Dale John Crafts (born December 14, 1958) is an American politician and businessman. He has started a number of businesses, including Mobility Plus, which helps people with disabilities drive more easily. Crafts was on the Lisbon, Maine Town Council before winning election to the Maine House of Representatives, where he served from 2008 to 2016. Crafts was the Republican nominee in the 2020 election for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Maine's 2nd congressional district Maine's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Maine. Covering , it comprises nearly 80% of the state's total land area. The district comprises most of the land area north of the Portland, Maine, Portland an ...

. He has been

paralyzed Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 5 ...

from the waist down since the age of 25, when he was hit by a car while riding his motorcycle.

Early life and family

Crafts was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and raised in

Lisbon Falls, Maine Lisbon Falls is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Lisbon, located in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population of Lisbon Falls was 4,100 at the 2010 census. It is included in both the Lewiston- Auburn, Maine, metrop ...

. Crafts' cousins:

Garrett Mason Garrett Paul Mason (born June 19, 1985) is an American politician from Maine. A Republican, Mason formerly served in the Maine State Senate from the 22nd District, representing part of Androscoggin County, including his residence in Lisbon Falls ...

Gina Mason Gina Marie Mason (née Crafts; December 30, 1959 – September 5, 2017) was an American politician. Mason was born in Lewiston, Maine, the daughter of Chauncey and Carmella DeBurra Crafts. She lived in Lisbon, Maine and graduated from Lisbon ...

, and

Rick Mason Richard G. Mason is an American businessman and politician from Maine. Mason is a Republican member of Maine House of Representatives for District 56. Early life Mason graduated from Lisbon High School. Career As a businessman, Mason is ...

also served in the

Maine Legislature The Maine Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. It is a bicameral body composed of the lower house Maine House of Representatives and the upper house Maine Senate. The Legislature convenes at the State House in Augus ...

Business career

After he was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident at age 25, Crafts started a company called Mobility Plus, which helps people with disabilities drive more easily. Crafts has started a number of other businesses, including a self-storage business.

2020 U.S. House election

Crafts became the Republican nominee for

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

after defeating realtor Adrienne Bennett and former state Senator Eric Brakey in a three-way primary election. President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

endorsed Crafts on August 1, 2020. As

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

uses ranked-choice voting, he was in first place with just under 46% of the vote in the first round. In the second round, he won with 58.5% of the vote. He faced Democratic incumbent

Jared Golden Jared Forrest Golden (born July 25, 1982) is an American politician and a Marine Corps veteran serving as the U.S. representative for Maine's 2nd congressional district since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, his district, the largest ...

in the general election. On November 3, 2020, Golden won reelection with 53% of the vote to Crafts' 47%.

References

External links

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Profile at Ballotpedia
, - 1958 births 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American politicians Businesspeople from Maine Living people Maine city council members Republican Party members of the Maine House of Representatives People from Lisbon, Maine Politicians from Fort Lauderdale, Florida Politicians with paraplegia {{Maine-politician-stub