Cameron Grover, Opinion Columnist

It’s going to be a close one. We’re less than 40 days from Maine’s gubernatorial election, and sometimes it seems like this campaign could go on forever. There are many issues that will guide voters in making their choices for governor this year. It seems that in this race, with two candidates staying as close as can be in every poll so far, a clear stand by one of the front-runners on a big issue could make all the difference.

For me, the biggest issues that need to be addressed are women’s issues, specifically health care and the pay gap. In Maine, women are being paid 79 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts for the same work. The topic of employer-provided insurance coverage for women has recently gained national attention from politicians and organizations. Even the briefest of internet searches or a quick flip through the channels to see political commercials will tell you who is doing the most to help the women of Maine.

Mike Michaud is the Democratic candidate in the gubernatorial race this coming November, and he is the candidate who will best respect the rights of Maine women. He plans to address the wage gap that Maine women are currently experiencing. He understands that women turn to doctors, not politicians, for advice and counsel about what they should or should not do with their health and reproductive systems. Mike knows that politicians should not be telling women what medical procedures they can and cannot have. Mike has said, “As governor, I will veto any bill that attempts to weaken Maine’s Reproductive Privacy Act or infringes on a woman’s right to choose.”

Mike Michaud is the governor that Maine women need. I feel that electing Mike as governor is crucial to defending women’s rights and prerogatives in our state. And just as importantly, Mike would set an example for governors across the country. Mike would show that you can be a male leader that respects the choices and rights of women. Mike does care for Maine’s women. I truly hope that Maine’s people step up and realize, as Mike does, that women’s issues affect all of us.

This is my call to the students of the University of Maine to vote for Mike Michaud. If you care about the women in your life, I call upon you to vote for the candidate who will fight for their rights to equal pay and proper health and wellness resources. I want you to know that the candidate who has the record, the voice and the drive to fight for Maine’s women is the Democratic candidate, Mike Michaud. My fellow students, and the faculty, staff and alumni of this great university need to do whatever it takes to make sure that our candidate, the candidate who will fight for Maine’s women, becomes our next governor. Vote for Mike Michaud.