Mills officially endorses former administration official Hannah Pingree for governor

Gov. Janet Mills announced her official endorsement Tuesday for Hannah Pingree to succeed her in the Blaine House.  

The unsurprising endorsement of the former Mills administration official comes amid early voting in the June 9 Democratic primary, in which Pingree is facing off against several other high profile former lawmakers and state leaders: Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, former Maine Center Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah, and business leader Angus King III.

“I have known Hannah for many years, and I can say without a doubt that she is a leader of courage, integrity, strength, compassion, and action — someone who is unafraid to fight for what is right and who will deliver for Maine people day after day,” Mills said of the former Maine House of Representatives speaker. “Hannah is a leader whom Maine people can trust.” 

In a video shared by the campaign, the governor, who rose to national prominence for challenging President Donald Trump over his attempts to roll back Maine’s protections for transgender students, emphasized that she believes Pingree also won’t back down in the face of potential federal overreach.

“Hannah Pingree has what it takes to stand up to Donald Trump and win,” Mills said. 

In recent debates, the Democratic candidates have outlined how they would stand up to the Trump administration. Since Mills’ high profile conflict with the president, Maine has faced multiple investigations and threats of losing federal funding over its transgender athlete policy as well as an immigration enforcement surge. 

“Governor Mills knows how to stand up to a bully and she cares deeply for the people of Maine. I’m honored to have her support in this race,” said Pingree in a press statement. “She knows what’s at stake and what it takes — from protecting reproductive rights and making housing and health care affordable, to going toe to toe with Washington when Maine’s future is on the line. That’s the fight ahead, and I’m ready for it.”

Mills, who served two terms as Maine’s first female governor, recently withdrew her bid for the Democratic nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.