Sara Gideon

Sara Gideon (born December 4, 1971) is an American politician serving as the Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives.[1] A Democrat from Freeport, she represents District 48 in the Maine House of Representatives, which includes part of Freeport and Pownal in Cumberland County.[2]

Sara Gideon
102nd Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives
Assumed office
December 7, 2016
Preceded byMark Eves
Member of the Maine House of Representatives
from the 48th district
Assumed office
December 5, 2012
Preceded byCharles Kruger
Personal details
Born (1971-12-04) December 4, 1971
Rhode Island, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Benjamin Gideon
EducationGeorge Washington University (BA)
Websitewww.saragideon.com

Gideon, who is term-limited from running again for the House, is a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 U.S. Senate election in Maine, for the seat currently held by Susan Collins.

Early life and education

Gideon was born and raised in Rhode Island. Her father is from India, and her mother is a second generation Armenian.[3] She graduated from East Greenwich High School in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, in 1989.[4] In 1994, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in international affairs from George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs in Washington, D.C. She served as an intern for U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell.[5]

Career

In 2004, Gideon moved to Freeport, Maine, and served as Vice Chair of the Freeport Town Council. She also worked as an advertising account executive at USA Today in 2003.[6][7]

First elected to the Maine House in 2012, Gideon was reelected in 2014 and chosen as Assistant Majority Leader of the Maine House of Representatives. In 2016, she was elected as Speaker by the House.[8] As a legislator, she sponsored legislation to expand abortion access and extended state benefits to families in poverty.[9] She also supported Medicaid expansion in Maine, including the 2017 referendum on the topic, and helped override Governor Paul LePage's veto of a bill to make the anti-overdose drug Narcan available over the counter.[10]

On June 24, 2019, Gideon announced that she will be running in the 2020 Senate election to challenge Susan Collins.[11] In the first week of her campaign, she raised more than one million dollars.[12] She has been endorsed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.[13]

Electoral history

2020 U.S. Senate election
Main article: 2020 United States Senate election in Maine

Sara Gideon is challenging Republican incumbent Susan Collins as a Democrat in Maine’s 2020 Senate election. The election will be held on November 3, 2020.

Maine House elections

2012
Maine House of Representatives District 106, 2012 Democratic Primary[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Gideon 534 50.47%
Democratic Melanie F. Sachs 470 44.30%
Democratic Patrick T. Norton 46 4.34%
Blank 11 1.04%
Total votes 1,061 100%
Maine House of Representatives District 106, 2012 General Election[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Gideon 3,525 62.85%
Republican Jody James 1,837 32.75%
Blank 247 4.40%
Total votes 5,609 100%
Democratic hold

2014
Maine House of Representatives District 48, 2014 Democratic Primary[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Gideon (incumbent) 646 90.99%
Blank 64 9.01%
Total votes 710 100%
Maine House of Representatives District 48, 2014 General Election[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Gideon (incumbent) 3,226 63.93%
Republican Paul Schulz 1,589 31.49%
Blank 231 4.58%
Total votes 5,046 100%
Democratic hold

2016
Maine House of Representatives District 48, 2016 Democratic Primary[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Gideon (incumbent) 629 93.88%
Blank 41 6.12%
Total votes 670 100%
Maine House of Representatives District 48, 2016 General Election[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Gideon (incumbent) 3,994 66.08%
Republican Paul Schulz 1,589 30.46%
Blank 209 3.46%
Total votes 6,044 100%
Democratic hold

2018
Main article: 2018 Maine House of Representatives election § District 48
Maine House of Representatives District 48, 2018 Democratic Primary[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Gideon (incumbent) 1,431 93.00%
Blank 110 7.00%
Total votes 1,571 100%
Maine House of Representatives District 48, 2018 General Election[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sara Gideon (incumbent) 4,003 71.85%
Republican Paul Schulz 1,440 25.85%
Blank 128 2.30%
Total votes 5,571 100%
Democratic hold

See also

References
  1. "Maine House of Representatives: Sara Gideon". Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  2. Gardner, Kate (November 5, 2014). "Democrats Cooper, Gideon retain southern Maine House seats". The Forecaster. Bangor Daily News. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  3. Dispatches, From News. "Indian-American Sara Gideon announces bid to unseat longtime Maine Senator Susan Collins". IndiaAbroad.com. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  4. McNamara, Elizabeth (June 25, 2019). "EGHS Alum Sara Gideon ('89) In Race for U.S. Senate in Maine". East Greenwich News. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  5. Touchberry, Ramsey. "Who Is Sara Gideon? Democrat Challenges Susan Collins, Cites Senator's Vote for Brett Kavanaugh". Newsweek.com. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  6. "Sara Gideon". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  7. "The Final Word | Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon". www.ncsl.org. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  8. Writer, Scott ThistleStaff (November 18, 2016). "Democrats pick Freeport's Rep. Sara Gideon to be next speaker of Maine House". Press Herald. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  9. Saul, Stephanie (June 24, 2019). "Sara Gideon to Challenge Susan Collins for Maine Senate Seat". The New York Times. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  10. Jones, Sarah (June 24, 2019). "Susan Collins Has a New Democratic Challenger". The Cut. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  11. Pindell, James (June 24, 2019). "Sara Gideon, speaker of the Maine House, to challenge Susan Collins". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  12. Press, Associated. "Sara Gideon touts early fundraising success in run for Senate seat". www.wabi.tv. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  13. Everett, Burgess. "Inside Susan Collins' reelection fight in the age of Trump". Politico.
  14. Albair, Rebecca (July 2, 2012). "6-12-2012 Primary Election Representative to Legislature - Democratic" (XLSX). Maine Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  15. "November 6, 2012 General Election Tabulations State Representative by District and Town". Maine Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions. November 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  16. Albair, Rebecca (June 20, 2014). "6-10-2014 Primary Election Representative to Legislature - Democratic" (XLSX). Maine Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  17. Albair, Rebecca (November 13, 2014). "Representative to the Legislature" (XLSX). Maine Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  18. Packard, Melissa (June 22, 2016). "6-14-2016 Primary Election Representative to Legislature - Democratic" (XLSX). Maine Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  19. Packard, Melissa (November 18, 2016). "Representative to the Legislature" (XLSX). Maine Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  20. Packard, Melissa (June 26, 2018). "6-12-2018 Primary Election Representative to Legislature - Non-Ranked-choice Offices - Democratic" (XLSX). Maine Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  21. Lajoie, Louisa (November 30, 2018). "State Representative" (XLSX). Maine Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
Maine House of Representatives
Preceded by
Charles Kruger		 Member of the Maine House of Representatives
from the 48th district district
2012–present		 Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Mark Eves		 Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives
2016–present		 Incumbent
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