POLAND — Elijah Breton has announced his campaign for election for the District 65 seat in the Maine House of Representatives.

The seat is held by Ellie Espling, R-New Gloucester.

Breton, 21, of Poland graduated from the Poland Regional High School in 2012 and is a senior at Ithaca College in New York. He is pursuing a double major in sport studies and communication.

In a written statement announcing his run, Breton said, “I am incredibly excited to announce my candidacy with the Democratic Party to represent District 65.” 

In his statement, Breton said he was born and raised in a working-class family in Poland and brings “youth, a fresh renewed perspective and a great amount of energy, which are things the Maine Legislature desperately needs.”

“I have always been passionate about giving back and I believe running for state representative would be the best way to (do) so for a district that has already given me so much,” he said. “It is evident that Maine’s younger citizens are leaving the state to pursue careers elsewhere across the nation. We need to ensure that the future of this state is bright and creating programs and jobs incentivizing the youth to stay are one of the many ways to do that.

“I appreciate Maine’s manufacturing history and culture, and am saddened by our paper mills closing,” he said. “However, we need to look to the future of Maine manufacturing. I would like to manufacture more renewable energy statewide, similar to how Buffalo, N.Y., is manufacturing solar panels in old steel factories. This is an initiative that would create excitement among younger citizens, while generating jobs for Maine citizens.”

And, he said, “I also want to focus on creating more small business opportunities within the district and the state through cutting corporate taxes, which are some of the highest in the nation.”

District 65 covers New Gloucester and part of Poland.

Copy the Story Link