Tracy Quint
{{Short description|American politician}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{infobox officeholder
| name = Tracy Quint
| office = Member of the Maine House of Representatives
| term_start = December 7, 2022
| term_end =
| predecessor = Christopher Babbidge
| successor =
| constituency = 8th district
| term_start2 = December 2, 2020
| term_end2 = December 7, 2022
| predecessor2 = Gregory Swallow
| successor2 = Jeffrey S. Adams
| constituency2 = 144th district
| party = Republican
| spouse = Clayton
| children = 2
| occupation = Nurse
| alma_mater =
}}
Tracy Quint is an American politician from Hodgdon, Maine. She is currently serving in the Maine House of Representatives from the 8th district, having first been elected in 2020 from the Republican Party.
Career
Quint is a registered nurse.{{cite web | title=Tracy L. Quint | url=https://legislature.maine.gov/house/house/MemberProfiles/Details/1443 | work=Maine House of Representatives | access-date=December 28, 2021}}
In September 2020, incumbent Representative Gregory Swallow withdrew from the race for the Maine House of Representatives seat from the 144th district after winning the Republican primary unopposed. Tracy Quint announced that she would seek the seat instead in early October, running as a Republican. Her platform emphasized combatting obesity, support for small businesses, and support for the Second Amendment.{{Cite news |date=October 7, 2020 |title=Quint launches bid for House District 144 seat |work=The County |url=https://thecounty.me/2020/10/07/news/business-news/quint-launches-bid-for-house-district-144-seat/ |access-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-date=December 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209194943/https://thecounty.me/2020/10/07/news/business-news/quint-launches-bid-for-house-district-144-seat/ |url-status=live }} Quint won the election, defeating Democrat Kathryn Harnish with 68 percent of the vote.
In March 2021, Quint introduced a bill that would ban mandates of the COVID-19 vaccine in Maine until 2024. Quint said the measure was "not an anti-vaccine bill",{{Cite news |last=Cole |first=Megan |date=March 4, 2021 |title=Rep. Tracy Quint gives update on how the session is going |work=WAGM |url=https://www.wagmtv.com/2021/03/04/rep-tracy-quint-gives-update-on-how-the-session-is-going/ |access-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-date=December 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208040107/https://www.wagmtv.com/2021/03/04/rep-tracy-quint-gives-update-on-how-the-session-is-going/ |url-status=live }} arguing in part that it was intended to stem reproductive harm. Patrick Whittle with the Associated Press pushed back on this claim, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's statement that there is "no evidence that any of the COVID-19 vaccines affect future fertility".{{Cite news |last=Whittle |first=Patrick |date=December 7, 2021 |title=Republicans in Maine eye 5-year ban on mandatory COVID shots |work=The Associated Press |url=https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/state/2021/05/10/maine-republicans-eye-5-year-ban-mandatory-covid-shots/5029189001/ |access-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-date=December 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208040107/https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/state/2021/05/10/maine-republicans-eye-5-year-ban-mandatory-covid-shots/5029189001/ |url-status=live }} Whittle also said that Maine was not considering any vaccine mandates at the time of the bill's drafting. The bill was later dropped in May 2021.{{Cite news |date=May 11, 2021 |title=Vaccine mandate bill tabled |work=SeacoastOnline |url=https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/state/2021/05/11/maine-covid-vaccine-incentives-ll-bean-gift-cards-baseball-fishing/5044953001/ |access-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-date=December 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208043300/https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/state/2021/05/11/maine-covid-vaccine-incentives-ll-bean-gift-cards-baseball-fishing/5044953001/ |url-status=live }} Quint again introduced legislation prohibiting vaccine mandates in 2022; a legislative committee rejected it in January of that year.{{cite web | last1=Jenkins | first1=Cameron | title=Legislative panel in Maine halts proposal to ban COVID-19 vaccine mandates | url=https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/590767-legislative-panel-maine-halts-proposal-to-ban-covid-19-vaccine-mandates | date=January 21, 2022 | work=The Hill | access-date=January 23, 2021}}
In August 2021, Quint spoke at a rally protesting a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for Maine healthcare workers.{{Cite news |last=MacDougall |first=Alexander |date=August 31, 2021 |title=Aroostook protesters resist vaccine mandate despite county's rising virus cases |work=The Bangor Daily News |url=https://bangordailynews.com/2021/08/31/news/aroostook/aroostook-faces-high-covid-19-cases-but-protesters-remain-resistant-to-vaccine-mandate/ |access-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-date=December 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208043256/https://bangordailynews.com/2021/08/31/news/aroostook/aroostook-faces-high-covid-19-cases-but-protesters-remain-resistant-to-vaccine-mandate/ |url-status=live }} The progressive States Newsroom affiliate Maine Beacon said that the event "validated false and dangerous claims about vaccines, at times framing the public health initiative as a government experiment in violation of individual liberties."{{Cite news |date=August 19, 2021 |title=GOP lawmakers headline conspiracy-laden vaccine mandate protest |work=The Maine Beacon |url=https://mainebeacon.com/gop-lawmakers-headline-conspiracy-laden-vaccine-mandate-protest/ |access-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-date=August 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824100222/https://mainebeacon.com/gop-lawmakers-headline-conspiracy-laden-vaccine-mandate-protest/ |url-status=live }}
In November 2022, Quint won re-election to the Maine House of Representatives with 72.8% of the vote.{{Cite web |title=Maine's 2022 Election Results |url=https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/11/09/maines-2022-election-results/ |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=www.wagmtv.com |date=November 9, 2022 |language=en}}
Personal life
Electoral history
{{Election box begin no change |title=2020 Maine House of Representatives election, District 144{{Cite web |title=2020 Maine election results |url=https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/results/results20.html |date=November 3, 2020 |url-status=live |publisher=Government of Maine |access-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-date=November 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126152819/https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/results/results20.html }}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change |party=Republican Party (United States) |candidate=Tracy Quint |votes=2,835 |percentage=68.3%}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change |party=Democratic Party (United States) |candidate=Kathryn Harnish |votes=1,325 |percentage=31.7%}}
{{Election box end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Maine House of Representatives}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quint, Tracy}}
Category:Republican Party members of the Maine House of Representatives
Category:Women state legislators in Maine
Category:21st-century American women politicians
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:American women nurses
Category:American anti-vaccination activists