Julie McCabe is running for Maine House District 93 (Lewiston). A resident of Lewiston, Julie shares this information about herself to encourage you to cast your ballot for her.
Tell us a bit about your personal history – jobs held, accomplishments, or other information about you that you’d like voters to know:
I have lived in Lewiston for almost twenty years and can’t imagine raising my family anywhere else. I care deeply for Lewiston and the state of Maine. Before being elected to the legislature in 2024, I taught in Maine’s public schools for twelve years and absolutely love working with young people. There are many parallels between teaching and serving because they are both rooted in building relationships.
One of my favorite quotes is from Henry David Thoreau’s essay, “Life Without Principle” which reads, “The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.” This is a simple message but no less powerful, because just as every student in our classroom deserves attention, so does every person in our democracy. No one person’s voice is more important than any other’s.
As an elected leader, my goal is to lead by listening. I want to hear from my constituents, to learn from their experiences, and to work with my neighbors to improve our city and state. In the 132nd legislature, I worked on legislation in response to the debilitating cyberattacks on our local healthcare systems in 2025. That bi-partisan law, LD 2103 An Act Requiring Hospitals to Adopt Cybersecurity Plans, was informed by countless conversations with our local healthcare practitioners – and I promise to continue listening and problem solving, if elected in November.
What led you to run for this office?
Most recently, I taught for two years at Lewiston High School’s alternative education program called Next Step. Teaching in Lewiston, I got to meet the most incredible kids. Our next generation of leaders, childcare educators, business owners, nurses. I also saw how many challenges families who live in poverty face on a daily basis – from issues of housing instability, substance use disorder, transportation challenges. I am running to help create a more level playing field for children and families in Maine.
What are the most important issues that residents of Androscoggin County face? What do you propose to address those issues?
Residents in Androscoggin County are struggling with the cost of living from increased healthcare and grocery costs, gas pump spikes, as well as climbing property taxes. Childcare costs and low housing supply are also impacting Mainers’ budgets. I want to build on the wins of the 132nd legislature, during which we cleared the waitlist for childcare subsidies enabling more families to go to work.
We created a more equitable school funding formula for schools with high rates of poverty – while also controlling property tax costs. And we passed a budget with millions of dollars for housing as well as homelessness initiatives and eviction protection. We must continue these efforts to help alleviate the growing everyday costs Mainers are facing.
I plan to work on a universal childcare model to help reduce the cost burden on young families. It’s vital that we make Maine more family friendly and universal childcare is the right solution. I also want Maine to be a state where it’s possible to pursue the American Dream of homeownership. In the last session, I worked on a bill to support renovating our existing housing supply – the oldest in the country – for new homeowners. I will continue to advocate for policies that increase supply, for workforce and senior housing especially, and bring down costs. Finally, I will support legislation that provides direct property tax relief for homeowners and renters, especially important as Lewiston grapples with its re-evaluation.
It is important to think about the broader national context as well. It is no surprise to anyone that the times we are living in are unprecedented. Under President Trump, the federal government has proven inhumane and corrupt in countless ways, not least of which includes the “Big Beautiful Bill”. This horrendous and ugly piece of legislation is costing Maine tens of millions of dollars to implement– while thousands of people have already lost SNAP benefits and healthcare as a direct result. I am running to mitigate the impact of this cruel federal legislation and safeguard these essential services.
There are no adequate words to convey the pain the federal government has inflicted on the immigrant community in Maine. Due to increased enforcement, Mainers here in Lewiston, Biddeford, and across our state have been terrorized for months -– forced to miss school, work, and live in fear. The recent fatal shooting of Joan Sebastian Guerrero by ICE should shake us all to our core. A family is shattered when it should be whole. As a state, we must do everything in our power to protect our neighbors from this violence and abuse and I am committed to doing that work.
What policies and legislation do you plan to advocate for?
To combat rising property taxes, we need to increase the homestead exemption for primary residences. The homestead exemption currently stands at $25,000 and has not been increased since 2020. Since then, home values have ballooned and so too have property taxes. Increasing the homestead exemption would immediately reduce the tax burden on Mainers’ household budgets. We should also continue to increase the Property Tax Relief credit as we did in the last legislative session, so that renters and homeowners get sorely needed relief.
To that end, in the 132nd legislature, I co-sponsored LD 229 which would have created a fairer tax code for lower and middle income Mainers. Right now a teacher in Lewiston earning $45,000 has the same income tax rate as someone earning $999,999 – 20 times as much. That does not make sense. We must build on the success of the Millionaire’s Tax and enact comprehensive tax reform that makes the wealthy pay their fair share and generates revenue for critical programs.
In addition to the critical programs named above that I support like universal childcare and housing investment, I promise to protect and increase access to Mainer’s healthcare. Healthcare is a human right and no one should go without it. We know preventive medicine saves lives and though the federal government has absconded their responsibility, Maine will not. I currently serve on the Health and Human Services Committee and I plan to use what I have learned in my first term to advocate for policies that bring down healthcare costs for Mainers who are struggling with high insurance premiums, increase access to mental healthcare and substance use disorder treatment, and grow our workforce to protect vital services like maternal medicine and primary care. Mainers deserve a foundation of good health to lead long and fulfilled lives and I will always support policies that protect and promote access to healthcare.
These are just a few examples of legislation that I will be advocating for in Augusta. I will work hard everyday so Mainers have a fairer tax system, a foundation of affordable healthcare and housing, and the quality childcare and education that they deserve.
What do you think the biggest challenges of this office will be? How do you plan to overcome them?
To be effective, you need to build a wide coalition to support your ideas. Meaning you have to talk to people to understand their vantage point and find a middle ground as much as possible, no matter their party affiliation. This requires time and attention, a willingness to learn, and dedication to problem-solving.
If elected, what elected official would you most like to emulate?
If re-elected, I would strive to emulate Lewiston’s Senator Peggy Rotundo. For years as a constituent, I have seen Sen. Rotundo’s steady, accessible, and capable leadership. Serving alongside Sen. Rotundo, I was able to witness up close what I believe makes her such an incredible leader. Sen. Rotundo listens to everyone in the room with an open mind; she makes her constituents feel seen, and she works tirelessly on their behalf.
What else should voters know about you before they cast their November 2026 ballots?
My main goal is to solve problems for our city and state and to protect Maine from the federal government’s cruel policies and abuse of power. I am committed to doing this work day in and day out and am always here to meet and listen. Please reach out to me via email or phone and let’s meet. My phone number is 240-498-9332 and my email address is julia.mccabe@legislature.maine.gov. I want to work with you to make our city and state stronger.