Name: Janet Beaudoin

Age: 43

Occupation: Property management

Political experience: Lewiston School Committee, 2021-present

What makes you the most qualified or best candidate for this seat?

Lewiston has been my home for 26 years, and my involvement here has never been passive. I’ve raised my family here, volunteered in our schools, and I’ve stepped up when local decisions mattered.

Serving on the School Committee has given me hands-on experience making tough choices about budgets, priorities, and accountability, often in situations where there were strong disagreements and no easy answers. I’ve learned how to listen, work through conflict, and make decisions that balanced fiscal responsibility with the needs of students and families.

That local governing experience is exactly what I would bring to Augusta. I understand how state-level decisions land in real communities like Lewiston, and I’m prepared to be a voice who asks hard questions, pushes for practical solutions, and follows through.

Name two issues critical to the district’s future. If elected, how do you plan on addressing them?

Rising costs are putting real pressure on Lewiston families and seniors, especially when wages haven’t kept pace. Housing, property taxes and energy costs are hitting harder here, particularly in older housing stock where heating bills can be overwhelming.

In the Legislature, I will focus on pushing back against policies that drive up housing and energy costs in cities like Lewiston and make it harder for working people to get ahead. Even when change is incremental, a strong local voice can challenge one-size-fits-all decisions and advocate for policies that reflect the economic reality of our community.

People also deserve to trust that public dollars are used honestly and for their intended purpose. Recent cases in the Lewiston area involving MaineCare overbilling and misuse of charitable funds have shaken that trust. My focus is accountability, not targeting people who legitimately rely on MaineCare or the many interpreters and service providers who do important, ethical work. I will push for full audits of programs and organizations receiving public funds, demand criminal referrals when fraud is uncovered, work to recover stolen money and stop payments to organizations that abuse the system. Those resources should be protected for the people who truly need them.

What actions will you take to support business and grow the economy?

Even in the minority, legislators can slow bad bills, improve good ones and be a strong advocate for their district. That’s how I would approach this job. I will do my best to regularly meet with local business owners, especially small businesses that are essential to Lewiston’s recovery and growth.

I will oppose mandates and regulations that make it harder to operate or expand, and I will scrutinize economic development proposals to ensure they actually benefit Lewiston rather than creating new costs or bureaucratic burdens. I will speak up early, ask the right questions and make sure local businesses have a voice in decisions that affect their survival and success.

What do you want voters to know about you?

Lewiston isn’t just where I live, it’s where I grew up into adulthood. I moved here at 18, got married young, bought my first home at 21 when housing was still attainable and became a mother at 22. I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck and struggled to make ends meet, so I understand how fragile financial stability can be.

Over the years, I’ve watched housing costs more than triple and push the American dream out of reach for too many young families. During COVID, the confusion and top-down decisions forced many of us to pay closer attention to how government actions affect everyday life, and since then I’ve seen politics become more divisive and disconnected from common sense.

I’m running because I want Lewiston represented by someone who understands these realities firsthand and is ready to fight for practical solutions right now, not someday. This election matters, and I’m committed to showing up and doing the work for our community.