ME Governor

Maine Democrats

Shenna Bellows | Governor

Shenna Bellows grew up in Hancock, Maine, the daughter of a carpenter and a greenhouse worker. Growing up, she saw what it meant to struggle to make ends meet. Her family did not have electricity or running water until she was in fifth grade, but her parents worked hard to make sure their children never felt poor. They taught Shenna to value hard work and honesty, and to do the right thing even when it is difficult—the Maine way.

She graduated from Ellsworth High School and Middlebury College. After college, she volunteered with the Peace Corps in Panama and with AmeriCorps VISTA in Nashville, Tennessee.

She later returned to Maine to serve as executive director of the ACLU of Maine. She also served on the executive committee for seven years supporting marriage equality in Maine and co-chaired the successful 2011 statewide ballot campaign to restore same-day voter registration.

In 2016, Shenna won a state senate race in Kennebec County, in a district that also voted for Donald Trump because she knows that Mainers, regardless of party, are looking for the same thing: to be able to afford a good life, with good schools for their kids, and access to affordable healthcare. During her two terms, she served as Senate Chair of the Labor and Housing Committee and on the Judiciary Committee where she worked to deliver on things like property tax relief and school meals for Maine kids.

Shenna currently serves as Maine’s 50th, and first female Secretary of State. She’s worked to modernize our government with programs like online appointments at the BMV and safe and secure online voter registration. 
Now she’s running for Governor because Maine needs leaders with a vision to meet the moment. As governor, she’ll stand up to Trump, and make Maine the most affordable state in the country.

Troy Jackson | Governor

Troy Jackson is both an unapologetic and progressive fighter who is not afraid to challenge the status quo. He will stand up for what’s right. The son of a logger and public school teacher from Allagash, Troy spent years putting in 80-hour weeks in the woods—running equipment, driving trucks, and cutting wood just to make ends meet for himself and his family. In 1998, he helped lead the Border Blockade that put the exploitation of loggers front and center. Since then, he’s continued pushing back against  both the corporations and political insiders who rig the rules and systems that directly hurt working people.

As Senate President, Troy never lost sight of where he came from. He fought to lower prescription drug prices, pass universal school meals, protect union jobs, expand rural health care, deliver property tax relief, safeguard our environment, and pass laws that put power back in the hands of working Mainers — all while consistently winning elections in a district that sided  with Trump three times. Now, Troy is running to finish what he started: make government work for the people who keep this state running.

As Governor, Troy will make sure working families and seniors, not the wealthy, finally get a tax break. He’ll restore tribal sovereignty, pass binding arbitration and ban the spraying of harmful chemicals in the northern Maine woods all while standing up to Donald Trump and holding ICE accountable.

Jackson’s campaign has been endorsed by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, U.S. Congressman Ro Khanna, U.S. Senate Candidate Dan Osborn, Mi’kmaq Nation, the Alliance for Retired Americans, and more than 70 current and former local elected officials. His campaign is also backed by 40 local labor unions, including the Maine AFL-CIO, which endorsed in a gubernatorial primary for the first time in the organization’s history. Learn more at JacksonForMaine.com!

Angus King III | Governor

Angus King III has spent his career bringing people together to solve real problems and deliver
results that matter. After serving in the Clinton White House, he went on to spend more than
three decades working at the intersection of business and public policy—building affordable housing for thousands of families and expanding clean, homegrown energy across Maine and beyond.

He’s always been focused on practical solutions that strengthen communities: creating good-paying jobs, lowering energy costs, building more housing and tackling climate challenges head-on.

Angus believes that strengthening Maine’s future starts with getting education back on track. His plan is focused on “back to basics”—making sure every child can read by the end of third grade using proven approaches because “our kids don’t get these years back.” He’s committed to an all-hands-on-deck approach that brings together parents, teachers, and communities to deliver results.

He also believes every student should graduate with a path—whether that’s college, career training, a job or an apprenticeship—so Maine builds the best trained workforce in America. His plan supports higher pay and better career paths for teachers, and invests in classrooms so educators can succeed.

In Maine, his work included leading a project to turn cow manure into clean energy—creating jobs, heating homes and lowering emissions without adding costs for Maine families.
Outside of work, Angus is a dedicated community leader and an outdoorsman who values Maine’s woods and waters, spending time hiking, fishing, and paddling with his wife, Cricket, their two children, and Snowy the dog.

We face real opportunity in the shape of real challenges, and Angus knows that we can build a better Maine together. He is running for governor to bring a fresh, results-driven approach, focused on lowering costs, building housing, strengthening schools, and creating opportunity for every Mainer.

Hannah Pingree | Governor

Hannah Pingree is a lifelong Mainer, leader, and mom who knows how to get things done. Born in Belfast and raised on the island of North Haven, she has led at every level — serving as Maine’s Speaker of the House, running a small business, chairing her local school board, and directing the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF).

Hannah’s father was a boat builder who served on the school board and volunteered as an EMT. Her mother’s tenure in the state legislature and in Congress gave Hannah a front-row seat to what it means to serve. Elected to the Maine House at 26, she became the youngest woman in the nation — and only the second woman in Maine history — to serve as Speaker of the House. In the Legislature, she built a reputation for working across the aisle, expanding broadband in rural Maine, investing in clean energy, lowering health care costs, defending reproductive rights, passing marriage equality, improving housing access, and protecting Maine’s working waterfronts. She also championed the Kid Safe Products Act, taking on the chemical industry to protect children’s health.

After the Legislature, Hannah ran a small business, led a local housing organization, and chaired her school board — all while raising her two kids. In 2019, Governor Mills asked her to lead GOPIF, where she tackled housing, workforce development, and economic recovery, led the Children’s Cabinet and Cabinet on Aging, and launched an Office of New Americans. Under her leadership, Maine became a national leader on climate action.

Hannah continues to live on North Haven with her husband Jason Mann, their two kids, and one lovable dog. Whether in her community, in the State House, or leading state government, she has always shown up, listened, and gotten things done — working across the state and across political lines to build a better Maine where everyone has a place to call home. At a time when the stakes have never been higher, Hannah brings the experience, integrity, and determination Mainers can trust to deliver results.

Nirav Shah | Governor

Dr. Nirav Shah is a public health leader, attorney, and economist who has built his career in public service protecting the health and well-being of our communities. A steady, proven leader, he is running for governor to take on Maine’s biggest challenges, lower costs, and deliver results for families.

Shah began his career as a healthcare lawyer before stepping into public service to make a broader impact. As Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, he managed a multi-million-dollar budget and worked across the aisle to tackle urgent challenges like the opioid crisis, maternal mortality, and childhood lead poisoning.

In 2019, he was appointed Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, where he rebuilt the agency and led the state through the COVID-19 pandemic. Shah took early action to protect Maine people and helped deliver one of the fastest and most effective vaccine rollouts in the country. Maine ultimately achieved one of the lowest age-adjusted death rates in the nation. Throughout the crisis, he held more than 300 public briefings, answering tough questions and earning the trust of people across the state.

His leadership earned him a call to serve as Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. CDC. In that role — and throughout his career — Shah has stood firm in defending science, public health, and Maine values, even in the face of political pressure from Donald Trump and his allies.

Now, Dr. Shah is running for governor with a clear focus: feed kids, fix housing, fund health care, fuel economic growth, and fight back against harmful actions from the Trump administration. As governor, he will lower our health care costs, build more homes and create jobs, make energy, child care, and community college more affordable, support older Mainers, and protect Maine’s future.