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Who is Dr. Sam Hunkler? Meet the Independent candidate for Maine governor


CBS 13 sat down with Hunkler so voters could learn more about him and why he’s running for governor. (WGME){ }
CBS 13 sat down with Hunkler so voters could learn more about him and why he’s running for governor. (WGME)
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PORTLAND (WGME) – On Monday, the two major party candidates for governor in Maine, Governor Janet Mills and former Governor Paul LePage, participated in a one-hour debate.

The third candidate on the ballot, Dr. Sam Hunkler, didn't qualify under the debate criteria because he's polling under 5 percent.

CBS 13 sat down with Hunkler so voters could learn more about him and why he’s running for governor.

“You know, when you're out in the ocean, you need three points to navigate,” Hunkler said. “With just two, you keep, you lose your way. And I think we've lost our way."

Hunkler speaks quickly, and a with a frequent smile, as if he knows he doesn't have much time to make eye contact and make his point.

“My sense is we want something different. We don't like the way our country is going. We don't like the way our state is going. It's so divided. And I don't think either party is going to bring us back,” Hunkler said. "You know, I'm not running with a party, or money or fame, I think that's getting back to grassroots. I think that's where we need to get back to."

While the campaigns of Mills and LePage attract attention, millions of dollars and thousands of supporters and volunteers, Hunkler, a 65-year-old father of four and semi-retired doctor from Downeast Maine, admits his campaign is basically himself, putting in a few thousands of dollars of his own money, and that's about it.

He does have a website, "Stand with Sam 2022," where he focuses on what he says are a few key issues people can get behind, like children, "keeping them cared for and protected," as well as education, like "recruiting more teachers," and the environment, like "addressing climate change."

He admits he purposely doesn't tackle a lot of the hard stuff governors and governments eventually have to confront, like gun control, abortion and vaccine requirements, because he thinks that divides us.

“Those divisive issues just keep us divided,” Hunkler said.

He admits something few politicians do, that he doesn't know it all.

“None of us have all the answers,” Hunkler said. “I mean, we're supposed to. I think that's part of what we're, we're in a culture now where we're looking for a savior. We're looking for a hero to come in and fix it all. You know, 'Make Maine great again' sort of thing. But the problem is, when we do that, we give our power over to that person. And then the people don't have any power anymore. They give it all away."

Hunkler says his campaign is about giving that power back to the people while also demanding more of us to take responsibility for our society and government.

He says he knows the polls have him at only 1 or 2 percent right now but says he hopes he can surprise people on Election Day.

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