Lawmaker says Janet Mills blocked her from getting state job because she supports Rick Bennett

Maine DOT hiring dispute sparks debate over political retaliation

In Augusta, a controversy has emerged that could reshape how state agencies make staffing decisions. Rep. Lydia Crafts, a Newcastle Democrat who served three terms in the Maine House, has alleged that Gov. Janet Mills blocked her appointment to a mental‑health‑focused role at the Department of Transportation because she publicly endorsed independent candidate Rick Bennett in the 2026 gubernatorial race.

Crafts first met with DOT officials early in the year after she announced she would not seek re‑election. She was encouraged to apply for a government‑affairs position that had recently opened. The job went through a standard application and two interview rounds, and the department’s commissioner, Dale Doughty, told her in late August that she was the most qualified candidate.

“Doughty said he had tried multiple times to receive approval to hire her but that he couldn’t do anything else,” Crafts told the Portland Press Herald. On September 2, she recorded a conversation with Doughty in which he said the department had been asked to postpone filling the post and to reevaluate the position in January. When Crafts hinted the delay might be tied to her endorsement of Bennett, Doughty replied, “I can only assume it has something to do with my political positions.”

The matter came to the public’s attention on Tuesday when Crafts addressed reporters in a morning media gaggle at the State House. She said that the DOT had told her in late August that the governor had blocked the hire. “I believe I was being punished for exercising my political independence,” she said. “I spoke up for my values, stood for what I believe in, and was swiftly punished for stepping out of line.”

Mills’ spokesperson, deputy press secretary Anna Parker, responded that the governor believes staffing decisions should be left to the next administration. “It is appropriate and right to leave such decisions to the next governor so that the new administration may build a government that best reflects the will of Maine people,” Parker wrote.

Crafts’ comments added a dramatic dimension to a gubernatorial race that has largely appeared uneventful, with Democrat Hannah Pingree holding a double‑digit lead over Republican Bobby Charles and independent Rick Bennett in recent polls. Bennett, a former Republican state senator from Oxford who is running as an independent, has repeatedly echoed Crafts’ claims. In a statement, he said, “She was blocked from the DOT job because she endorsed me. That’s not politics. That’s punishment. Maine deserves better.”

Bennett’s campaign has struggled to gain traction in the race; a poll released last week showed Pingree at 48 percent support, Charles at 36 percent and Bennett at only 8 percent.

Crafts, who is 43 and works as a mental‑health therapist, also noted that she has seen “three or four prominent Mainers” who have refused to publicly back Bennett because they fear retaliation. She explained that she endorsed Bennett because of his political independence and frustration with the current Democratic majority’s approach to passing budgets without bipartisan input.

The DOT has not yet issued a formal comment on the situation, and Doughty declined to provide further details. The department’s spokesperson, however, did not dispute the timeline of the hiring process.

Mills’ office defended its decision by noting that it had recently appointed a new director for the Office of New Americans this summer, implying that hiring delays were not a policy. Crafts disputed this, arguing that the office waited only when the applicant “endorsed the wrong candidate.”

The incident raises questions about how political views may influence personnel decisions within state agencies. While the Maine Legislature has traditionally allowed governors to exercise discretion over staffing, the situation may prompt a broader debate over the appropriate scope of executive influence.

For now, the debate continues in Augusta. The DOT’s decision on the position remains pending, with the possibility of a new appointment only after the governor’s term ends in January. Meanwhile, the gubernatorial race remains a battleground not only for policy but for the very principles of political participation and representation in Maine.