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The recent University of New Hampshire poll illustrates that Gov. Janet Mills is not a “safe candidate” for U.S. Senate. Graham Platner holds a 71% favorability rating among likely Democratic primary voters, as opposed to Mills 51%. After 46 years in public office, the Maine Democratic base is, at best, lukewarm on Mills.
I believe Mills has consistently enacted policies that hurt working people. In April 2024, the Legislature voted to raise taxes on the wealthiest households and cut taxes for the poorest only to run into Mills’ veto pen. Maine faces a near constant budget crisis and Mills’ refusal to raise taxes on the most affluent has forced working Mainers to pick up the tab.
Last summer, the Legislature passed a series of Mills’ tax proposals including taxes on cannabis, streaming services, and cigarettes. These taxes primarily affect working people. Many of Mills’ proposals failed to make the final bill: an ambulance tax, a pharmacy tax, and cuts to child care worker stipends.
Of the many labor bills Mills has vetoed, LD 1338 (An Act To Prohibit Employers from Retaliating against the Use of Earned Paid Leave) from 2022 is emblematic.
I believe Mills is weak from the left and the right. The new poll shows 88% of Socialists and 69% of progressives supporting Platner. Likewise, in this poll we see that Platner beats Sen. Susan Collins by 11 points versus Mills’ 1 point.
Say what you will about Graham Platner’s past; I believe Janet Mills has spent the past eight years impeding improvements for the lives of working Mainers. Gov. Mills, please step aside for a new generation.
Jonathan Sonnenfeld
Deer Isle