Bobby Charles says Hannah Pingree is Janet Mills 2.0. Is she?

AUGUSTA, Maine — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Hannah Pingree is positioning herself as a candidate of change, even as she carries the endorsement and legacy of outgoing Governor Janet Mills. With just months until the election, the three-way race between Pingree, Republican Bobby Charles, and independent Rick Bennett is taking shape as a contest between continuity and departure.

Pingree, who spent six years as Mills' chief policy advisor leading the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, argues that her experience inside the administration is exactly what Maine needs—but with a different approach.

"I have a record of leadership that is about taking on tough fights and winning, but I probably have done it with a different style than Gov. Mills," Pingree said in a recent interview. "We're different. We're different personalities. We're of different generations."

Charles, however, has made his opposition to what he sees as four more years of Mills-style governance the centerpiece of his campaign. In a Facebook post, he wrote: "Hannah Pingree is Janet Mills 2.0. More needles on our streets. Higher costs. More taxes. More crime. Enough is enough."

Bennett, the independent candidate, has similarly argued that Maine needs fresh leadership. On housing, a key vulnerability in the Mills administration's record, Bennett said: "I don't have any confidence that Hannah Pingree as governor is going to do anything more than what we've already seen, which is really people taking credit for action when there is no action. The problem persists and people cannot find affordable housing near where their jobs are."

Despite the attacks, polling consistently shows Pingree with a substantial lead over both opponents. Yet the June survey by the New York Times, Portland Press Herald, and Siena College revealed a complicated environment: while Pingree leads, Mills herself carries a negative net favorability rating, and only 15% of respondents described the state's economy as excellent or good.

Mills, who is term-limited and cannot seek another term, has publicly endorsed Pingree. Her spokesperson, Ben Goodman, said the governor believes Pingree will chart her own course.

"The governor asked Hannah to serve in her administration because of her deep experience, sound judgment, and relentless optimism for Maine's future," Goodman said. "She knows Hannah will draw on those same qualities if elected governor, leading in her own way and making her own decisions about what she believes is right for Maine."

The candidates diverge on several major issues.

On tribal sovereignty, Pingree has pledged to introduce sweeping legislation within her first 100 days in office that would grant Maine's Wabanaki Nations the same rights as federally recognized tribes in other states. Mills opposed such comprehensive reform, instead backing incremental changes, including a 2024 law that expanded tribal courts' ability to prosecute certain crimes on their lands.

"This would be giving our tribes the same rights and opportunities that other tribes across the country have and recognizing their sovereignty as independent governments," Pingree said.

The gun debate offers another clear distinction. After the 2023 Lewiston mass shooting, Mills proposed only modifications to the state's yellow flag law and vetoed a bump stock ban. She publicly opposed the red flag referendum that ultimately passed. Pingree, by contrast, supported the red flag law, which allows families and law enforcement to seek court orders to temporarily remove weapons from individuals deemed dangerous. She has also called for banning rapid-fire devices and says she wants a specific focus on preventing gun-related domestic violence homicides.

"I think we need a specific focus to protect families and protect Maine people," Pingree said. "I think that's an area where I would hope to be able to work across the aisle."

Education funding and outcomes have emerged as another flashpoint. Maine schools have seen declining performance metrics, a fact both Charles and Pingree acknowledge, though they offer different prescriptions. Pingree, a mother of teenagers who served on a local school board for nine years, wants to build on Mills' achievement of having the state cover 55% of local education costs, while also pursuing faster salary increases for teachers. The Maine Education Association, which backed Mills in 2022, has now endorsed Pingree.

"I would take a much more aggressive approach to how we support kids and how we support teachers to ensure that kids are reading and doing math at grade level," Pingree said. "I feel very strongly that where we are right now isn't acceptable."

Healthcare presents a story of both accomplishment and ambition. Mills' 2019 Medicaid expansion extended coverage to approximately 100,000 previously uninsured Mainers, and her administration established a state-based health insurance marketplace while passing the Made for Maine Health Coverage Act, which eliminated copays for certain services. Pingree wants to go further, proposing a public insurance option that would allow individuals and small businesses ineligible for MaineCare to purchase state-negotiated plans.

On taxes, both Pingree and Mills support the recently enacted "millionaire's tax"—a 2% surcharge on income above $1 million. Pingree says she would also look to ease the burden on middle and low-income families, proposing to double the homestead exemption for primary residences while increasing property taxes on second homes owned by non-residents. Charles has called for eliminating the state income tax entirely, though he has not detailed how he would offset the lost revenue.

Housing represents perhaps the sharpest contrast in tone. Under Mills, Maine authorized over $350 million for housing construction—more than five times what the state spent from 2000 to 2018. The result: over 2,700 new homes and apartments now occupied, with another 3,100 under construction. Still, affordability remains elusive in many parts of the state, particularly Cumberland and York counties, which fell short of production goals.

Pingree says she's proud of the foundation but believes much more is needed. Her plan calls for $100 million annually in housing financing, streamlined state permitting, and policies aimed at keeping homes in the hands of Maine residents and companies rather than out-of-state investors.

"I've certainly learned that we need to go much bigger," she said.

Both candidates have signaled willingness to resist policies from the Trump administration. Mills drew national attention last year when she told the president "See you in court" after he demanded Maine comply with an executive order on transgender athletes. Pingree has made pushback against anticipated federal cuts to healthcare, voting rights, and immigrant protections a central theme of her campaign.

"I think my leadership style of bringing people together and working across the aisle will be important, because I think things are going to be very challenging," Pingree said.

If elected, Pingree would become Maine's second female governor. The primary contest—and the general election—will test whether voters see her connection to Mills as an asset, a liability, or simply irrelevant to the choice ahead.