Gov. Janet Mills (D-Maine) has the third-worst fiscal policy of any governor in the country, according to a report from the Cato Institute, even worse than that of California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
[RELATED: Maine Faces $949.2 Million Budget Shortfall for 2026-2027…]
The Cato Institute ranks governors from a “limited-government perspective,” considering their spending habits and tax policy, with the bottom spending the most and raising taxes the most.
Gov. Mills received an F from the institute, with 31 points on their grading system, considering seven variables on tax policy, revenue, and spending.
In contrast, Gov. Newsom received a D rank with 42 points.
Mills ranked just two points above New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D).
The only other governor below Mills was Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, considered the least fiscally responsible governor in the nation according to the Cato Institute, earning only 19 points.
Under Mills, in 2022, Maine’s debt hit 6.6 percent, the seventh-highest debt rate among all states in the nation.
Since taking office in 2019, Mills has pushed for massive spending increases, proposing a 10.3 percent increase in spending per capita, and ultimately overseeing an even larger 11 percent increase per capita.
The Mills administration saw a $1 billion increase in the general fund budget from 2022 to 2024.
Under Maine’s former governor, Paul LePage (R), the state scored an A every time Cato ranked state spending. Mills quickly brought the score down to an F.
The institute specifically pointed to Maine’s recent paid family leave law, set to take effect on January 1, 2025, and bring a blanket one percent increase to taxes on wages.
[RELATED: Maine Businesses Brace for New 1% Payroll Tax and Paid Leave Mandate…]
That policy, supported by Mills, is set to begin taxing Maine’s workers and employers to fund the new paid family leave policies 16 months before any of the benefits go into effect.
The top of the Cato Institute’s ranking was dominated by Republicans, with all A ranks held by Republican governors, and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) coming out on top.
Democrat governors made up the entirety of the F category.
The Cato Institute report came shortly after Maine’s Department of Administrative and Financial Services (DAFS) published a report projecting that the state will face a $949.2 million budget shortfall for 2026-2027.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="31739 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=31739">13 Comments
Vote her out
She’s on scorched earth tour. Last one out turn off the light.
I’ve said in previous comments that this woman (maybe) has tried to make us like California. What’s she’s done is made us the trailer trash of California. Worse than….she put illegals over the residents of this state. We have a very elderly population who have to mostly shut up and taken it. In Maine south we have imports from southern NE who left Mass and Conn but brought their liberal lifes styles to Maine but haven’t considered the population can’t sustain it. She and the orgasmic southern democrats who spend spend spend think they have the power to print money like the feds and will forever goose step their way to power. For those who have read and believe the holy bible we’ve read the last chapter and know what is to come. Evil, like Janet still think they can have their way and don’t think there will be consequences. She’s abused the power given her. She’s done Satan’s bidding. She took a beautiful state and made it a cesspool. Anybody noticed there are shootings almost every day. Given we are a state completely dominated bt the democrats you can’t blame republicans for that. Janet and her evil dominions own it all. We’ll never vote it out. We are truly a two state state. The south, dominated by evil, unfortunately can’t lose. Until reasonable democrat stop drinking the kool-aide it will never change.
Thank you so much to all the assholes who voted against Paul Lepage . You stupid stupid democrats .
Democrat comes from the Latin word daemonicus and Germanic word rato, or demonic rat.
Bwaha, ha, ha, ha ha, cough, gag, snort, spit, gasp, ha, ha, ha, ha.
I would like to ask how the people of Maine like Czarina Mills now, but I know the answer. Those that love her work for the state, sit on their fat lazy @$$ and get supported by the state, or are so flat out stupid they can’t see they are worse off than before her coronation and spent every penny she could beg borrow or steal.
“Democrat governors made up the entirety of the F category.” Not surprising.
I live in Scarborough and everyone I know is an avid supporter of Janet Mills. It’s depressing! I’m a libertarian–at least philosophically, if not always politically–and have lived in Maine for 55 of my 78 years. Over those many years I have witnessed the blossoming of extreme religious conviction on the part of dems when it comes to government; but they are completely devoid of economic understanding along with that religious conviction. They don’t read the Maine Wire and probably have no idea of the fiscal mess she’s gotten us into.
My 3 children were raised in Maine. Their schooling helped instill that left-liberal mind-set that I do not share because academia is mostly left-wing. I don’t discuss politics with them or with my many leftie friends because arguments and discord ensue. As a result, I’m a bit lonely, although I know many people whom I like on a personal basis–but no political discussions. Folks who know me know that I am not a democrat, nor a republican, really. I doubt they’d speak to me again if they understood that I will be voting for Donald Trump on Nov 5th. He’s a far away fall-back. I much prefer Vivek Ramaswamy; but I just think that Kamala is horrible and will bring about the complete collapse of the USA if elected. So I will vote for Trump and keep my mouth shut about it, although I doubt he’ll do anything about the national debt–probably only increase it. But I pray that this time he’ll have better advisors who will insist that the debt has to be dealt with and the federal budget needs to be balanced in order for the monetary printing presses to halt inflation.
Government has always been a burden; and now it’s just a plain old curse! We need to shrink it and let people live as they chose without funding their choices. I hope it’s not too late to reverse the tide of vast government spending.
Nancy
In text terms I’m sending you a hug. I recently retired., I worked with people who thought any democrat walked on water even though they could never say what benefit any democrat ever brought them. I don’t miss them at all since leaving. Stay true to yourself. I’m a Rush Limbaugh republican. I miss his commentary so much. He was a “love your neighbors” Christian and had the ability to defend his faith and repudiate the the evil opposition of the democrats with respect and factual certainty. I appreciate your comments. There are more of us out there waiting for Christs return and refuse to bow to the political evil, whether democrat or republican. Keep true to who you are.
As I have previously stated , I have known Janet since her “DAYS of being a SNOW PIG” That is right folks she got fired from Andro Cnty for being a Crack Head never heard about that when she was running for office did you..? A Corrupt Lesbo from a Corrupt Family
Have you noticed who heads the list. ?
The would-be vice president who of course will help Kacklin Kamala finish spending the U S into oblivion
Governor you are at the bottom, just like our kids reading scores!
King are you, as an independent, still supportive of the Governor. Just ber than NY governor.
As usual, whatever the left Dems control turns to shite.