Ever wonder how organizations choose which candidate to endorse in a campaign? 

They do their homework, and they expect candidates to do theirs, too.

Each election cycle, organizations send out questionnaires to every registered candidate. Some pose simple yes-or-no questions about whether a candidate is a member of that particular organization. Some demand blanket pledges, like opposition to all taxes, always. I tend not to respond to those.

Other organizations ask probing questions about the priorities and policies that affect their members, and our whole community. The Maine Education Association, for example, asks what actions candidates would propose and support to combat childhood poverty in Maine, and the Maine State Employees Association asks where candidates stand on the outsourcing of state jobs to private contractors. With the number of Maine children living in extreme poverty at an all-time high, and the recent news that essential roles in the Department of Health and Human Services will be outsourced to a private firm with a sketchy record, these are important questions. The answers directly impact the lives and livelihoods of real people, so I respond to those questionnaires.

As a candidate for public office, there are a lot of demands on my time. As your State Representative, there will be even more. The endorsements I’ve earned – you can read them all here – are not only an indication that I’ve given thorough, intelligent answers to the important questions facing our state, they’re also a promise: I will always do my homework to better serve you. I will always answer your questions. I will always work for our shared priorities.

Kathleen Meil lives in Rockport and is the Democratic candidate to represent House District 94: Camden, Rockport, and Islesboro