Social media accounts: facebook.com/hickmaninthesenate/; instagram.com/hickmaninthesenate/; x.com/craighickman

Occupation: Organic farmer, small-business owner

Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Government, Harvard University, 1990

Community Organizations: Sons of the American Legion; Winthrop Area Rotary Club, Past President; Winthrop Historical Society; Readfield Historical Society

Personal information (hobbies, etc.): I enjoy the great outdoors, hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, painting, writing and preparing feasts for family and community.

Family status: Married 26 years to Jop Blom, MaineGeneral Physical Therapist

Years in the Legislature: 12

Committee assignments (if elected): Government Oversight; Veterans and Legal Affairs; Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry

Q&A

1) Define what “success” would look like if you are elected to serve your district.

Success means continuing to lead efforts to advance landmark public policy that protects veterans, small businesses, and working families. Policy that promotes health care accessibility, defends individual liberty and bodily autonomy, and ends food and housing insecurity. Policy that invests in education and infrastructure and rebuilds rural economies. And policy that increases food sovereignty in local communities and strengthens farming, fishing, and forestry — our heritage industries.

I will continue—with creativity, authenticity, and integrity — to work hard for the people because there’s much more work to do. And I will get the job done, just as I have as Senate chair of the Committees on Government Oversight and Veterans and Legal Affairs, bringing people together to produce the fruit of common purpose — to protect children from neglect and abuse, to keep veterans in their homes, to increase election security, to promote freedom and justice across partisan and ideological divides. Building consensus advances good faith and engenders respect. And so I will always remain civil in the face of incivility, refuse to scapegoat any group of people for any reason whatsoever, and carefully choose words befitting the office to which I have been elected.

2) Name one issue the Legislature handled last session. Explain why you agree or disagree with the final outcome.

When federal funding ended, Maine stepped up to fund universal free school meals in the budget. As I remarked on the floor when the bill came up for a vote: “Back when I was a kid, our family struggled to make ends meet. As hard as they both worked to put food on the table for their two children, we needed food stamps in order to survive. Still, my parents made clear in both word and deed that no matter how little we had, someone else had less and we needed to help them however we could. If it takes a village to raise a child, then it takes all of us to feed all our children, and that’s what this bill seeks to do. I’m proud to vote in favor and continue my parents’ legacy in Maine.”

Every member of the Maine Senate voted for the legislation.

Providing free to meals to all our children has lifted the stigma and food shaming, creating a better environment for students to learn and develop better relationships. Free school meals also relieves stress on families who have trouble making ends meet, especially as the cost of food continues to rise.

OPPONENT: Shannon McDonnell, R-Winthrop