AUGUSTA — Several of the top contenders for Maine governor met face-to-face Tuesday to talk about health care and their top ideas for addressing Trump administration cuts, bringing new health care investments to Maine and prioritizing affordability.

Ten of the 17 candidates who have filed campaign finance paperwork with the state appeared at a forum hosted by Health Care for Maine as part of its annual conference at the Augusta Civic Center, where they were asked to explain why they’re running in the context of health care and then were presented with a series of questions over 90 minutes.

The questions included how each candidate would work with lawmakers and Maine’s congressional delegation and how they would respond to the recent news that Maine Family Planning will be ending its primary care services because of federal cuts to Medicaid reimbursements for abortion providers.

They were also asked about what future public health investments they would pursue and how they would translate their ideas on the campaign trail into action on health care.

The following are excerpts from what each candidate at the forum had to say.

SHENNA BELLOWS, DEMOCRAT

Bellows, Maine’s secretary of state, said she believes universal health care for all is “a human right and that is what we need to aspire to,” and that Maine needs to step up funding for rural health care infrastructure.

She called for investments in public health nurses and said Maine should expand its network of school-based health centers, including with mental health services. Bellows also said Maine could improve health care partnerships, such as between Maine’s tribal nations and the state.

On the cuts to Maine Family Planning, Bellows said she is passionate about fully funding reproductive and primary care services. “I will continue to fight to support Maine Family Planning and Planned Parenthood,” she said.

RICK BENNETT, INDEPENDENT

Bennett, a longtime lawmaker and former chair of the Maine Republican Party, said health care has been a large part of his life because of his wife’s career as an occupational therapist. He said one area he would focus on as governor is lowering prescription drug costs, and he suggested looking at other states and what they’re doing.

Bennett also called for a prioritization of holistic approaches to health, such as by promoting local foods and the work of community groups, and said he is sponsoring a bill to revamp the Fund for Healthy Maine, a state fund that receives revenue from tobacco settlement payments and is used to support health programs.

If elected, Bennett said, he would hold weekly dinners at the Blaine House during the legislative session and invite the Senate president, speaker of the House and minority leaders in both chambers, with no agenda set. “We need to start talking again,” he said.

KEN CAPRON, REPUBLICAN

Capron, a retired accountant and systems engineer, said the state should undertake a review of health care costs and “look at everything” when it comes to addressing affordability. “We need to take an assessment of where we really are at and what can we risk managing better,” he said.

“My promise is this — that I will do my very best in trying to bring my knowledge and experience of the health care field to make sure the people in greatest need are supported,” said Capron, who said he is a supporter of Medicare for All.

“I sincerely believe in some sort of major medical program so that if you’re caught off guard and have a major incident and you don’t have insurance, we have a way to back that up,” Capron said. “As a society, we need to be there for our people when they’re in the greatest need.”

JASON CHERRY, DEMOCRAT

Cherry, a retired FBI agent and attorney, said communication and public input would be key to his approach to health care. “You are the owners of government,” Cherry said. “You need a state administrator who is going to have town halls, who is going to respect your intelligence.”

He said he is an “outsider” but can bring a new perspective informed by his work experience. “A lot of us are feeling like our votes don’t count anymore and we don’t have a voice,” Cherry said. “I want to make sure we work together to make a more sustainable health system here.”

JOHN GLOWA SR., INDEPENDENT

Glowa, a former state worker and environmental advocate, said he would establish a taxpayer-funded program to provide free annual physical checkups for everyone. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Glowa said. “These checkups … could catch problems before they become major, life-threatening and extremely expensive.”

Glowa emphasized that he was hoping to learn more about Maine’s health care system from Tuesday’s forum, but said he knows costs are too high and need to be addressed. He also said he would support a mix of public and private funding to support Maine Family Planning and prevent cuts to primary care services.

TROY JACKSON, DEMOCRAT

Jackson, a longtime lawmaker and former Senate president, is a supporter of Medicare for All but said it would be difficult to implement such a system on a state-by-state basis, so he is open to a public option. Maine also has existing laws where the state could improve enforcement and accountability, especially around prescription drug prices, Jackson said.

“We’ve passed great bills here in Maine … but we don’t give the resources to do those things,” he said. “If we’re serious about lower costs in Maine, we have to actually go out and work on those things.”

Jackson said funding for reproductive care such as Maine Family Planning is something that should be prioritized in the state budget. “They shouldn’t have to come to the Legislature and beg,” he said. “That’s something I would take care of up front.”

ALEXANDER MURCHISON, INDEPENDENT

Murchison, an engineer and political newcomer, spoke about personal experience with high medical bills but said he couldn’t make any promises regarding solutions. “I have to learn how the system works in order to best figure out how to fix it,” he said. “I do have the advantage of being able to think outside the box because I’ve never been inside the box.”

Murchison said he would prioritize attracting new medical facilities and services to Maine to address affordability. Murchison said his sister and several friends are nurses or work in health care facilities. “The constant fighting between insurance and health care … it’s ridiculous,” he said. “We should be putting people first. I’d like to work towards that goal.”

KEN PINET, DEMOCRAT

Pinet said mental health and homelessness are key issues for him. He is also a supporter of universal health care and said he knows first-hand the high costs of health care. “Do I buy food or do I buy meds?” he said he sometimes asks himself, adding that he would work on legislation to address affordability.

Pinet said he supports funding for Planned Parenthood and reproductive health. “It shouldn’t be up to a politician or anybody to tell you what to do with your body,” he said.

HANNAH PINGREE, DEMOCRAT

Pingree, the daughter of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree and a former administrator under Gov. Janet Mills, said one of her ideas is for Maine to start offering a public option for health insurance to lower costs. Pingree also said she is “fired up” about the cuts to Maine Family Planning and it is essential for such reproductive care providers to receive funding in the state budget.

Pingree said the next governor will also be on the “front lines” of standing up to Trump administration actions that may not be in the best interest of public health, citing for example Mills’ recent directive authorizing providers to administer COVID-19 vaccines to all Mainers without a need for a prescription despite recent federal guidance to limit accessibility.

“There has never been a more important or challenging time for good leaders to step up to figure out how do we protect our citizens, how do we protect democracy and how do we solve issues before us, like the challenge of access and affordability of health care,” Pingree said.

ROBERT WESSELS, REPUBLICAN

Wessels described himself as “Maine’s MAHA candidate,” referring to President Trump and U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again campaign. “I love RFK’s openness to other solutions, not just what the loudest voices say,” Wessels said. “That doesn’t mean he’s right on everything, but he’s willing to question the voices that say one thing. He’s willing to look deeper.”

Wessels said a top priority is helping hospitals become more competitive in terms of hiring, which means improving in other policy areas like access to housing and lowering crime. “We need to turn around the fundamentals in this state so our hospitals are able to hire,” he said.