AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Maine’s former DHHS Commissioner, Mary Mayhew has thrown her hat in the running for Governor.
Mayhew made her announcement Tuesday morning on conservative talk radio show on WVOM, and she activated her campaign website, MayhewforMaine.com.
Her gubernatorial announcement comes after she stepped down as commissioner of DHHS in May. She immediately put the financial concerns of voters at the forefront of her campaign by saying:
There are so many hardworking people in the state. And [they] get up every day, go to work, are proud of what they're doing. They contribute to their families, to their communities and the state. And I am determined to continue to help supporting them by getting government out of the way and allowing these hardworking Mainers to keep more of their hard-earned money in their pockets.
If Mayhew wins the gubernatorial election in November, she would be Maine’s first female Governor. She grew up in Pittsfield as the youngest of four children. After moving to Arkansas, Mayhew says she worked hard to find her way back to Maine.
Governor Paul LePage praised her as head of DHHS saying she was a "lightning rod" in the face of "constant criticism from the media, liberal legislators and the special interests…"
Mayhew's announcement to leave DHHS was not a total surprise, as speculation had been circling that she intended to run for Governor.
Mayhew has faced much criticism from Democrats and advocates for the poor because she has been at the tip of the governor's sword for cutting welfare and reducing the size of the Medicaid program.
Governor Paul LePage took office in January of 2011. He won re-election in 2014 defeating Democratic congressman Mike Michaud and independent candidate Eliot Cutler.
While there has been much speculation about LePage’s next move, he has only confirmed he will not run against Sen. Angus King for his seat in U.S. Senate as LePage had previously said he would.
LePage has spent considerable time in D.C. over the last few months and rumors have circulated that he is vying for a position in President Trump’s cabinet but LePage has yet to confirm those rumors.