People › State Senate

Bruce Bickford R

State Senator, District 20

On the November ballot: State Senate District 20 (Auburn)

June 9 primary for State Senate District 20 (Republican): won, 3,250 votes (100%)

Findings

Prompts to look closer at the public records, each with the rule and the law it rests on. None is a finding of wrongdoing. All findings

Context Outside spending

Outside groups spent $144,653 for or against them, more than their campaign's $78,410

Independent expenditures: $4,798 supporting and $139,856 opposing. The largest: MAINE DEMOCRATIC STATE COMMITTEE $107,303 (against); MAINE CONSERVATION VOTERS ACTION FUND $22,592 (against); REBUILD MAINE $9,961 (against); Lead Maine Action $4,685 (for).

What to check

Who funds the largest spenders (their own reports to the Commission)

Rule: Outside spending larger than the campaign

“"independent expenditure" means any expenditure made by a person, party committee or political action committee that is not made in cooperation, consultation or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of, a candidate”21-A MRSA §1019-B(1) ✓ quoted from the saved copy · how this rule works

Home

Single-family home: $138,400 assessed

Auburn certified a ratio of 93% for 2024; a later assessment may follow a revaluation, so no market estimate is made.

From the Auburn assessor's database, found by searching for Bruce Bickford's name in the town where they live, as owner or co-owner of a home. The address isn't published. A home held in a trust, a company or someone else's name isn't found.

In the Legislature

Senate District 20 · 132nd Legislature (2025–26) · 703 recorded votes, 12% not voting

Bills they sponsored: 2 (0 became law) — LD 359, LD 1291

Named in lobbyists' reports

Events and spending on officials that lobbyists reported to the Ethics Commission since 2024 and whose list of officials names Bruce Bickford: 10 from 6 clients. The cost is the whole event's or item's, shared by everyone it names, not what was spent on them.

Client (lobbyist)	What, when	Cost (all named)
Maine Forest Products Council Krysta West	Event: Lunch & Learn Panel Discussion · February 2026 · names 27 members	$499
	Event: Timber Talk Legislative Breakfasts · January 2026 · names 17 members	$817.73
	Event: Legislative Breakfast/Timber Talk · April 2025 · names 27 members	$731.02
	Event: Legislative Forestry Expo · March 2025 · names 29 members	$771.57
	Event: Legislative Breakfast · January 2025 · names 23 members	$720.50
ModivCare Michael Saxl	Event: Non-emergency Transportation Lunch and Learn · March 2026 · names 22 members	$420.75
Bioscience Association of Maine (BioME) Michael Saxl	Event: Life Sciences Lunch and Learn · February 2026 · names 26 members	$511.47
Maine State Chamber of Commerce Linda Caprara	Event: MSCC Board Appreciation · November 2025 · names 7 members	$2,868
Charter Communications Operating, LLC Kate Gore	Spent on officials: Meal/Beverage · October 2025	$80
Maine Aggregate Association Tim Walton	Event: Meet & Greet · January 2025 · names 16 members	$1,100

Matched by name and title (“Rep. Bell”, “Senator Brad Farrin”); a name that fits two members isn't counted. Check the reports on the lobbying system.

Campaign money: Senator · Clean Election

$78,525raised to date (the Commission's list, October 17, 2026); $20,583 spent

$2,885itemized in 2026, 36 contributions

$75,525Clean Election funding paid this year

$0from the candidate (incl. loans)

$57,942cash on hand on September 15, 2026 (42 Day Pre General Mcea Report)

$6,200debts and loans owed, as of that report

Where their contributions come from

100%

IndividualsBusinessesTrade, professional and issue groupsLabor unionsTribal nationsPolitical partiesOther candidates and officeholders

Compare with all 2026 candidates →

How it was spent: $20,583

Radio$10,353

Palm cards, signs, stickers$5,154

Mail house$3,306

Travel$609

Office and utilities$607

Social media and online ads$461

Event tickets$35

Events$35

Other$13

Food for events and volunteers$12

Largest payees: BINNIE MEDIA $10,353 Radio · Spectrum Marketing $5,210 Mail house · DESIGNS BY SKIP $2,476 Palm cards, signs, stickers · A.G.E. Graphics $1,139 Palm cards, signs, stickers · Bruce Bickford $609 Travel · AMAZON $396 Office and utilities · Staples $210 Office and utilities · coastal t shirts $95 Palm cards, signs, stickers

Payments in 2026, by the Ethics Commission's expenditure codes.

Top contributors	Type	Total
Frederick Van Mourik retired · Auburn	Person	$100
June Van Mourik retired · Auburn	Person	$100
Richard Bradstreet government civil · state of maine · Vasselboro	Person	$100
Kevin Fletcher real estate professional · Keller Williams · Auburn	Person	$100
Amy Arata government civil · state of maine · New Gloucester	Person	$100
Joseph Maloney real estate professional · Self Employed · Auburn	Person	$100
Nancy Courtney Information Requested · Pownal	Person	$100
Gaye Sward Information Requested · Mansfield	Person	$100
Dale Crafts Craft's Self Storage · self employed · Lisbon Falls	Person	$100
Luis Morales retail sales · Crossroads Market · Auburn	Person	$100
Cyndi Robbins Poland Springs Resort · Self employed · Poland	Person	$100
Matthew Jacobson Information Requested · North Yarmouth	Person	$100
Michael Pietroski Banking · Kennebec Savings · Monmouth	Person	$100
Rick Mason construction engineering · Self Employed · Lisbon	Person	$100
Quentin Chapman retail sales · Rooper's Redemption and Beverage · Auburn	Person	$100

Bickford, Bruce on the Ethics Commission's campaign finance search. Itemized transactions: 2026 from the Commission's files as posted October 17, 2026, and 2025 from the campaign's own reports.

Outside spending for and against them

$4,798spent supporting them

$139,856spent opposing them

Spender		Amount
MAINE DEMOCRATIC STATE COMMITTEE 22 expenditures · the race	against	$107,303
MAINE CONSERVATION VOTERS ACTION FUND 5 expenditures · the race	against	$22,592
REBUILD MAINE 2 expenditures · the race	against	$9,961
Lead Maine Action 1 expenditure · the race	for	$4,685
NRA POLITICAL VICTORY FUND 1 expenditure · the race	for	$113

Independent expenditures reported to the Ethics Commission in 2026. The candidate doesn't control them.

Their donors also gave to

Their largest donors who also funded other 2026 candidates.

Donor	To them	Candidates funded
Richard Bradstreet government civil, state of maine · Vasselboro	$100	2
Amy Arata government civil, State of Maine · New Gloucester	$100	4
Dale Crafts retired, retired · Lisbon Falls	$100	6
Michael Pietroski Banking, Skowhegan Savings Bank · Monmouth	$100	2
Quentin Chapman retail sales, Roopers · Auburn	$100	3
Jason Levesque investor/developer, self employed · Auburn	$100	2
Jeffrey Timberlake Owner family business, Ricker Hill Orchards · Turner	$100	2
Russell Black agriculture, self employed · Wilton	$100	4
Beth Bell real estate professional, Keller Williams · Auburn	$50	2
James Libby teacher education, Thomas College · Standish	$20	3
Robert Pierson Retired, Information Requested · Auburn	$15	2