WALDOBORO — Abden Simmons will be seeking the Maine Senate District 13 seat. The district includes all towns in Lincoln County, as well as Windsor in Kennebec County and Washington in Knox County. Simmons is a registered Republican.

“The working people of Maine are hurting right now. The industries and small businesses that have been the foundation of our state’s economy and our communities are facing challenge after challenge,” said Simmons. “I’m running for Senate to help turn this trend around and give our state a chance for a brighter future where families can trust that their children and grandchildren will be able to make a living and be part of a thriving community.”

Simmons has been a shellfish harvester for three decades and has operated A&A Shellfish, a buying station for clams, for twenty-five years. He is also an elver fisherman and spent more than 20 years inshore fishing and working as a sternman.

A graduate of Medomak Valley High School, Simmons also has a long history of involvement in the community. He is currently a Waldoboro selectman and has served as chair of the select board for the past two years. For six years, he served on the town’s Planning Board. In 2016, his community elected Simmons to serve the people of Friendship, Waldoboro, Washington, and part of Union in the Maine House of Representatives. While in the House he served as a member of the Marine Resources Committee.

Simmons is also active in the fishing and harvesting community, serving as Executive Director of the Maine Elver Fisherman Association and as Chair of the Waldoboro Shellfish Committee. He also serves on the Department of Marine Resources Advisory Council and was formerly a member of Maine’s Shellfish Advisory Council as well as the state’s task force on invasive European green crabs.

Simmons and his wife, April, have one son, Dalton, who is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.

“We need more people like Abden in the Senate who understand what working families are going through, what small businesses are dealing with, and how important it is to get Maine on a better path,” said Senate Republican Leader Jeff Timberlake. “I was glad to work with him in the House, and I will be glad to work with him in the Senate.”