First elected to the Maine House in 2012, Gideon was reelected in 2014 and chosen as Assistant Majority Leader of the Maine House of Representatives. In 2016, she was elected as Speaker by the House. As a legislator, she sponsored legislation to expand abortion access and extended state benefits to families in poverty. 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 available over-the-counter, aimed at preventing deaths from the opioid epidemic. As a member of the Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology, Gideon worked to lower energy costs and increase energy efficiency. She worked to promote clean and renewable energy and build a clean-energy economy. After Democratic Governor Janet Mills was elected in 2018, the Maine Legislature under Gideon's speakership passed several key climate change bills, including a measure requiring Maine to achieve 80 percent renewable energy by 2030 and 100 percent by 2050. 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, and legislation to block the Quebec power companyHydro-Québec from spending money to influence a referendum of a controversial proposed power line project in Maine. In 2019 Gideon faced an election ethics complaint for breaking a political donation law by accepting reimbursements for her political donations from her own PAC. A spokesperson said, "The contributions were within the legal limit and fully disclosed, but the committee was given incorrect guidance on how to process them. The error was immediately addressed." The campaign said that it had reimbursed the federal government $3,250 for the violations and closed the PAC.
2020 U.S. Senate campaign
On June 24, 2019, Gideon announced her candidacy in the 2020 Senate election to challenge incumbent Republican Susan Collins. In the first week of her campaign, she raised more than $1 million. Gideon ran against Betsy Sweet and Bre Kidman in the ranked-choiceDemocratic primary election. In the primary, Gideon received support from the mainstream of the Democratic Party, while Sweet and Kidman drew support from the party's insurgent progressive wing. Before the July 14 primary, Gideon was endorsed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee as well as labor unions and women's groups. Gideon led in primary election polling, and won the primary with roughly 70% of the vote. By the time of the primary election, she had raised $23 million. Following her Democratic primary win in June, Gideon has received endorsements from NARAL, EMILY's List, Progressive Democrats of America, Brand New Congress, Our Revolution, and the Bangor Daily News.
Political positions
;Healthcare Gideon states that she has made affordable drugs and health care her primary campaign issues. She supports the Affordable Care Act. She also supports a public health insurance option, which would allow Americans to buy into Medicare while also retaining a private health insurance market. She supports allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs, and a prohibition on pharmaceutical company "pay to delay" agreements. In the state House, Gideon sponsored legislation to expand abortion access and extend benefits to families in poverty. She states she will fight any attempts to attack or defund Planned Parenthood; will work to roll back the Title X gag rule, which has impacted Maine Family Planning and Planned Parenthood clinics that provide comprehensive health care. Gideon has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood Action Fund and NARAL. ;Climate change Gideon supports the U.S. rejoining the Paris Agreement to combat climate change; the U.S. entered the agreement under Barack Obama, but withdrew under Donald Trump. She supports government funding for the development of renewable energy and the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. ; Police reform Gideon supports various police reforms, including a police misconduct registry and requirements for the use of body cameras and vehicle cameras. ; Budget She opposed the Trump tax bill. ;Gun control Regarding guns, Gideon supports universal background checks and red flag laws.
Personal life
Gideon grew up in Rhode Island, the youngest of four children. After marriage to her husband Ben, an attorney, the couple moved to Maine. They have three children, Julian, Alek, and Josie and live in Freeport.
