I'm proud to share our campaign has received the endorsement of Tim Wilson, former SeniorAdvisor to Seeds of Peace with 50+ years in public service in Maine — whose Letter to the Editor has been published in abbreviated form in both local ePapers of the Portland Press Herald, the Scarborough Now & Gorham Now.

”When Senator Brenner announced she would not seek re-election, the calls began for Sophie, who has served as State Representative for three terms to her hometown of Scarborough, from community leaders, educators, and young people. For those of us who have worked alongside her for years, it felt like the natural next step in a long journey of service. But I know Sophie well enough to say this: she did not rush to that decision. 

I speak as a mentor, as Senior Advisor and Director of the Maine Seeds Programs at Seeds of Peace, and as a Black man from Maine who has devoted more than sixty years to education, public service, and community leadership. I’ve served in state government under three governors, chaired the Maine Human Rights Commission, been a teacher and coach, and worked with young people from around the world to build understanding across difference. I know firsthand how public life can test you. I’ve seen how harsh and personal politics can become. I’ve watched what happens when good people step forward. Sophie understood those realities long before she made her announcement. She thought deeply about what it would mean, for her family, for her community, for those of us who stand beside her. I know she didn’t make this decision because it would be easy. Not because it would be comfortable. But because I have spent years watching who she is when no one is looking. 

I first met Sophie at Seeds of Peace in 2011. She arrived as a young person already committed to building bridges across difference. Even then, at fourteen, she had the instinct we look for in emerging leaders: she paid attention to who wasn’t being heard. She spoke up when others stayed quiet. She built relationships across lines of identity and ideology. That is not something you can teach; but it is something you recognize. Over the years, I watched her deepen that commitment. She helped shape the Maine Youth Charter. She earned leadership roles at Maine Girls State. In college, she studied International & Global Studies and International Criminal Law, traveling to The Hague to understand how systems of justice shape real lives. And then she did something many don’t do. She brought that perspective home to Maine. 

As a representative, she has taken on climate change and worked to protect our coastline. She has fought to expand access to clean energy while also reforming subsidy programs in a way that will save Maine families over a billion dollars on their electricity bills over the next fifteen years. She worked to ensure children in summer programs could take food home, preventing both hunger and waste. After the Lewiston shooting, she did not simply issue a statement. She showed up. She sat with students. She listened. In moments of crisis, presence is leadership. 

She legislates the way Mainers live — practically, thoughtfully, and with an eye toward the future. I have spent my life helping young people find their voice, from my years as a teacher and coach, to serving as one of the first Black secondary school teachers in Maine, to guiding Seeds of Peace programs that bring youth from across the globe together to listen and learn from one another.

I have also served in state government. I know how difficult it is to hold principle in environments that reward partisanship. If you look at her record, you will not find the easy legislation or easy votes. You will find hard work and thoughtful deliberation. You will find independence. You will find courage.

So I say this not just as a campaign surrogate, but as a mentor and community leader who has dedicated his life to preparing young people for ethical leadership: Sophie Warren is ready. Public service has never been about politics for her. It has always been about home.”