Maine’s governor attempted to gracefully bow out of politics this week, rather than face the humiliation of a big primary defeat.
Three weeks ago, we at the Pine Tree Pulse asked a very specific question: Is Janet Mills Going to Drop Out? Our consensus — Mills had no viable path forward, she wasn’t going to recover politically, and she was likely to try to save face by quitting soon.
This week, our prophecy came true and Mills walked away. But she didn’t just walk away from the dream of being a one term Senator, she is undoubtedly walking away from politics. At the age of 78, it is difficult to imagine her staging some kind of political comeback in future election cycles.
We ask a fundamental set of questions: why did her campaign fail? What is her legacy, now that her career is over? What will happen to Maine’s Democratic Party now that it is in the hands of its ultra-progressive left? We discuss answers to these questions and more.
Afterward, we talk about the merciful end of the legislative session in Maine, including the consideration of the veto of the ban on data centers, and renewed attention to the failure of Maine’s DHHS to protect vulnerable kids.
We wrap by talking a bit about the state of play in the gubernatorial race, and looking ahead to the fall. All this and more, this week, on the Pine Tree Pulse.