Maines Attorney General Janet Mills announced Monday she would seek the Democratic Partys nomination for governor in 2018.
Mills is the highest profile Democrat to enter the race and is known for her frequent clashes with Maines Republican Gov. Paul LePage.
A former legislator and long-time party leader, Mills has pushed for more access to opioid addiction treatment, including anti-overdose medication that has been opposed by LePage. And she joined with attorneys general from other states who condemned President Trumps travel ban for immigrants from a group of predominately Muslim countries.
In Maine, when somethings not working, we dont wait around for someone to come along and take care of it for us; we roll up our sleeves and fix it ourselves, Mills said in a prepared statement Monday. Well, its pretty clear that our government is broken, and theres no way Im going to stand on the sidelines and not fight to put it back together.
Mills is the ninth candidate to announce. She joins fellow Democrats Adam Cote, Betsy Sweet and Patrick Eisenhart. Also running is former Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew, a Republican, and State Treasurer Teresea Hayes, an independent. Also in the race is Republican Deril Steubenrod, Libertarian Richard Light and Green Party candidate Jay Parker Lunt Dresser.
Mills is a native of Farmington, where she still lives. She is a graduate of Farmington High School and holds a bachelors degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston and a law degree from the University of Maine School of Law.
Mills, 69, has been a frequent target of LePages criticism and earlier this year he sued her in Kennebec County Superior Court claiming she was abusing her power as attorney general by refusing to represent the governor in federal lawsuits. Mills had refused to join several lawsuits aimed at former President Barack Obamas administration.
Mills, who is serving her third consecutive 2-year term as Attorney General, has long been rumored to be considering a bid for the governors office and in February said she was regularly being asked to run by supporters.