Governor of Maine | |
---|---|
Government of Maine | |
Style | The Honorable |
Status | Head of state Head of government |
Residence | The Blaine House |
Seat | Augusta, Maine |
Appointer | Popular vote |
Term length | 4 years, renewable once consecutively |
Constituting instrument | Constitution of Maine |
Precursor | Governor of Massachusetts (District of Maine) |
Inaugural holder | William King |
Formation | March 15, 1820 |
Salary | $70,000 [1] |
Website | Official website |
The governor of Maine is the head of government of the U.S. state of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the governor of Massachusetts was chief executive.
The current governor of Maine is Janet Mills, a Democrat, who took office January 2, 2019.
The governor of Maine receives a salary of $70,000, which is the lowest salary out of all 50 state governors, as of 2022. [2]
Under Article V, Section 4, a person must as of the commencement of the term in office, be 30 years old, for 15 years a citizen of the United States, and for five years a resident of Maine. A governor must retain residency in Maine throughout his or her term. Section 5 provides that a person shall not assume the office of Governor [3] while holding any other office under the United States, Maine, or "any other power".
Governors are elected directly for four-years terms, with a limit of two consecutive elected terms. Thus, a governor can serve an unlimited number of terms, as long as they serve no more than two in a row (Article V, Section 2). [3] Elections are by popular vote, but if two people tie for first place, the Legislature meets in joint session to choose between them (Article V, Section 3). [3]
The governor is commander-in-chief of "the army and navy of the State, and of the militia" (the Maine National Guard), except when under federal control (Article V, Section 7). [3] The governor generally has the power to appoint civil, military, and judicial officers (aside from probate judges and justices of the peace), subject to confirmation by the Legislature, unless the Maine Constitution or a statute has provided another means of appointment (Article V, Section 8). [3] The governor also has the power to grant pardons, reprieves, and commutations, except in cases of impeachment. This clemency power also includes juvenile offenses (Article V, Section 11). [3]
The Governor oversees the executive branch, which includes Maine's state agencies. Their cabinet is often considered to be the state's commissioners, which are generally nominated by the governor but legally chosen by the Maine Legislature.
As of January 2019, the cabinet is as follows: [4]
The Mills Cabinet | ||
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Office | Name | Since |
Governor | Janet Mills | 2019 |
Commissioner of the Department of Administrative & Financial Services | Kirsten Figueroa [5] | 2019 |
Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry | Amanda Beal [6] | 2019 |
Commissioner of the Department of Corrections | Randall Liberty [7] | 2019 |
Commissioner of the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management | Douglas Farnham [8] | 2016 |
Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development | Heather Johnson [9] | 2019 |
Commissioner of the Department of Education | Pender Makin [10] | 2019 |
Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection | Melanie Loyzim [11] | 2021 |
Commissioner of the Department of Health & Human Services | Jeanne Lambrew [12] | 2019 |
Commissioner of the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife | Judy Camuso [13] | 2019 |
Commissioner of the Department of Marine Resources | Patrick C. Keliher [8] | 2012 |
Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety | Michael Sauschuck [7] | 2019 |
Commissioner of the Department of Transportation | Bruce Van Note [14] | 2019 |
Commissioner of the Department of Labor | Laura Fortman [15] | 2019 |
Commissioner of the Department of Professional & Financial Regulation | Anne Head [8] [16] | 2008 |
Executive Director of Workers' Compensation Board | John Rohde [17] | 2019 |
Maine is one of five states that does not have an office of lieutenant governor. [18] Under current law, if there is a vacancy in the office of governor, the president of the Maine Senate becomes governor. As of December 5,2018 [update] , the Senate president is Democrat Troy Jackson. [19]
The Blaine House in Augusta is the official governor's mansion, and is located across the street from the Maine State House. It became the official residence in 1919, and is named for James G. Blaine, who once owned the mansion. The house was built by Captain James Hall in 1833 and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964. [20]
Michael Herman Michaud is an American businessman and politician from Maine. Michaud served as the U.S. representative for Maine's 2nd congressional district from 2003 to 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The primarily rural district comprises nearly 80% of the state by area and includes the cities of Lewiston, Auburn, Bangor, Presque Isle, and Ellsworth. It is the largest Congressional district by area east of the Mississippi River.
John G. Richardson was an American politician and consultant from Maine. A Democrat, he served as Maine's Commissioner of Economic and Community Development and the Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives. Richardson unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for Governor of Maine in 2010. In February 2018, the Portland Press Herald reported that Richardson was involved in a potential conflict of interest case regarding the University of Maine and a $100 million redevelopment plan for the nearby Old Town mill. On February 9, 2018, the Portland Press Herald reported that there weren't any conflict of interest issues involving UMaine or Richardson.
The Maine Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Maine.
The Maine Republican Party is an affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Maine. It was founded in Strong, Maine, on August 7, 1854. The party currently does not control the governor's office or either chamber of the Maine Legislature, nor either of Maine's two U.S. House seats and only controls one of the state's U.S. Senate seats.
The 2010 Maine gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Democratic Governor John Baldacci was term-limited and unable to seek re-election. Primary elections took place on June 8, 2010. The candidates who appeared on the November ballot were : Eliot Cutler (Independent), Paul LePage (Republican), Libby Mitchell (Democrat), Shawn Moody (Independent), and Kevin Scott (Independent).
Jeanne Lambrew is a United States professor of public affairs and health policy. She served in the Obama administration as Deputy Director of the White House Office of Health Reform.
Janet Trafton Mills is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 75th governor of Maine since January 2019. She previously served as the Maine Attorney General on two occasions.
Paul Richard LePage is an American politician who served as the 74th Governor of Maine from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, LePage served two terms as a city councilor in Waterville, Maine, before being elected Mayor of Waterville in 2004, serving until 2011.
The 2014 Maine gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the governor of Maine. Incumbent Republican governor Paul LePage ran for re-election to a second term in office, against Democrat Mike Michaud, the U.S. representative from the second district, and independent Eliot Cutler, an attorney and second-place finisher from the 2010 gubernatorial election. The primary elections were held on June 10, 2014.
Ryan Michael Fecteau is the Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives. A Democrat, Fecteau serves Maine House District 11, consisting of a portion of Biddeford. At the time of his election as Speaker of the House in December 2020, Fecteau was both the youngest active state Speaker in the United States and the first openly gay person to serve as Speaker of the Maine House.
The 2018 Maine gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of Maine. It occurred along with elections for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and other state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Paul LePage was term limited and could not seek re-election to a third consecutive term in office and he later unsuccessfully ran for a third term in 2022.
The 2018 United States Senate election in Maine was held on November 6, 2018, alongside a gubernatorial election, U.S. House elections, and other state and local elections. Incumbent Independent Senator Angus King won reelection to a second term.
Aaron M. Frey is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 58th Attorney General of Maine since 2019. He formerly served as a Democratic representative in the Maine House of Representatives. He is currently being investigated by his own party for a sexual relationship with a married direct subordinate as well as his handling of disclosure.
The 2022 Maine gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Maine. Incumbent Democratic governor Janet Mills won re-election to a second term, defeating Republican nominee and former governor, Paul LePage. Neither candidate faced any primary opposition. An independent candidate, Sam Hunkler, received 2% of the vote, the lowest total for a third party or independent candidate since 1982.
The 2020 Maine Democratic presidential primary took place on March 3, 2020, as one of 15 contests scheduled on Super Tuesday in the Democratic Party primaries for the 2020 presidential election, following the South Carolina primary the weekend before. The Maine primary, the first in the state since 2000, was a closed primary, meaning that only registered Democrats could vote in this primary, but unenrolled voters were permitted to enroll in a party at the polls with same day registration. The state awarded 32 delegates towards the 2020 Democratic National Convention, 24 of which were pledged delegates allocated based on the results of the primary. The primary election coincided with a people's veto referendum to reject changes to Maine's vaccination laws.
Catherine Connors is an associate justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
Andrew Marcus Horton is an associate justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
2020 Maine Question 1 was a people's veto referendum that sought to reject a new law which eliminated religious and philosophical exemptions from school vaccination requirements and for employees of nursery schools and health care facilities. The question appeared on the March 3, 2020 statewide ballot.
The COVID-19 pandemic was publicly reported to have reached the U.S. state of Maine on March 12, 2020. As of February 2, 2021, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services reported 131,530 confirmed cases and 46,971 probable cases in the state, with 1,777 deaths attributed to the virus.
Valerie Stanfill is an American judge who serves as the chief justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. She is a former Associate Justice of the Maine Superior Court.