Like so many of us, I fight to keep my head above water with the firehose of political and news assaults. As exhausting as it is, I try hard to keep my eyes on the multiple balls that barrage my daily orbit. 

Maine’s U.S. Senate race is no exception. This June, I’ll be voting for Janet Mills, and I hope others will join me. The governor has been working tirelessly for Maine her entire public career. Do I agree with everything she has done? Of course not. I can’t think of any public official whose positions I have aligned with 100%. 

A quality of the governor that I’ve come to respect more every day is that we know who she is.

This means the world to me, especially as I am caught off guard too frequently about “new” revelations about candidates and politicians — revelations that cause candidates to drop out of their races and behaviors that are at odds with the values of honesty and openness that are so important to so many of us in this state.

With Mills, I am confident that we won’t be greeted with hidden stories that will derail the 2026 election season. I have watched Mills as an advocate and pragmatic politician, guided by a clear moral compass. She knows how to govern; she has the history and credentials to represent us as we deserve to be represented. Instead of unexpected surprises, we’ll get a senator who can hit the ground running. 

Ellen Baum
Bowdoinham