Fifth-term Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine, a leading advocate in the House for small farmers and farmers’ markets, “is considering a run for governor in 2018 … to undo some of the damage” created by conservative Republican Gov. Paul LePage, says the Portland Press Herald. “If she were to run, she would be the 11th Democrat and 24th candidate seeking the Blaine House.”
A member of the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees USDA and FDA funding, Pingree told the Press Herald that “I’m definitely going to sort it all out by the end of the year.” The newspaper said there could be as many as six candidates on the ballot in the general election next year — the Republican and Democratic nominees as well as candidates from the Libertarian and Green parties and at least two independents.
Pingree, 62, was elected to the House in 2008 after serving eight years in the Maine state Senate and three years as chief executive of Common Cause, an election reform group. The Press Herald described her as a progressive Democrat and a vocal critic of President Trump.