Pingree draws Bath crowd as Maine governor race heats up

A Bath town hall turned into a test of whether Hannah Pingree’s affordability pitch matches what Sagadahoc County voters want from the next governor. In a county where residents are likely to judge candidates on housing costs, school funding, health care access and property taxes, Pingree framed her campaign around the cost of living rather than party rhetoric.

Pingree, one of five Democrats on Maine’s June 9 governor primary ballot, has tried to turn that message into momentum. Her campaign has gained attention after Gov. Janet Mills suspended her U.S. Senate run on May 5, shifting more statewide attention to the governor’s contest. The race is now expected to be shaped by ranked-choice voting, with many Democrats still undecided and no candidate guaranteed a clear first-place finish.

Pingree’s central pitch is an affordability plan she unveiled on April 14. It calls for $100 million a year in affordable housing development, a public health insurance option, universal free pre-K, and higher taxes on second homes owned by non-Mainers. The proposal also builds on Maine’s millionaire’s tax. For Bath and neighboring towns, those ideas speak directly to the pressure many families feel from rising rents, aging housing stock and the high cost of keeping children and older relatives covered.

The Bath appearance also helped Pingree present herself as a candidate with executive experience, not just campaign momentum. She served as director of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future under Mills and was formerly Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives. Supporters say that gives her a record of governing that matters in a race where voters are being asked to choose not only a message, but a manager for the next four years.

Pingree has also drawn notable backing, including an endorsement from novelist Stephen King and support from Sierra Club Maine, which endorsed her along with Troy Jackson and Shenna Bellows for their climate records. Her campaign, part of the “Maine’s Next Chapter Tour,” is using stops like Bath and South Portland to argue that the governor’s race is now the main statewide contest to watch, especially as the Senate field appears to be settling toward Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee and Susan Collins as the likely Republican opponent.

For Sagadahoc County voters, the question is less about who can fill a room and more about who can make housing cheaper, health care steadier and schools more affordable without asking local taxpayers to carry the load alone. Pingree’s Bath stop was another chance to make that case before the June 9 primary hardens into a choice.