Early career She served as an intern for
U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell. She also worked as an
advertising account executive at
USA Today. In 2004, Gideon moved to
Freeport, Maine. She served until 2012, and was the council's vice chair beginning in 2011. In 2016, she was elected as Speaker by the House. 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 (Narcan) available over-the-counter, aimed at preventing deaths from the
opioid epidemic. Gideon was a member of the Legislature's Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology. According to
India Abroad, "she worked to lower energy costs, encourage increased energy efficiency and promote clean and renewable energy to capitalize on Maine's natural resources and build a clean-energy economy." 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. She sponsored legislation to block the Quebec power company
Hydro-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 accepting reimbursements for her personal 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." In October 2019, the Maine Ethics Commission voted unanimously to fine the closed PAC $500. In the first week of her campaign, she raised more than $1 million. Gideon ran against Betsy Sweet and Bre Kidman in the
ranked-choice Democratic
primary election. as well as
labor unions and women's groups. By the time of the primary election, she had raised $23 million. Following her Democratic primary win in June, Gideon received endorsements from
NARAL,
EMILY's List,
Progressive Democrats of America,
Brand New Congress, and
Our Revolution. In August, former President Barack Obama endorsed Gideon. In 2020, the
Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the country's largest LGBTQ rights advocacy organization, opposed the reelection of Susan Collins and instead endorsed Gideon. It was the first time that the HRC has opposed Collins, who has been seen as a key Republican vote on LGBTQ rights. The hotly contested race became the most expensive in Maine history, with Collins spending $23 million and Gideon nearly $48 million. The race also had national implications, as defeating Collins was a key part of the Democrats' strategy to achieve a Senate majority. Gideon ultimately lost the election by over 8% to Collins. Gideon was defeated despite leading Collins in nearly every public poll. Gideon underperformed winning Democratic presidential candidate
Joe Biden by 10.6%. Her performance was the second-worst underperformance by a Democratic Senate candidate in the country. ==Political positions==