The 2018 election cycle was one of the best for women across the country and for Maine women legislators, as voters elected a record 60 women to the state house and 12 to the senate, and elected Democrat Janet Mills Maine’s first woman governor.

Chloe Maxmin is the first Democrat and second woman to represent House District 88 – Chelsea, Whitefield, Jefferson and parts of Nobleboro. Boothbay Democrat Holly Stover went head to head with Republican incumbent Stephanie Hawke in a close race for House District 89 – Westport, Edgecomb, the Boothbay peninsula and South Bristol. After her reelection to the Woolwich board of selectmen in 2018, Democrat Allison Hepler threw in for House District 53 – Dresden, Woolwich, Arrowsic, Phippsburg, Georgetown and part of Richmond – and won against incumbent Jeffrey Pierce.

The list goes on. Democrat Natasha Irving defeated Republican incumbent District Attorney Jon Liberman and Waldoboro Democrat Laura Fortman went on to become Commissioner of the Department of Labor after losing a close election for Senate District 13’s seat to Republican incumbent Dana Dow.

“You have some energetic women in local office, too. Kristina Ford … in Boothbay. She's quite a dynamo with a lot of expertise in state land use planning. You’ve got some good people to grow upon there,” Mills said in a phone interview. “It seems like we’re … on the right track in having a full and equal representation of women in all levels of public office … whether it’s school board, town council or selectpersons, and our county, local or legislative office. I think it’s a good experience.”

Hepler, who lost the 2016 Democratic primary to William Nielson by 20 votes, credits at least one from a strong and determined group of young women for convincing her to run again in 2018.

“When I thought I was done in 2016, the same woman, who I didn’t know was quite involved with Sagadahoc County Democrats, said why don’t you consider taking Emerge Maine training?”

Hepler was among many women to come out of 2016-2017 Emerge Maine training and run in 2018 – Maxmin, Irving and Fortman were among locals who attended the same training as was Mills and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine.

On Election Day, Hepler's young advocate called to give her luck.

“I said ‘This is your fault,’” Hepler laughed. “Then, she sent me this lovely text message that said ... she remembers watching me on the select board growing up and knowing, in her opinion, I was the one who really knew what was going on! It struck me that, yeah, there is a value in role models.”

Neither she nor any woman politician is necessarily more moral or superior than their male colleagues, said Hepler, but it is clear women bring something different to the table: inherent knowledge and experience exclusive to women. She realized this while teaching a women’s history course at the University of Maine in Farmington a few years ago during which Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor expressed a different tact in a case dealing with abortion clinics.

“They knew to ask different questions … I think that that part is really important and is one reason to have that voice,” said Hepler.

Maxmin said she decided to run for office primarily for love of her community, but also to engage deeper efforts to bring the political system back to the people: “… Elect different kinds of people, think more critically about elections, about how we run campaigns, about how we engage volunteers, about the kinds of people who are running, about who we elect and also about how those people act when they’re in office.”

However, to say that and to do it are two different things, Maxmin said. She and her team knocked on over 10,000 doors and met with countless constituents more than once – sometimes more than twice. This allowed a dialogue that could inform Maxmin on the issues needing attention and eventually led to her sponsorship of three bills surrounding many of those issues. Maxmin and Stover recently held a discussion on their early legislative session work.

“We really focused on building actual relationships with people thinking beyond party lines, talking with people outside the political spectrum, engaging with our community, making it fun and vibrant, unique … This relationship I have with my constituents is not just that they voted for me, (it’s) that we know each other' stories and we know why this work is so important.”

Regardless of party, women are playing an enormous role in local, state and national politics, said Stover, who is sponsoring nine bills in the 129th Legislature.

“It’s a huge statement that women are now recognized as having strong leadership … I think we have a lot of powerful women who have stepped up in this state and we have a lot of women who have never wanted or dared to run before.”

This is not a quality found just in younger women and men across the political spectrum, but also in older professionals. Like Hepler, Stover is also a first time legislator after a long career.

“I think it’s bold and courageous,” said Stover. “It’s inspiring to see young women, but it’s inspiring to see all women.”

Having had the pleasure of bringing her nieces Ella and Kayla to Gov. Mills’ swearing-in ceremony, Stover said she could tell they, too, were inspired.

“At the inauguration … we were standing in the house chambers and I said to them, ‘All these women here mean that you can be anything you want to be. One of these seats could be yours …’ That’s what I said to my family and that’s what I would say to all girls. There’s no limit to your potential and there’s no place you can’t go and there’s nothing you can’t be … ‘The (Blaine) House could be your house.’”

“Probably,” Stover recalls 7-year-old Kayla saying.

Mills, Hepler, Maxmin and Stover agreed everyone, especially women, should feel encouraged to step up in a big way because all too often women feel a need for permission to seek a meaningful role in the community, and in society.

“It fits the mold of women running for office – they usually have to be asked … but, yes, we have come a long way,” said Hepler who, along with Mills, Stover and Maxmin, believes young people, girls and boys alike, should know there is a role for all those who want to make a difference.

“When you really love something so much that you’re willing to fight for it, the things we can create as individuals, communities, and movements really have the potential to change how we think and act and live our lives,” said Maxmin. “That to me is the core of social change – it starts with us …”

Since winning the gubernatorial race, Mills said she has received many heartening messages from girls across Maine showing confidence in her, in themselves and in the future ahead.

Said Mills, “I like to think that we can encourage more women and girls to get into the trades, into law enforcement, into contracting, public office, politics and governing … I like the feeling that their eyes are opened and the opportunities for them are boundless.”