Leaning in to ranked choice primary, Sierra Club endorses three candidates for governor

The Maine chapter of the Sierra Club has endorsed three candidates in the Democratic gubernatorial primary: Shenna Bellows, Troy Jackson and Hannah Pingree.

At a press conference Wednesday, Emma Conrad, chair of the chapter’s political committee, said all three candidates are environmental champions and represent the bold leadership needed in Maine.

“All three candidates have demonstrated over the years an unwavering commitment to sustainability, climate action and environmental justice,” Conrad said.

Conrad said the Sierra Club often endorses in primary elections, but this is the first time endorsing three candidates, which they said was a benefit of the state using ranked choice voting in the primary.

“We always say the great news is you can vote for all of us,” Bellows said. “And of course, each of us wants to be ranked number one, but if we’re not somebody’s number one, we want to be their number two.”

The three candidates stopped short of fully endorsing each other for the ranked-choice primary, but each highlighted the ways they have worked together on environmental issues over their careers.

“There are a lot of good people in this race,” Pingree said. “With ranked choice voting, Mainers don’t have to choose fear over hope. You can vote with your values and be heard.”

Two other candidates will be on the Democratic primary ballot June 9: business leader Angus King III and former head of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Nirav Shah. The general election for governor will not be ranked.

Pingree has also been endorsed by Maine Conservation Voters. She highlighted her work as the director of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future in the relief and recovery efforts following the severe storms that hit Maine in December 2023 and January 2024.

“Climate change is making these events worse and Mainers know it,” Pingree said. “Fishermen know it as the lobsters move and the ocean changes. Loggers and farmers know it as the freezes and thaws and rain events become harder to predict.”

At the same time, Pingree said, President Donald Trump is rolling back environmental protections and siding with fossil fuel and chemical companies.

“We are all paying the price, and we’re here to say that is not acceptable,” she said. “Maine’s next governor must be a champion for our environment because it matters so much for our people, for our communities and for our economic future.”

Bellows spoke about her family’s passion for the environment, and her commitment to the cause if elected governor.

“And as Maine’s next governor, I’m committed to a real, new, Green New Deal for Maine, rooted in affordability,” Bellows said. “So that every Mainer, regardless of who they are, where they come from, or how much money they make, can benefit from investments in Maine’s green economy and meeting our climate goals.”

She said that right now, many of those investments are based on tax credits, which means residents have to pay out of pocket for improvements, and then wait for reimbursements in their taxes.

Instead, Bellows said she would have the state install solar panels and heat pumps, and conduct other weatherization, so that low-income households can get the benefits of those improvements.

And she would also seek to limit power companies’ profits, capping them at 6%.

“And just as rising tides threaten every Mainer’s way of life, our solutions can be ones to lift every boat,” Bellows said.

Jackson spoke about his experience in the state Legislature, and his willingness to stand up to his own party for issues he believed in.

“I’ll actually act bold on climate change and I won’t back down,” he said. “I’ve been fighting my entire life to build a state that people in my community deserve.”

Jackson comes from a family of loggers, and worked as a logger himself, and now so does his son. Growing up on the St. John River, Jackson said he has many memories with his father exploring the water.

“For me, this is personal because I come from a place where the environment outside your front door has a profound influence on your life,” he said. “It shapes what most folks do for work and how they spend their time after work.”

Jackson said he will work to lower Maine’s energy costs and invest in a more reliable grid.

“We’re standing here today because Maine’s environment is worth protecting, from the working waterfront to miles of coastline, the acres and acres of forestry and farmland,” Jackson said.