My name is Matthew James Rush, and I am honored to be a candidate for Senate District 2, stretching roughly from Presque Isle to Millinocket. I am a lifelong resident of Houlton and a graduate of Houlton High School in 1976. I grew up in a family of ten children. My father Bob was a potato farmer, and owned Rush Bros. farms with his brother Jimmy. Both my mother and father - Bob and Anne - were very active in local Democratic politics, and as a result, I and many of my siblings are still politically engaged today.
I live in Houlton with my wife of over 40 years, Alane Rush. I have three adult children - Adam, Brianna and Max as well as two grandchildren. I am retired after working many decades as a food sales and vendor where I sold and delivered food products to stores across Aroostook County. My wife Alane is also retired after working several decades as an OB nurse at Houlton Regional Hospital.
Over the years, I have volunteered on some local campaigns in Aroostook County, have worked at the polls, and was a delegate for Barack Obama in his first presidential run. This is my first time giving a shot at running for office, and I would humbly ask for your help and support. If you are able to help by donating $5 to help me qualify for the first round of clean elections that would be a great way to get my campaign off and running. I would also appreciate it if you were willing to help by driving me to knock on doors of voters in your town, by putting up one of my signs or in any other way possible. Thanks for your time and consideration.
We must prioritize economic development in Northern Maine to ensure young people can make a living, raise a family, and stay in our beautiful state. By fostering public-private partnerships, we can collaborate with our universities to promote rural economic growth and access more private and public capital to invest in our local businesses. Additionally, we need to conserve our natural habitat to sustain and grow our tourism-based economy, which provides thousands of jobs. Investing in our local economy means creating opportunities for everyone, from small business owners to families who want to build their future here.
Too often, families in our region are forced to make the difficult choice between paying for childcare or for their family's groceries. During a time of rising costs and staff shortages, finding quality childcare in Northern Maine has gotten increasingly more difficult. We must craft policies that reduce the financial burden on working families, increase access to affordable childcare, and thereby help parents stay in the workforce, promote early childhood development, and strengthen our local economy.
We must invest in education for students of all ages. This means funding Pre-K programs for early childhood development, maintaining state aid for K-12 education, and improving career and technical education for high schoolers. Additionally, we must bolster adult education and workforce training programs. To achieve these goals, we need to offer more incentives to attract and retain dedicated teachers, ensuring a robust educational system that benefits learners of all ages. We must also ensure that all educational techs and support staff receive strong and competitive wages.
We must lower the cost of prescription drugs so that older Mainers aren't unfairly burdened by high prices. We should also prioritize investing in rural hospitals and EMS services to ensure everyone has access to quality healthcare, regardless of where they live. We also need to invest in senior care and long-term care facilities to support our aging population. By prioritizing these initiatives, we can create a healthcare system that is both accessible to all community members.
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