Heather B. Sanborn is an American attorney, business owner and politician representing District 28 (portions of the cities of Portland and Westbrook) in the Maine State Senate. Sanborn co-owns and operates Rising Tide Brewery in Portland with her husband.

Early life and education

Sanborn grew up in Portland ^[1] and attended Middlebury College where she graduated summa cum laude as the salutatorian of her class in 1997. ^[2] She received a Master of Science in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern Maine in 2004 ^[2] and taught high school in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. ^[1]

Sanborn graduated from the University of Maine School of Law in 2007 where she was the editor-in-chief of the Maine Law Review. ^[1] She worked as a law clerk to Kermit Lipez on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and as an associate in the litigation department at Ropes & Gray. ^[1] She has served on the boards of the Portland Development Corporation ^[3] and University Credit Union. ^[4]

Brewery & beer industry advocacy

Rising Tide Brewery

Sanborn and her husband, Nathan Sanborn, co-own Rising Tide Brewery in Portland, Maine, and Heather serves as the director of business operations. ^[5] The brewery opened in 2010 and quickly outgrew its initial space, relocating in 2012. ^[6] As of 2020, Rising Tide employs 29 people and produces 4,500 barrels of beer per year. ^[7] Sanborn has served as the President of the Maine Brewers' Guild and has drawn on her law background to advocate for breweries around Maine. ^{[1] [5]}

2012 tasting room law

Sanborn has drawn on her legal background to advocate for state-level policy changes that benefit Maine's craft beer industry. ^[8] In collaboration with the Maine Brewer's Guild, she submitted a bill to the 125th Maine Legislature that would permit breweries to sell their products on-site. At the time, breweries in Maine were only permitted to give away small samples of their products, ^[9] a business model which Sanborn and other industry leaders argued was not conducive to customer interaction and beer tourism. ^[10] The bill, LD #1889, was signed into law in April 2012. ^[10]

Political career

Sanborn ran unopposed for the 2016 Maine House of Representatives District 43 Democratic primary, and defeated Republican opponent Jeffrey Langholtz 65%-35% in the general election. ^[11]

In June 2018, Sanborn won a contested primary against Portland City Councilor Jill Duson. ^[12]

Sanborn ran unopposed in both the Democratic primary and in the general election in 2020 and was therefore elected to her second term representing District 28 in the Maine Senate. ^[11]

Electoral record

Maine State House

Maine State Senate

^[11]

External links

• Senator Heather Sanborn on Facebook
• Sen. Heather Sanborn, Maine.gov
• Campaign website
• Rising Tide Brewing
• Heather Sanborn at Maine Live

References