View this post on the web at [link removed]

My campaign is about kitchen table issues, common sense, and our common ground. It’s about solving the challenges we face in a different way. I want to take a few minutes to tell a story that brings that point home.
My old friend George Smith, the former leader of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, once met a guy who told him, “George, I think you and I disagree on just about 90 percent of things.” Without missing a beat, George replied, “Well, then let’s get to work on the 10 percent!”
George was a great guy. But in that moment, he was also putting into words something so fundamental to America.
We can disagree, we can disagree vigorously, and we can even disagree about almost everything.
But we have always been able to work on that remaining 10 percent. And it is there, on those key patches of common ground, that we have found the strongest ties that bind us together as a people, a country, and a democracy.
Against that, we’re in a moment that feels pretty divided, maybe beyond repair. Healthcare costs are up while access is down. Housing prices have doubled, making the dream of homeownership a dream deferred, while energy and grocery prices are skyrocketing. The system is letting us down.
In the face of all this bad news, there are those who are telling us it’s over, that our divisions are too deep, and we’ll never be able to solve our most basic challenges. People have begun to give up hope.
But not me. I’ve met thousands of Maine people on this campaign: men and women who are working hard, doing their best, and investing in themselves, their families, and their communities every day. They give me hope that together we can find solutions and make it just a little bit easier for the people of Maine — with each one of them as part of the solution.
Because the problems we face aren’t Downeast problems or down south problems. They aren’t rural problems or urban problems. And they sure aren’t red problems or blue problems. They affect all of us, and it’s going to take all of us to fix them.
I know we can do it, even if we have to start with just 10 percent.
How would that work? It’s pretty simple. Maybe you’re not with me on how to fix the economy? That’s OK. Let’s work together to make it easier than ever to build housing in Maine and bring that cost down.
We disagree on how to improve education for our kids? Then why don’t we get to work on cutting red tape and making it easier to grow your business and create good jobs?
How about we dig in on lowering healthcare costs, and then we can duke it out on climate?
That’s how I got things done in the housing and energy businesses: using common sense on common ground, bringing people together, then being accountable for the dollars and results. And that’s how I’ll lead as governor of Maine.
I’m convinced that the sound and the fury that we all hear every day is loud but it’s also coming from the minority, and that most people live on quieter, more common ground. People tell me every day that they are just hoping that the dollars coming in keep pace with the dollars going out, that their kids get a good education and their parents can find good care. I believe we can make real progress if we focus on those core areas, that together we can build a better Maine. A Maine where you can afford a home, afford your groceries, even afford to get sick. Where you can build a career and a life, and then watch your kids thrive, stay and even do better than you. And yes, where we stop seeing each other as the reason for all life’s problems, and instead recognize that we — all of us, together — are the only way we’ll ever solve them.
And you know what? When you do that, suddenly you find that we actually agree on a lot more than just 10 percent. Once we’re there, we can get a lot done for Maine families, including bringing back real hope.
It may feel pretty far away down in Washington. But I know it’s still possible here in Maine, and I’m excited to get to work. Come join me. Consider making a contribution to my campaign for governor so we can work together to make Maine work for everyone: [ [link removed] ]
Thank you,
Angus King III

Unsubscribe [link removed]?