I am running for US Senate because I am qualified, hardworking, and determined to change the system to make our representation more representative. I am not waiting to get elected to show up for Maine and make sure the resources I have access to do as much good as possible in our state. In choosing not to focus on raising money for ads and, instead, finding ways to help struggling Mainers, I hope that I have prepared Maine to expect MORE from our elected officials and candidates than the same grueling and expensive parade of attack ads every cycle. We deserve to be represented by people who are prepared to show up, provide accountable and transparent opportunities for civic engagement, and to use our shared federal resources to the greatest benefit of the American people.

To that end: I believe that when we focus on holistic solutions over profit margins, we become able to see the strength of our economy reflected in the lives of average people, and not just the ultra-wealthy. If ultra-wealthy people and corporations paid their fair share of taxes, we could stop asking “how will we pay for it” and start focusing on how we can do the most good for the most people.

I believe that no industry which derives profit from ensuring we get as little healthcare for our money as possible has any right to exist in this country and, so, I am a fierce advocate for Medicare for All.

I am passionate about fighting for economic justice—whether that be by leveraging the emerging green power economy to benefit economically depressed regions or ensuring the minimum wage is enough to live a healthy, sustainable life.

I value education and believe that free public college should be available to all who wish to attend, that a child’s zip code should not determine the quality of education they are able to access, and that student debt forgiveness is critical to ensuring those unduly burdened by student debt are not held back from full participation in the economy.

Whether by fighting mass incarceration, advocating fiercely for LGBTQ+ rights, working to abolish ICE, or ensuring housing and healthcare are available to everyone, I am determined to show up for people who have been left behind by corporate-driven policies, and to be the kind of senator who shares a personal stake in the issues impacting poor, working class, and middle class Mainers.

An attorney, artist, and activist, Bre Kidman is the first openly non-binary person in United States history to run for U.S. Senate. Driven by concerns about representation, governmental accountability, and the future of the judiciary, their decision to run in 2020 was inspired by a disappointing visit to the Washington offices of Sen. Susan Collins on the eve of the Brett Kavanaugh vote. Disheartened by the lack of opportunity to engage meaningfully with Collins’ staff on their concerns, Bre began a journey to find out what Congress would be like if our elections were not for sale. In this spirit, Bre’s limited campaign spending is focused on connecting directly with Mainers and finding ways to use the costly election process to directly benefit struggling constituents instead of top-dollar D.C. advertisers and consultants.

While studying at the University Maine School of Law, Bre was a policy intern with the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, led several student groups focused on LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive justice, served as casenote and comment editor at the Ocean and Coastal Law Journal, and received fellowships working on State policy with Maine’s Permanent Commission on the Status of Women and on Federal policy at the National Center for Transgender Equality. After graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2016, Bre began working as Maine’s equivalent of a public defender, representing those without the ability to afford an attorney.

Bre is a median-income Mainer and small-business owner and shares a personal stake in resolving the student debt crisis, the unacceptably high costs of the healthcare and insurance industries, and the ongoing climate emergency. Bre wholeheartedly believes in making space for directly-impacted people to lead in decision making processes, and fiercely advocates for representation that prioritizes sustainable long-term policy for working class and middle class people over corporations and donors. They fully support and advocate for Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and eliminating all student debt. As a non-binary candidate, their campaign has already widened usage of gender neutral pronouns and honorifics in various places, including Fox News and the Senate Special Committee on Ethics.

In their free time, Bre participates in the local performance art community, organizes community education and entertainment events, and provides legal support to groups doing direct action and civil disobedience. They live and work in Saco, Maine.

Bre is the only candidate in this race who has not taken a single dollar from ANY PACs. Bre stopped actively fundraising in July 2019, and has used 75% of the cash they had on hand at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic on getting supplies to Mainers to shelter in place safely. Because most Mainers believe that an election CAN be bought, but none Bre’s spoken with believe an election SHOULD be bought, Bre is determined to find a way to make the “necessary evil” of money in politics unnecessary by letting good deeds speak for themselves.