large. Our rights are under attack, our institutions are failing, and too many Mainers are just one emergency away from collapse. We need a bold new vision for what Maine could look like, not just three years from now but 10 or 50 years down the road. 

That’s why I’m proposing A New Deal for Maine. 

Over the next few months I’ll share ideas about ways we can reshape the future of our state – ideas that came from Mainers themselves. Together, we will create:

  • A new deal for Maine where Mainers don’t have to choose between paying for heat, feeding their families, or staying in their homes.

  • A new deal for Maine where everyone has access to healthcare they can afford and a doctor within reach.

  • A new deal for Maine where every child has access to a quality public education and teachers don’t have to work two or three jobs to provide for their families.

  • As Governor, I will roll out A New Deal For Our Economy that will lower property taxes on primary residences, cut utility costs, boost our housing supply, and provide opportunities for new businesses and entrepreneurship. And we’ll pay for it by making the wealthy pay their fair share.

    As I travel the state, one thing stands out over and over again: rising costs have made life unaffordable for too many of our neighbors. Whether it’s high property taxes, rising rents, or increased utility costs, too many people are struggling to make it to the end of the month.

    Together we’ll lower costs for working families by: 

    • Utility Costs: 

      • Cap the rate of return to 6% for utility companies 

      • Installing solar panels for LIHEAP eligible homes 

      • Streamlining permitting and procurement for clean energy projects  

    • Housing: 

      • Expanding the housing fund to support construction and rehabilitation 

      • Creating a Housing Corps program modeled after AmeriCorps to pay people to train in the Trades and put those skills to use in new home construction and rehabilitation of existing structures

      • Boosting investment in the state’s first-time homebuyers programs

    • Small Businesses:

      • Investing in a new Maine Transformation Fund to bring new businesses to Maine and encourage home-grown entrepreneurship

      • Reducing government bureaucracy for business owners with a one-stop-shop online portal for businesses

    • Taxes: 

      • Lowering property taxes for families who live and work in Maine by increasing property taxes on residences owned by people who live out of state

      • Passing a millionaires tax to make the wealthiest pay their fair share

  • My family didn’t have running water or electricity until I was in the fifth grade. And when I started kindergarten, in Mrs. Johnson’s class, I had a lisp, but I had free speech therapy and great teachers at Hancock Grammar School. My third great teacher, Mrs. Clark, and my speech therapist, Mrs Lindbergh, teamed up together to encourage me to read aloud. But for the great teachers and quality public education I received at Hancock Grammar School and Ellsworth High School, I would not be Maine’s first female Secretary of State and Democratic candidate for Governor.

    That’s why investing in free, high-quality, public education for every Maine child is one of my top priorities.I know that every Maine child deserves to have a story like mine– a future that is as bright as they can dream, made possible with a great public education. But that’s slipping away as communities struggle under the weight of rising property taxes – rejecting even modest school budget increases and cutting positions or deferring investment because property taxpayers can’t absorb the increases. This needs to change.

    Quality public education is fundamental to a healthy democracy. It is public education that built America’s middle class and holds the key to Maine’s future.

    That’s why I’m proposing a New Deal for Education including: 

    A New Funding Model

    • 55% funding for education from the state should be a minimum for every school – not a statewide average.

    • More state budget support for teacher and staff salary increases, school meals, infrastructure, training stipends, school supplies and the full costs of special education and english language learning.

    • A property tax freeze statewide for Maine residents paid for by doubling the property taxes for out-of-staters who are buying up our property and taxing millionaires.

    Supports for Teachers:

    • Increasing teacher pay with automatic COLA

    • Providing a mentoring stipend of $10,000, paid for by the state, for experienced teachers who host a student teacher in their classrooms 

    • Travel and training stipends for student teachers so they don’t have to pay out of their own pockets to get student teaching experience.

    • Restoring retirement benefits for Maine teachers so they can retire in dignity.

    • Improving collective bargaining rights for teachers to be able to organize for better pay and working conditions

    Investment In School Infrastructure: 

    • A school infrastructure bond to invest in building new school buildings across the state 

    • Investment in energy and sustainability projects to improve the safety, efficiency and security of school infrastructure while making progress on Maine’s climate goals.

    Supports for Student Success: 

    • Expansion of universal pre-k for every 3 and 4 year old.

    • Investment in quality literacy so that every child can read at grade level.

    • Establishment of school-based health centers in every school with at least one mental health counselor in every school.

    • State funding of school supplies to ensure that students have what they need to learn without teachers paying out of pocket to supply their classroom.

    • Commitment to the arts and STEM learning in every school.

    • Access to the trades for every student who wants to learn basic carpentry, mechanics or other trades skills.

    • Implementation of the Wabanaki studies curriculum with a Wabanaki educator for every district.

    • Commitment to the civil rights of every child, so that every Maine child feels safe and welcome at school.

    Access to College

    • Continuation of free community college for Maine students

    • Free tuition for Pell-eligible students at every University of Maine campus to increase graduation rates and reduce student debt.

  • In every community I’ve traveled I’ve heard from parents who are desperate to have another child, but they’ve done the math, and they can’t afford childcare. This is a moral failure of our state. In the oldest state in the nation, we will not thrive without supporting the needs of young families. I met with a childcare provider in Aroostook County who told me that parents call her and ask when she will have an opening and try to plan their pregnancies around spots in her program – but there simply aren’t enough openings. We can do better.


    That’s why I’m proposing a New Deal for Childcare: Under my administration, Maine is going to have childcare for all. Our childcare plan will be:


    • Universal: No matter where you live or how much you earn, Maine children should have access to nurturing, safe, childcare and education. 

    • Affordable: Child care should be free for many and affordable for all. No one should pay more than 7% of their income on childcare. 

    • A Source of Good Jobs: Childcare workers wages should be enough to thrive, and childcare workers should have access to healthcare coverage through the state.

    • Innovative with Leadership from the Top: As Governor, I will create a cabinet level position for Children and Families with a focus on early childhood supports.


  • As I’ve traveled the state on a listening tour over the past year, one thing that everyone, regardless of who they are or where they live, agrees on is that our healthcare system is terribly broken. I've met with nurses, doctors, patients, hospital administrators, and families all across this state who have shared heartbreaking stories of the challenges we face. Our health care infrastructure is crumbling. Birthing centers are closing. Hospitals are closing. Providers are getting burned out or retiring with no one to take their place. Mainers are struggling with higher health insurance premiums or no health insurance at all, or if they do have insurance, they can’t find a provider within a reasonable distance from where they live. 

    Healthcare is a human right. No one should be sick because they are poor or poor because they are sick.  

    That's why we need A New Deal for Maine's Health Care — where every Mainer has access to care they can afford, providers are supported and paid promptly and fairly, and no one falls through the cracks because of their zip code or their bank account. 

    That’s why my New Deal for Maine Health Care will: 

    • Work Toward Universal Publicly Funded Health Care for All Maine

      • Healthcare is a public good, and under my Administration, decisions about healthcare will be grounded in that approach with a goal of creating a system where everyone is covered and decisions about care are made by providers and patients, not insurance companies.

      • I will establish a Universal Health Care Commission with diverse stakeholders to develop a plan for comprehensive publicly funded health care coverage for all Mainers. I will direct the Commission to explore every available option to get us to universal healthcare access.

    • Save Maine’s Hospitals and Healthcare Infrastructure, including birthing centers, school-based health centers and emergency rooms

      • My very first budget will include direct funding for operating costs to critical providers including hospitals, community health centers (FQHCs) and birthing centers to ensure predictable, sustainable revenue that hospitals and health centers can count on to keep the doors open and maintain access to the most crucial services like primary care, emergency rooms and birthing centers in every community in our state.

      • School-based health centers have a remarkable track record of keeping kids healthy and safe. We should mandate them at the state level and provide the state resources to staff them adequately, so that every child has access to preventive healthcare in school.

      • I will modernize the Department of Health and Human Services to cut red tape and bureaucracy, to reduce administrative costs and burden for providers and pay doctors, hospitals and other practitioners promptly. 

      • We will prevent private equity from buying up our hospitals and practices here in Maine.

      • We will partner with tribal nations and community-based organizations who are working in communities on treatment and prevention to strengthen programs with a proven track record of meeting the needs of our most vulnerable. 

    • Recruit the Healthcare Workforce We Need to Serve Our State So Everyone Can Find a Provider

      • I’ll partner with healthcare leaders to strengthen pathways for workforce development to recruit the next generation of providers through expanded residency and internship programs as well as incentives like loan forgiveness and first-time homebuyer support. Maine has some great programs like Doctors for Maine’s Future and the Healthcare Provider Loan Repayment Program that have gone underfunded for too long. We need to create and sustain incentives to recruit primary care providers, nurses and other healthcare providers to our state to work full-time, particularly in rural areas. 

      • We need to strengthen the state’s public health nursing program to recruit more community-based public health nurses to promote healthy communities everywhere in our state.

      • We will modernize the licensing programs to ensure that the state is reducing administrative barriers to bringing qualified healthcare providers to our state. 

    • Defend Access to Abortion, Contraception and Reproductive Health Services

      • Fully fund family planning including Planned Parenthood.

      • Advocate for a constitutional right to abortion to protect reproductive freedom for generations to come.

      • Stockpile mifepristone and misoprostol (abortion pills) to safeguard medical abortions against federal restrictions.

    • Fight Back Against Profiteering by Insurance Companies, Drug Companies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers to Control Costs.

      • We should utilize every tool in the state’s regulatory toolkit to crack down on profiteering by insurance companies, big Pharma and pharmacy benefit managers to control the costs of premiums, deductibles, uncovered costs and prescription drugs. That includes mandating that pharmacy benefit managers pass all rebates on to consumers or health plans to directly lower premiums and out-of-pocket costs. And if drug companies and pharmacy benefit managers don’t rise to meet the challenge to lower costs, then I’ll work with the Legislature to import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada.

    • Increase Mental Health Care Access

      • Support recruitment, training and retention of mental health care providers to Maine to expand access to mental health and substance use treatment across the state.

      • Increase investments in community-based crisis response before situations escalate.

      • Provide a social worker or mental health counselor in every school to help address youth mental health challenges.

    • Provide Medical Debt Relief for Mainers

      • Protect Mainers’ credit scores from the impact of medical debt.

      • Cancel medical debt for Mainers at 400% the federal poverty level whose medical debt is 5% or more of their income through a public/private partnership with a nonprofit like Undue Medical Debt to leverage philanthropic and state investments to negotiate with hospitals and other providers on the elimination of large, bundled portfolios of qualifying medical debt owed by Mainers.

    • Modernize Technology to Improve Access to Telemedicine Statewide.

      • We need to continue to support efforts to expand rural broadband access and support telemedicine even if the federal government turns their backs on it to ensure that patients, particularly those with limited access to transportation, can get their basic healthcare needs met. 

      • We should implement state-based mobile health units for vaccine access and other preventative healthcare services similar to what I’ve done at the BMV implementing a mobile unit — a BMV branch in a truck — to travel to areas that are underserved.