This past weekend, the Maine Democratic Party held its state convention, featuring speeches from Governor Janet Mills, Congressman Jared Golden, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, and Maine’s legislative leaders. The convention message was simple: Democrats have led the state to tremendous progress over the last three years, and we won’t let Republicans drag us back.
Here’s what outlets across the state are saying about the convention:
News Center Maine: Maine Democrats tout accomplishments in second day of state convention
AP: Gov. Mills touts fiscal record at Democratic convention
WMTW: Mills touted what she believes has been her biggest accomplishments during her speech, and contrasted her four years in the Blaine House with the previous eight, when it was occupied by LePage. “I don’t know what he was thinking about, but it wasn’t Maine people, and we won’t go back,” Mills said of LePage.
Maine Public: Mills, who is the first woman elected governor in Maine, said her administration expanded Medicaid, made drug overdose reversal drugs more widely available and adopted policies to grow the clean energy sector and address climate change. Seeking to differentiate her administration from her predecessor’s, Mills also said she filled public health positions left vacant by LePage, invested in both K-12 and higher education, and is helping Maine families cope with inflation by sending $850 direct checks to most taxpayers.
Bangor Daily News: The governor took office in 2019 after promises to reverse much of LePage’s legacy. In the first days of her tenure, she implemented Medicaid expansion, which her predecessor vetoed five times and stalled after voters approved it. She nodded to that and other parts of LePage’s record, including a past proposal to raise sales taxes to pay for income tax cuts.
Beyond touting their record of success, Mills and other Democrats also emphasized their commitment to protecting Mainers’ abortion rights from Republican attacks:
Portland Press Herald: Maine Democrats approve platform defending abortion access, LGBTQ rights
Maine Public: Governor Janet Mills vows to protect abortion rights if reelected
WMTW: Mills also affirmed her support for abortion rights, saying that Maine will not go back to the time before Roe v. Wade. “You can bet as long as I am your governor, we will protect the right to safe and legal abortion for women in Maine,” Mills said. “Unlike Republicans, and unlike the apparent majority of our Supreme Court of the United States, I do not believe that a woman's rights are dispensable.”
The convention’s focus on Democratic accomplishments and protecting Mainers’ rights presented a stark contrast with the culture war-focused Maine GOP convention two weeks prior:
Portland Press Herald: Maine Republicans adopt platform to ban sexually based material, transgender identity in schools
Bangor Daily News: Maine GOP platform calls for limits on LGBTQ discussions in schools
WGME: New Maine GOP platform includes banning sex education, 'critical race theory' in schools