Joann Bautista of Portland is a former Maine deputy secretary of state.

Our basic rights are under threat.

I don’t say that to be dramatic. I say it because I have spent my career devoted to civil rights and public service, so I know what the warning signs look like. Donald Trump is back in the White House, and what is happening to our institutions, our courts and our neighbors is not normal. I see it every day. And I know Maine needs a governor who sees it too.

That’s why I am endorsing Hannah Pingree for governor of Maine.

A couple years ago, I became an unenrolled voter — a result of feeling disillusioned with what I was seeing from Democratic leadership.

But that unenrollment no longer means I’m locked out of participating in the primary process. Maine’s semi-open primary law now allows unenrolled voters to participate in the party primary of their choice, and this will be the first governor’s race run under that law.

This moment calls for all of us to think critically about who we want leading this state. The threats to our rights and our institutions are showing up in the lives of real people, regardless of their political affiliation. It is clear, Maine needs a governor who will stand up without flinching.

Out of all the candidates running for governor, I feel most hopeful about Hannah Pingree and believe she is the right person to lead us all.

I have watched a lot of politicians over the years. I can tell the difference between someone who is in it for the headlines and someone who is in it for the work. Hannah is the latter. She is measured, with a quiet confidence, and has spent decades doing the hard, unglamorous — often behind the scenes — work of governing, and she has the results to show for it.

That kind of experience matters right now. The Trump administration is testing the limits of what states will tolerate and what governors will defend. Maine needs a leader who will use every tool available to protect all residents, push back on federal overreach and stand firm when it is not easy or popular to do so. I trust Hannah to do that.

As the daughter of immigrants, I also need a governor who will govern with communities of color in mind — who believes immigrants and refugees should be welcomed, not spurned; who believes families have a right to remain together, not be living in fear of separation; and who believes our tribal communities’ sovereignty must be respected, not bargained away. We need a governor who sees us and will fight for us. 

Hannah has been a consistent, authentic ally. Not because it is politically convenient. Because she means it.

Maine is a small state, and in some ways that is our greatest strength. We can still have leaders who are genuine, accessible and accountable. Hannah is all three. She is a real person who has lived and worked in this state, raised her family here and fought for her neighbors her entire career.

This primary day, I am asking unenrolled voters and underrepresented communities across Maine to join me. You can walk into your local polling place, choose a Democratic ballot and have a real say in who leads this state. That is a new and powerful thing. Use it.

Because this moment requires a governor who can lead with humility and strength. Maine needs Hannah Pingree.