A question from Melissa Stevens of Lewiston, far right at lectern, draws laughter Wednesday from Democratic gubernatorial candidates at a forum at the Lewiston Public Library. (Andree Kehn/Sun Journal)

LEWISTON — Perhaps the most surprising moment in Wednesday’s Democratic gubernatorial forum at the Lewiston Public Library came near the end, in response to a report that Maine Women Together plans to spend almost $200,000 to oppose one of the seven candidates.

The target, lawyer Adam Cote, called the move outrageous, unprecedented and “exactly what people hate about politics.”

The surprise came when another of the candidates, former House Speaker Mark Eves, rose to defend Cote despite having cut a deal earlier in the day to ally himself with lobbyist Betsy Sweet, when they declared they would select each other as their second pick on Tuesday’s ranked-choice ballot.

Eves called on voters who will see “a lot of nasty, negative stuff” targeting Cote in the coming days to ignore it.

“Put it in the garbage,” Eves said. “Don’t let outside interests buy this election.”

Cote, who had declined to pick a second choice moments earlier, said he now had one.

Advertisement

Attorney General Janet Mills, the women’s group’s favorite, said she had not seen the advertisements that the group had told the Maine ethics commission it plans to run. Thus, Mills said, she could not say what she thought of them. The group has reported its intention to spend $7,500 promoting Mills and $192,500 opposing Cote.

Most of the forum, which attracted all seven candidates, focused on questions about health care and the opioid crisis. The event was sponsored by the Maine People’s Alliance, Recovery Connections of Maine and Young People in Recovery Lewiston.

The candidates — Cote, Mills, Eves, Sweet, former state Rep. Diane Russell, state Sen. Mark Dion and ex-Biddeford Mayor Donna Dion — differed little on what they viewed as important issues and solutions.

They generally favored a single-payer health care system that would offer insurance for every Mainer, and for the state to focus more resources on helping people struggling to overcome drug dependence.

Three of the candidates — Mark Dion, Eves and Russell — said they support the creation of safe injection centers, where users can shoot up drugs safely under medical supervision and perhaps get exposure to treatment programs that could help them break their addictions.

“If we don’t get there,” Dion said, “then we’re not being honest that it’s not a crime anymore.”

Advertisement

“The jury’s still out as far as I’m concerned,” Mills said.

Mills also stood out as the only contender who declined to endorse the home care referendum on the Nov. 6 general election ballot that would increase taxes on high-earning Mainers to raise $310 million annually to provide care for elderly and disabled Mainers.

“I’m still looking at it,” Mill said.

She said she understands that providing home care is “a real challenge for everybody,” but she was not ready to take a stand until she could study it carefully.

Cote said he strongly backs it but wants to take a look at its funding mechanism.

The Democrats said they see a great opportunity this year to reclaim the Blaine House after eight years with Republican Gov. Paul LePage at the helm.

Advertisement

“Are you fired up to never have to say ‘Paul LePage’ again?” Russell asked the crowd of more than 100.

“Something’s happening,” Sweet said. “We can feel it. Everywhere we go, we can see it.”

Mills said she is “up for the fight,” but also offers the ability to bring people together. She said she is a longtime champion of women’s rights, the environment, protecting immigrants, pushing for health care and other progressive causes.

At the same time, she said, she is a proven winner in rural Maine districts. She offered herself as “someone who can win in November.”

Sweet, the only clean election candidate in the Democratic field, said that she allied with Eves “as a way to make sure that a strong progressive gets elected” in the primary. She said that is what is needed for the party to win in November.

“The only way to win in November is to nominate a progressive candidate,” Eves said.

Advertisement

While Eves and Sweet cited each another as their second-choice candidate, Russell said she will pick the two of them as her second and third selections. Mills declared her second pick will be a woman. The others would not say.

All of the candidates said the state needs to provide more funding for education, elevate teachers’ pay and ensure that students in every district have opportunities to learn.

Donna Dion suggested the state could examine the many companies that get special financial assistance to see whether the money they receive is worth it. Savings there, she said, could help pay for educational needs.

Mills said the state needs to reduce mandates and put more emphasis on vocational training at middle and high schools so more students can move into the trades.

Russell said the Legislature and LePage failed to implement a 2016 referendum approved by voters that imposed a 3 percent surcharge on high earners to fund schools properly. They “sold it up the river,” she said.

Cote said that as governor, he would always support a referendum that passes, regardless of his own stance on the measure. He said he recognizes that “democracies are fragile things” that require the faith of the people.

Advertisement

When leaders do not follow through on a referendum that passes, “it chips away” at that faith, Cote said.

The polls are open until 8 p.m. Tuesday. In addition to gubernatorial primaries in both parties, there is a 2nd District Democratic congressional primary and a statewide vote on whether to retain ranked-choice voting.

Some communities also have local primaries and budget measures on the ballot.

scollins@sunjournal.com


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.