Maine leads the nation in one important category, a national news network recently suggested: dynastic politics. Looking ahead to the coming year, candidates with famous names are vying the be the next generation of leaders — all shooting for the Blaine House.
“In the crowded Maine governor’s race alone, there are three contenders who are political scions: Democrat Angus King III, the son of independent Sen. Angus King; Democrat Hannah Pingree, the daughter of Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine; and Republican Jonathan Bush, the nephew and cousin of the two Bush presidents,” NBC-TV says in a new report on dynasty politics.
“While the trend is hardly new, this campaign cycle already features a number of notable races involving candidates who are related to former or current politicians,” according to the news network’s Christmas day report.
Chellie is quoted by NBC as describing her ex-Maine House speaker daughter’s attempt as both “heart-warming and terrifying.”
But the Maine liberal congresswoman also claimed it’s only “natural” to see the next generation of public servants following in some of their parents’ footsteps.
“I’m at the end of my career, close to retirement,” Chellie added in the understatement of 2025 as she tried to explain why it’s time for her daughter to pick up the Pingree mantle (such as it is).
Pingree-the-Elder told NBC she’s not the only leftist Maine senior-citizen politician on the way out, so to speak.
To wit, she charitably volunteered that the senior King is also ready for a rocking chair.
“Angus is probably in his last term in the Senate,” she offered without his imprimatur.
Angus also happens to be the guy who blocked Congresswoman Chellie from running for an open Maine Senate seat in 2012 by telling her party that even though he was running as an independent he was secretly going to caucus with the Democrats if they’d support him over that woman.
Poor Chell. Not only is she at the end of her career – by her own admission – but as Rodney Dangerfield might say she “gets no respect” from her own party.
Asked whether she encouraged her daughter to run, Pingree said: “Oh, God, no!”
If she didn’t encourage her to run did she discourage her from running? Come on Chell, spill!
The younger Angus told NBC he’s learned a lot of lessons from his daddy, such as the importance of reaching across the aisle, as well as how rewarding a career in politics can be in having a “huge and positive impact on people’s lives.”
“Sometimes people use the shorthand of, ‘Well, he’s the senator’s son,’” King III said, going on to analogize his situation to that of Hall of Fame hockey player Wayne Gretzky’s son when he decided to play high school hockey.
“You still have to skate. You still have to shoot the puck. You still have to grind it out in the corner. There’s no real advantage from the name on the back of your jersey.”
So young Angus thinks his daddy is suddenly Wayne Gretzky, arguably the greatest hockey player of all time?
“The advantage is you’ve had this example of integrity, of caring for the people of Maine in this deep way, this commitment to service and the perspective of how we get things done, how do we help the most people,” King III continued.
Noting his fellow political scions embarking on their campaigns, young Angus added: “No one is particularly surprised when a doctor’s child becomes a doctor.”
(The difference of course is that when a doctor’s child becomes a physician he or she actually has to go through years of grueling post-graduate school and then take on a residency to learn the trade.)
Beyond mentioning Bush at the top of its story, NBC made no further reference to the family, which forever has owned several pricey properties in Maine.
In other family-dynasty races, the news network referenced New Hampshire, where the daughter of that state’s U.S senator and former Gov. Jean Shaheen is running for a U.S. House seat.
Across the country, former Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s daughter, Christine Pelosi, is running for a state Senate seat in California.
And in Georgia, the son of former GOP Rep. Jack Kingston, Jim Kingston, is running for dad’s old House seat.
