TAKING ON MAINE’S ECONOMIC FUTURE
Mainers are known for hard work, grit and determination. But over the past decade it has not felt like that is enough. Maine should be a place where your hard work leads somewhere. A place where young people can stay, families can put down roots, employers can find the workers they need, and communities can grow without losing what makes them special. But right now, too many Mainers feel like the future is slipping away and they are looking across our state line. And too many young people look at the state they love and wonder if they can afford to build a life here. That did not happen by accident. It happened because the people in power prioritized political parties and special interests first, while everyday Mainers are paying the price. My economic plan starts with a simple goal: make Maine a place people can afford to stay, and then give them every reason to.
HELPING MAINE BUSINESSES GROW AND HIRE
In Maine, we pride ourselves on hard work, small businesses, and communities that still believe in showing up for each other. Our employers are ready to grow, hire, and invest, but too many are being held back by workforce shortages, rising costs, red tape, and a state system that is harder to navigate than it needs to be. When businesses cannot find workers, expand operations, or get clear answers from government, the consequences ripple far beyond the workplace. Families lose opportunity, young people leave, local economies stall, and Maine falls further behind. That is not a failure of effort from our business community. It is a failure of leadership in Augusta. For too long, government has made it harder to grow instead of helping create the conditions for success. As Governor, I will focus on what matters: cutting through bureaucracy, improving access to capital, strengthening the workforce pipeline, and making state government a real partner in helping Maine businesses grow, compete, and create the good jobs our communities need.
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Business owners should not have to chase answers through a maze of disconnected agencies and programs. As Governor, I will create one clear front door for business support so entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and employers can get help faster and spend less time fighting bureaucracy.
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Too many Maine businesses are ready to expand but cannot find the capital they need here at home. As Governor, I will launch a Maine Growth Fund that brings together state and private investment so growing Maine businesses can create jobs, expand operations, and stay rooted here.
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Maine has great researchers, smart ideas, and real entrepreneurial talent. We need to do a better job turning that into products, companies, and paychecks in our state. As Governor, I will strengthen partnerships that help innovation become job growth, not just good ideas that leave Maine.
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Businesses need a government that works better, faster, and smarter. As Governor, I will focus on the basics that matter to employers: workforce, permitting, infrastructure, capital, and customer service. Maine does not need more speeches about growth. It needs results that businesses and workers can depend on.
PROTECTING MAINE’S HERITAGE INDUSTRIES
Maine should not chase someone else’s economy, and we should not let leaders talk us into believing that our future depends on becoming less like ourselves. Our future is strongest when we build on what has always made Maine work: working waterfronts, farms, forests, small businesses, outdoor assets, and communities that still know how to make things, solve problems, and show up for one another. These are not old ideas to be left behind. They are the foundation of a strong and lasting Maine economy. When we invest in the people, industries, and places that make this state different, we create the kind of growth that is rooted here, creates real opportunity, and keeps more of Maine’s future in Maine. As Governor, I will protect what makes this state special while making sure it also works for the next generation.
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Maine’s working waterfronts are part of who we are and part of how this state earns a living. As Governor, I will invest in harbor infrastructure, protect working access, and help fishing communities capture more of the value they harvest.
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Maine should be a place where farmers can stay on the land, grow their businesses, and help feed our communities. As Governor, I will support land access, low-interest financing, farmland protection, and the food infrastructure that helps Maine agriculture grow stronger.
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Maine's forests are one of our greatest economic strengths, but we need to do more with them here at home. As Governor, I will support mass timber, strengthen research and product development, and connect the forest economy to housing, manufacturing, and good jobs.
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Maine’s natural beauty is not just something we protect. It is part of our economic future. As Governor, I will support parks, trails, recreation infrastructure, and rural communities so more of the economic benefit of Maine’s outdoor assets stay in Maine.
