Growing up outside of Portland and now living in a small town in Piscataquis County, I get Maine. I know the issues facing Mainers- both those in the city and in the woods.

I do not believe there are two Maines- there is one Maine- and the Democratic Party has all of our interests at heart.

If Elected I will ensure:

-Maine values are represented at the convention and in the Democratic Platform

-Vote to ensure that Roe v. Wade stays in the Democratic platform

-Make sure LGBTQIA+ equality and interests are represented

-Send a signal that White Christian Nationalism is dangerous to our democracy. The Republican Party is not the party of Christian values.

Forrest Genthner was born in Portland in 1995. He graduated from Gorham Public Schools. As a life-long Democrat, Forrest stepped up to volunteer on President Obama’s reelection campaign- volunteering roughly 40 hours a week while still in high school. Forrest was put in charge of the Windham, Maine branch of the Obama office. He spent his weeks in Maine recruiting volunteers and his weekends in New Hampshire canvassing.

In January 2013, Forrest was selected to be a Maine delegate to President Obama’s second inauguration.

Forrest attended St. Joseph’s College where he graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Political Science.

While in college, Forrest served as the chair of the Gorham Democrats from 2014-18, served as the secretary of the Lake Region Democrats and the Cumberland County Democratic Committee. Forrest also served on the Maine Democratic State Committee from 2014-16.

In 2016, Forrest enrolled in seminary to be a pastor, graduating from Chicago Theological Seminary.

In 2018, Pastor Forrest did not seek reelection to any political board or committee once he took a church as pastor.

However, something kept gnawing away at Pastor Forrest. The election of Donald Trump and the rise of white Christian nationalism made it impossible for Pastor Forrest to keep silent. Since which time Pastor Forrest has preached against Christian nationalism multiple times.

Later in 2018, Pastor Forrest married his wife, Molly. In 2021 they relocated to Piscataquis County and Forrest currently serves as pastor of a church in Bangor.

In 2023, Pastor Forrest and Molly welcomed their daughter Phoebe into the world. When reflecting back on the pregnancy, Pastor Forrest said, “During the entire pregnancy, I was grateful that Janet Mills was governor. I knew that if an abortion was needed, my wife’s life wasn’t at risk because we lived in Maine.” It is that belief- being staunchly pro-choice that has Pastor Forrest stand out among the clergy.

“My rights end when they start to interfere with yours“ is a phrase one will hear Pastor Forrest say quite frequently. Pastor Forrest believes in our Constitution- allowing people to have the freedom to worship, speech, and assembly without fear of discrimination.

“I believe in the promise of America- that all men and women are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That promise stands in direct contrast to a Republican party that wants to elect a dictator and repress our unalienable rights.”

Pastor Forrest serves as a pastor and a hospice chaplain. He lives with his wife Molly, daughter Phoebe, and their four cats in Medford.