Gov. Janet Mills addresses the audience during an inauguration ceremony in 2023 at the Augusta Civic Center. (Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer)
On Tuesday, Gov. Janet Mills released her policy platform, covering a wide range of issues, including health care, home ownership, child care, education and social security.
The platform comes as Maine’s legislative session winds down and the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate is shifting into high gear.
Mills, 78, is running against political newcomer Graham Platner, a 41-year-old combat veteran and oyster farmer who has had a policy platform online for months and recently began announcing more detailed policy rollouts.
The winner on June 9 will take on Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, 73, in one of the most closely watched races of the midterms. (Also running in the Democratic primary is David Costello, but he trails badly in fundraising.)
Until Tuesday, Mills’ campaign has largely focused on her resistance to Trump and her argument that she would beat Collins in the general election. Mills often notes that she’s won two statewide elections, and she’s pointed to Platner’s lack of experience and his troublesome internet commenting history to portray him as a risky bet against Collins.
The release of the 24-page policy document marks Mills’ first formal declaration of policy positions covering 15 areas.
Some of her points illustrate how she is different from her opponent.
Platner has been campaigning in support of Medicare for All. Mills, however, calls for universal health care and for breaking up health care conglomerates. She also wants to cap out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs.
Other areas show overlap between the governor and her opponent.
Like Platner, Mills is calling to expand the government’s ability to negotiate lower prescription drug prices.
Platner, whose campaign has focused on income inequality, has called for minimum tax on billionaires.
Mills had opposed a state-level proposal for a millionaire’s tax, but she changed her position when lawmakers included the tax in the budget last week. Her platform calls for federal tax loopholes to close; a wealth tax on the highest earners and an increase in the corporate income tax rate.
Both Mills and Platner want to lift the payroll tax cap to increase funding and increase Social Security benefits. Mills would also extend Social Security taxes to investment income.
And on labor, Platner and Mills both said they would support the PRO Act to strengthen collective bargaining rights for workers. But organized labor is largely backing Platner’s candidacy.
Other areas of Mills’ platform attempt to build on her record as governor.
Mills said she would fight for free community college on the national level. Free community college has been a signature policy issue of her governorship.
So has expanding reproductive health care. Mills said she would look to restore the federal right to abortion and repeal the Hyde Amendment, which limits the use of federal funding for abortion services.
The policy document refers frequently to investments made in Maine during her tenure as governor. She touts the use of federal funding from the Biden administration to bolster the economy and workforce.
On housing, Mills said she would support higher tax credits and down payment assistance for first time, middle class homebuyers. She said she would push for an expansion of the federal renter tax credit and for new federal tax credits for housing development.
Platner also supports more federal funding for housing. But he wants to expand the VA home loan program to all Americans. That program provides mortgages with competitive interest rates and no down payments or mortgage insurance.
Platner also wants to ban hedge funds from buying homes.
Both candidates support term limits for members of Congress. Mills has said she would only serve one term if elected.
