Why I'm Running

I'm running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate because I'm tired of watching institutions — hospitals, employers, corporations — cause real harm to real people and walk away with zero accountability, while the public and the taxpayer absorb the cost.

I'm a transgender and intersex woman from Farmington, Maine. I've built my life from the ground up more than once: as a published author, an independent musician who's self-produced four albums, and now as someone running my own campaign — candidate and treasurer both, no big donors, no machine behind me.

I've done the zero-budget, long-shot campaign before — twice, in New Hampshire, in 2012 and 2020 — and beaten expectations both times. I'm doing it again, on a bigger stage, because Mainers deserve a senator who's already used to fighting for what's right without waiting for permission.

Where I Stand

Healthcare Accountability

I've lived through medical system failures firsthand, and I know how hard it is for patients to get real accountability when something goes wrong. I'm fighting for:

• Stronger enforcement of patients' right to access their own medical records

• Real consequences for hospitals and providers when negligence causes harm

• An end to institutions being able to cause disabling harm and then shift the cost onto public disability systems instead of being held responsible

Worker Protections

The same principle that applies to hospitals applies to employers. If an employer's negligence causes a worker to become disabled through the job they were doing, that employer shouldn't get to walk away while the public disability system absorbs the cost. Institutions that cause harm should bear the cost of it — not the public.

Corporate Accountability

I'm tired of watching corporations take public subsidies and corporate welfare while painting everyday citizens as the problem. Corporations need to be held to the same standard of accountability as anyone else — no more privatizing profit while socializing cost.

Rural Infrastructure

Rural Maine has been treated like an afterthought for too long — broadband that doesn't reach half our towns, hospitals and clinics closing or consolidating out of reach, roads and transit that make it hard to get to work or care. I'll fight for federal investment that actually reaches rural counties, not just population centers, and for a real rural healthcare access plan.

Government Transparency

I'm running this campaign myself because I don't believe regular Mainers should have to trust a political machine to represent their interests. No big donors calling the shots — just direct accountability to the people I'd represent.

Foreign Policy

I call what's happening in Gaza genocide and terrorism of the worst kind, and I don't believe American taxpayer dollars should fund it. I know the United States was the aggressor in the recent conflict with Iran — international inspectors found no evidence Iran was actively building a nuclear weapon at the time of the strikes. I don't believe any foreign lobby should have outsized influence over U.S. foreign policy at the expense of human rights and self-determination. I'll always stand against occupation and unjustified military aggression, wherever it happens.

My Record

• Published author, I Am Ashley

• Independent musician — four self-produced albums

• Ran for New Hampshire State House in 2012 (23.1% with zero campaign budget)

• Ran for New Hampshire State House in 2020 (12.8% with zero campaign budget)

• Currently pursuing my own medical records case and patient advocacy work

• Filed my Declaration of Intent for the Maine Democratic Party's replacement nomination process, July 2026