Hannah Pingree releases first campaign ad of Maine gubernatorial general election 

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Democratic gubernatorial candidate Hannah Pingree released her first TV ad of the general election on Wednesday, becoming the first candidate to go on air.

The ad highlights her record as Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives where she fought prescription drug companies to lower prices, and promises to build on that experience to make housing and health insurance more affordable. 

“As governor, I’ll take on the tough fights to bring down costs for you,” she says in the ad. “Tax out-of-state homeowners to reduce property taxes for Mainers, and create a public insurance option to lower premiums.”

Since she announced her campaign last year, Pingree has run on promises to deliver affordability, leaning on her legislative and executive branch experience. Before she announced her run for governor, Pingree led Gov. Janet Mills’ Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, where she worked on housing issues, addressed energy efficiency and climate challenges and introduced workforce initiatives to strengthen Maine’s economy. 

“This ad is about being honest with people: times are tough, and it’s going to take a governor who’s tough enough to take on the powerful interests driving up costs,” Pingree said in a statement.

Her campaign has reserved $1.8 million to buy eight weeks of broadcast television and cable advertising before the Nov. 3 election. That’s more than the combined total raised by her two opponents, according to the latest available campaign finance data published in late July. 

As of July 14, Pingree had raised more than $3 million. Republican Bobby Charles had raised $1.3 million, and independent Rick Bennett raised just more than $780,000, according to Maine Ethics Commission data released in July.

Pingree’s campaign said her campaign has been “fueled by strong grassroots support, high volunteer engagement, and a growing list of endorsements from elected leaders, health care experts, and community advocates across Maine.” 

Three public polls have shown Pingree leading the gubernatorial candidate field.

Bennett said Pingree’s record of working on affordable housing and energy in Maine has not yielded results. 

“Mainers should be skeptical of an ad that celebrates a record on affordability — because the person in it is the one who ran Maine’s housing and energy policy for the last six years,” he said. 

“Failure does not earn her a promotion.”