Former director of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF) and daughter of First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, Hannah Pingree, launched her campaign for governor on Tuesday. She is the fifth person, and fourth well-known name to join the primary field one year before Democrats will choose their nominee.
Kicking off her anticipated run to succeed Maine Governor Janet Mills (D) in Rockland — the mainland city closest to her home on the island of North Haven — Pingree, 48, is no stranger to Maine politics. She served four terms in the Maine House of Representatives, where she was also elected speaker.
A recent poll by Pan Atlantic Research pegged Pingree as third in the current field, trailing behind Angus King III, son of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, both of whom were announce candidates when the survey was fielded in May. King then enjoyed 33 percent, Bellows 24 percent and Pingree 20 percent — though she led then also announced candidate and former Senate president Troy Jackson by seven points.
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When Pingree stepped down from her advisory role in the Blaine House a month ago, Gov. Mills offered a statement remarkably rich in praise.
“When I proposed an ‘Office of the Future’ in 2019, I asked Hannah to lead its creation because with her background as a local school board chair, a legislator, member of the Appropriations Committee, and House Speaker, I knew Hannah had the ability to bring people together and the imagination to develop innovative solutions to the most pressing problems facing our state,” Mills said.
[RELATED: Leaving GOPIF Perch, Hannah Pingree Is Poised to Spread Her Wings]
Pingree is known for her advocacy on the climate. She has managed her family’s inn on North Haven, Nebo Lodge, and served on the island’s school board. When her mother ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2002, she was the campaign’s finance director.
Following her Tuesday morning announcement, Pingree is expected to make campaign stops throughout the district.
