The Janet Mills for Governor Campaign launched two new television and digital ads today highlighting Governor Mills historic achievements and her ability to bring Democrats, Republicans, and Independents together to achieve progress for Maine people.
The first ad, called “Family”, highlights Governor Mills’ personal story – how she married her husband, Stan, a widower, and raised his five daughters as her own, all while working as District Attorney for Adroscoggin, Franklin, and Oxford Counties. The ad conveys how that experience informed her approach to governing later in life.
“The chaos of raising five girls while working full time didn’t exactly prepare me to govern during turbulent times, but it helped,” said Governor Mills. “I learned to listen and work together because no one has a monopoly on good ideas or solutions in a family or in a state. That’s why we brought Democrats, Republicans, and Independents together to move Maine forward.”
The second ad, called “Maine First”, highlights Governor Mills’ historic achievements – how she was Maine’s first woman Attorney General and Maine’s first woman Governor, and how she worked with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to fully fund Maine schools for the first time in history, implement some of the most effective pandemic strategies in the country, and deliver strong fiscal management, a record high Rainy Day Fund, and one of the most aggressive inflation relief measures in the nation.
“Putting politics aside to put Maine first,” the moderator says in the ad.
The 30-second ads will run on broadcast and cable in the Portland and Bangor media markets along with digital streaming platforms.
“Like Maine people, Governor Mills is all about working together and getting stuff done. It’s who she is, and it’s who she’ll always be – and that’s what these ads show,” said Alexandra Raposo, Campaign Manager for the Janet Mills for Governor Campaign. “From expanding access to health care, to delivering $850 in inflation relief, to fully funding public schools, to building up a record high Rainy Day Fund, Governor Mills has brought together Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to deliver real results for Maine people. This is what Maine people expect from their governor – someone who puts politics aside, works together with people regardless, and puts Maine people first. That’s Janet Mills.”
WATCH ADS: Family and Maine First
In the past three years, Governor Mills has led Maine through a public health crisis and a strong economic recovery, achieving some of the best results in the nation. Her Administration, working in a bipartisan manner with the Legislature, has made historic progress on behalf of Maine, including:
- Delivering one of the strongest relief proposals in the country to help with rising costs, sending back more than half of Maine’s surplus to taxpayers through $850 relief checks
- Expanding health care to more than 93,000 Maine people
- Fully funding Maine schools for the first time in history
- Raising the minimum teacher salary
- Providing free Community College to pandemic impacted students
- Delivering an income tax cut to Maine retirees and tax relief to Maine people
- Conserving working lands and waters through a reinvigorated Land for Maine’s Future Program
- Connecting thousands of homes and businesses to high-speed internet by expanding broadband
- Fighting the climate crisis through the Maine Climate Council
- Combatting property tax increases by fully restoring Municipal Revenue Sharing
- Enacting balanced budgets that reject tax increases and return money to Maine people
- Increasing the Budget Stabilization Fund to a record high nearly $900 million dollars
- Spearheading the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan to strengthen Maine’s economy and solving the state’s long standing workforce shortage
- And so many more.
According to Maine’s Department of Economic and Community Development, Maine’s GDP – a measure of economic growth – has also grown the 11th fastest in the country over the past three years under Governor Mills. Maine’s population grew at the second fastest rate in New England last year and seventh fastest in the nation. Maine’s credit ratings were reaffirmed during the pandemic, and Maine’s Rainy Day Fund is at its highest level ever.
Maine has nearly fully recovered all jobs lost during the pandemic, and the state’s unemployment rate has fallen to 3.0 percent, the lowest in two years, putting it below the U.S. and New England averages. Maine was also in the top ten of states (and the only Democratic-led state) in responding to the pandemic, according to a study written by conservative economists.