Biography
Melissa Simpson is the Republican candidate for Maine House of Representatives District 143 in the November 3, 2026 general election, facing Democrat John Henkelman.[1][2] She is an at-large member of the Sanford Public Schools school board, with a term ending in 2028.[1]
Simpson said in a Ballotpedia survey that she moved to southern Maine from Presque Isle nearly 20 years ago and settled in Sanford.[3] She said her community service began with the PTA and coaching soccer, and that she later joined Strategies for a Stronger Sanford and became vice president of the Legacy foundation.[3] She described herself as serving her fourth year as an elected School Committee member.[3]
In the survey, Simpson listed affordability, accountability, and open communication and transparency as her key messages, and said she would favor increasing the homestead exemption and reducing regulations.[3] She named state operations, housing and the economy as her policy interests and cited a real estate background.[3]
- 1.Melissa Simpson · Ballotpedia Reference
- 2.Maine House of Representatives elections, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
- 3.Melissa Simpson - Candidate Connection survey · Ballotpedia Candidate's own words
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.
Maine House District 143
Melissa Simpson is on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot for Maine House District 143 as R. Not researched in depth — candidate list only.