TAKE ON OUR HOUSING CRISIS
Maine was built by people who work hard, play by the rules, and deserve the chance to live in the communities they love. But today, too many working families, young people, and seniors are being priced out of their own future while a broken system keeps rewarding delay, dysfunction, and inaction.
Maine is stronger and life is better when people can afford to live near where they work, raise families, and stay connected to their communities. Young Mainers can put down roots, older Mainers can age in place with dignity, and our neighborhoods remain vibrant, welcoming, and economically resilient. As Governor, I will move quickly on housing solutions, putting Maine on a fast track to build more homes that people can afford in connected communities, while creating good local jobs and backing the Maine-made solutions that grow our economy. At the same time, I will take bold steps to make homeownership achievable again for young families, working Mainers, and retirees.
#1. Reduce down payments for first-time homebuyers
Too many Mainers are priced out of buying a home. Without the ability to afford a home, young Mainers are looking elsewhere. As Governor, I will create a state-backed down payment guarantee so that qualified first-time buyers can purchase a home with far less cash up front so more young people and more families can put down roots in the towns they love. We can help more young families purchase their first home by reducing the upfront cash barrier without lowering lending standards or handing out grants. This will be done through state-backed down payment guarantees that allow qualified buyers to put down much less than the traditional 20%, and will be structured to eliminate costly private mortgage insurance (PMI) because it reduces lender risk. Right now, the average home in Maine costs about $400,000. A conventional 20% down payment is roughly $80,000, an amount most young working families simply cannot save while paying rent, childcare, student loans, and everyday costs. Mainers already have access to some programs through MaineHousing that help people buy homes with little or no down payment, but many still require PMI and have some limitations that don’t reach all first-time homebuyers that need help. This proposal complements and builds on that foundation by expanding firsttime homebuyer eligibility and having the State stand behind the risk for the amount of the down payment, removing the primary reason mortgage lenders insist on 20% down or costly PMI.
#2. Provide direct mortgage support to make monthly payments affordable
With the cost of the average Maine home in the $400,000s, too many Mainers can’t afford their monthly payments. I hear it time and time again – the cost is just too high for a family budget. As Governor, I will launch a Direct Mortgage Support program that helps families cover part of their monthly mortgage payment in exchange for a fair, capped share of future appreciation when they sell the home - giving your family more breathing room each month. This common-sense, hand-up versus a handout approach helps people build real equity while keeping families housed, reducing foreclosure risk, and conserving taxpayer resources. Directly supporting mortgage payments will support a broad range of Mainers including young families priced out by monthly payments, families struggling to keep up with mortgage payments due to rising living costs, and older Mainers willing to trade a portion of future appreciation for cash flow today and help them age in place. Over time, repayments recycle back into the program, allowing today’s investment to help tomorrow’s families and creating lasting value for Maine. This approach works for Maine because it helps young people enter the housing market and can be a lifeline that enables people to stay in homes where they already live. By lowering monthly payments rather than adding debt, it supports workforce stability, strengthens local economies, and helps households build real equity instead of long-term dependency. This program turns a one-time investment into a durable, long-term housing stability tool.
#3. Expand housing supply by reviving our factory-built housing industry and by repairing the homes we have
We need 80,000 homes in Maine now, just to meet demand. And too many of our homes are rundown and need repair. This is a supply crisis that needs real solutions and answers. As Governor, I will deploy a targeted housing bond to restart Maine’s factory-built housing industry, expand the housing workforce, and repair our existing homes so more families can afford to stay and build a future. I will champion an Innovative Housing Incentive Program to restart and scale factory-built housing, offering operating grants of up to 20%, per-unit incentives of up to $6,000 per home, and a $50,000 bonus for manufacturers committing at least 10% of production to affordable housing. Low-cost loans will support reopening dormant plants and expanding capacity. Using this model, Colorado revitalized a collapsed manufactured housing sector by incentivizing factory-built and modular housing. In-state production grew, reliance on out-of-state housing fell from roughly 90% to under half, and local industry and housing supply were strengthened.
Funding will support the Maine Community College System, in partnership with MaineHousing, to develop installer training, including online programs, and modernize licensing pathways. This ensures Maine has the skilled workforce needed to install homes quickly and at scale.
I will expand the House Accessibility and Repair Program (HARP), providing grants of up to $30,000 for energy and structural upgrades, $15,000 for emergency repairs, and $15,000 for accessibility improvements. This investment will make thousands of unsafe or unmarketable homes warm, safe, and dry, and address a current waitlist of more than 2,000 homes.
Targeted funding will remove repair barriers that prevent homes from qualifying for weatherization programs, allowing more households to reduce energy costs while improving comfort and durability. A new Existing Housing Stock Rehabilitation Program will provide up to $80,000 per unit to nonprofit developers to renovate multifamily buildings and make them available to first-time homebuyers, expanding ownership opportunities without new construction.
#4. Approve housing projects faster through a statewide housing bottleneck audit
Projects are being delayed, and government dysfunction is making families wait too long to get into their homes. It is time to end the dysfunction because we are tired of waiting and cannot afford more delay. As Governor, I will launch a statewide audit to identify where lawful housing projects get stuck and how we can fix delays through better coordination between state and local permitting processes. We will examine overlapping state-level approvals and - in partnership with municipalities - local permitting processes to identify duplication, sequencing issues, and unnecessary delays.
At the state level, the focus will be on streamlining reviews, clarifying agency roles, and removing procedural bottlenecks. At the local level, the State will partner with municipalities to support consistent implementation of zoning, comprehensive plans, and the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code, including expanded training for code enforcement officers and planning boards. The goal is not to add new rules, but to provide clear guidance, shared tools, and technical assistance so projects that follow the rules can move forward efficiently. By reducing bureaucracy and improving coordination, we can move from delay to timely decisions, so homes get built faster and smarter, and when and where Maine families and businesses need them.
WHY THIS MATTERS TO EVERYDAY MAINERS
If you are paying too much for housing, if your energy bill keeps climbing, if your property taxes feel impossible, or if you are tired of watching government excuse failure instead of fixing it, this is about you, your family, and whether your voice still matters in your own government. .
Corruption is not an abstract problem. Insider politics shows up in the cost of everyday life, in the waste built into broken systems, and in the frustration people feel when nobody seems accountable and nobody seems to listen.
I believe Maine can do better. Together, we can have a government that tells the truth, spends wisely, hires well, acts urgently, and remembers that public service is a responsibility to the people, not a reward for the connected. That is how we lower costs, rebuild trust, and move Maine forward.
JOIN THE CAMPAIGN TO TAKE BACK OUR GOVERNMENT
I am building a statewide, grassroots campaign to take power back from the insiders and put it where it belongs –with you, your family, and the people of Maine.. If you believe government should answer to Mainers, if you are tired of the excuses and the waste, and if you want a Governor focused on results instead of political finger-pointing, I’m asking you to join me. .
Together we can fire the corrupt insiders, restore trust in government, and make Maine more affordable for the people who call it home. Your voice matters in this campaign, and it matters in the future we build together.
Have an idea? We want to hear from you. No one has a monopoly on good ideas, and real leadership comes from listening, working together toward a common purpose, and leading with humility and integrity. This campaign will be stronger when your voice is part of it.
