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Krista Simonis, League Director of Governmental Affairs
My first day on the job with the Maine Credit Union League was the day before the election in 2022. Since then, I have had the privilege of engaging with both credit unions and legislators to advance the credit union movement. Legislators who earned an endorsement from the League during the 2022 election cycle have been some of our strongest allies and I am excited to be working on the League’s endorsement process from start to finish for the first time.
Each campaign cycle, League staff and the Governmental Affairs Committee (GAC) meet to discuss the upcoming elections for both federal and state offices. The League’s endorsement process is guided by our Endorsement Policy and while each year there are races that force us to make tough decisions, the policy guides our decisions, resulting in strong candidates with endorsements we can justify.
The strength of our movement comes from our people, and so the most important consideration for the League endorsement is whether a candidate is credit union-friendly. One of the ways we determine this is through our candidate questionnaire. We carefully design this survey to be easy and informative for candidates. It should take less than five minutes to complete and contains questions that address our priorities, credit union philosophies, and any credit union connections a candidate might have. This questionnaire is especially important for candidates the League doesn’t know well. For incumbents, their legislative record is strongly considered.
Receiving a League endorsement demonstrates that the candidate is willing to work with us on credit union issues. While we can’t guarantee that every endorsee will vote with the League all the time, receiving an endorsement means the candidate understands our policy priorities and is willing to work with us. An endorsement also is a signal for credit union members that the candidate shares the values that unite credit unions across Maine and the country.
I am pleased to be a part of the team making these important decisions this year and I am looking forward to seeing the results in November and beyond. Our industry’s dedication to the democratic process demonstrates how credit unions are run, how they treat their members, and how we engage respectfully in political races.
Endorsements will be shared in mid-September. Please stay tuned for this important information and mark your calendars to get out and vote on November 5.