Sara I. Gideon[1] (born December 4, 1971) is an American politician who served as the Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives.
[3] Gideon was the Democratic nominee for the 2020 U.S. Senate election in Maine, losing to incumbent Republican Susan Collins.
[15] As speaker, Gideon also supported Medicaid expansion in Maine, including the 2017 referendum on the topic, and helped override Governor Paul LePage's veto of a bill to make the anti-overdose drug naloxone (Narcan) available over-the-counter,[16] aimed at preventing deaths from the opioid epidemic.
[18] As speaker in 2019 and 2020, Gideon also sponsored legislation to expand abortion access by allowing physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses to perform the procedure.
[20] In 2019, Gideon faced an election ethics complaint for accepting reimbursements for her personal political donations from her own PAC.
[22] On June 24, 2019, Gideon announced her candidacy in the 2020 Senate election to challenge incumbent Republican Susan Collins.
[18] Before the July 14 primary, Gideon was endorsed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee[25][26] as well as labor unions and women's groups.
[33][34] She supports allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs, and a prohibition on pharmaceutical company "pay to delay" agreements.
[18] In the state House, Gideon sponsored legislation to expand abortion access and extend benefits to families in poverty.
[18] She supports government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal) and the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions.