Reacting to debate, Gov. Mills outlines what’s at stake for Maine in presidential election

In remarks to the roughly 50 attendees of the South Portland presidential debate watch party, Gov. Janet Mills drew a stark contrast between the candidates. (Emma Davis/ Maine Morning Star)

Democracy is at stake in the November presidential election, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills said Thursday night, as well as common sense and civility in the White House, which she added, “we’re not seeing on the part of Mr. Trump tonight.” 

Mills spoke at a Democratic watch party for the first presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. In an interview with Maine Morning Star, the governor criticized Trump for deploying what she called mudslinging, name calling and “just so many fibs.” 

Explaining her support for the current president, Mills highlighted how the Biden administration assisted Maine on a range of issues, including climate change, health care and education.  

“There are many things we depend on the federal government for,” Mills said. “We can’t depend on Trump.” 

Before Trump and Biden took the stage at CNN’s headquarters in Atlanta, Mills drew a stark contrast between them in remarks to the roughly 50 attendees of the South Portland watch party, urging them to listen carefully to the rhetoric and demeanor of each candidate. 

In her speech, Mills described Biden as a compassionate and civil leader, referring to his visit to Maine last fall in the wake of the mass shooting in Lewiston.

“I know who it is that has done the most to help the state of Maine — that is why I’m supporting President Biden,” Mills said. “I know who came here, who stood with us after Oct. 25th in Lewiston, who spent hours with the victims of that tragedy and the families of the deceased of that tragedy.”

Aside from the candidates’ performances, Mills told Maine Morning Star that she’d hoped for more during the first debate of the presidential campaign. 

“It’s not the level of debate that I was hoping for,” Mills said. “It’s not the level of questioning that I was hoping for. There’s some good questions but there’s no follow up.”

What’s at stake for Mainers

When asked about what she believes to be the most pressing issues for Mainers that would see absolute change depending on the next president, Mills provided a litany. 

“The Biden administration is helping us fight PFAS, fight the rising seas and the terrible storms we’ve encountered,” Mills said, referring to the eight disaster declarations she’s requested over the past two years. “The Biden administration has been a partner with the state of Maine in enhancing our public funding for education programs, healthcare.”

Trump has often vowed to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which Mills said would be detrimental to the hundreds of thousands of Mainers who rely on it for health insurance. 

Other Democratic officials Thursday evening shared similar concerns. At the watch party, state Sen. Anne Carney (D-Cumberland) told Maine Morning Star that the most pressing issue for Mainers she believes is at stake this upcoming election is healthcare, specifically noting Trump’s opposition to ACA. 

“I feel that the Affordable Care Act is really going to be threatened if Trump is elected and I know that President Biden stands really strongly in favor of access to healthcare and preserving the Affordable Care Act,” Carney said, also noting the Biden administration’s expansion of postpartum and prenatal health care initiatives. 

The other aspect of healthcare that Carney is concerned about depending on who assumes office is reproductive healthcare, noting that Trump has stacked the U.S. Supreme Court with anti-abortion judges and bragged about getting Roe v. Wade overturned, which had established a federal right to abortion in 1973.

“Mainers really value access to reproductive healthcare,” Carney said, as the state currently has some of the least restrictive abortion laws in the country. “I am worried on behalf of Mainers that we will lose rights based on federal changes if Trump is elected.” 

Meanwhile, legislative Republicans and congressional hopefuls praised how Trump conducted himself during the debate on Thursday. 

When asked about the candidates’ performances, House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) called Biden’s “the worst in American history.” 

“I went into the debate hoping President Trump would be reserved and hold back on interrupting President Biden,” Faulkingham said. “He did just that and the results for Biden were disastrous.”

Austin Theriault, who earlier this month won the GOP primary to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden for Maine’s 2nd District, took to social media to critique Biden and his opponent’s support of the president. 

“Tonight, we saw Joe Biden double down on his failures while President Donald Trump demonstrated strong leadership and talked about much-needed change,” Theriault wrote on X after the debate. “Despite the mess Mainers face right now, Jared Golden still supports Biden.” 

Speaking beyond the debate, Mills also emphasized the importance of federal support broadly, recounting calls with the other 49 state governors and Trump during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“When the 50 governors were on the phone every week with the vice president and president, Mr. Trump said, ‘You’re on your own states’,” Mills said. “‘You’re on your own when it comes to getting PPE and getting testing equipment. You’re on your own.’ It was quite a change in tone and change in level of assistance when President Biden came into office. There’s no question about that.” 

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