Maureen Drouin is the executive director of Maine Conservation Voters and Anna Brown is the board president.

The race for Maine’s next governor is unfolding at a moment of extraordinary consequence, and the leadership we choose this year will determine whether our state moves forward — or falls behind — as national protections erode.

Across the country, environmental protections are being weakened, our democracy backslides, human rights are eroded and the cost of living — especially energy, health care and housing costs— are rising. Families are doing their best to hold it all together. One of the most common refrains we hear when talking with Mainers is, “I’m doing OK, all things considered.” It’s a phrase that carries resilience — but also exhaustion, signaling how close so many are to the edge.

In our work with Maine Conservation Voters, we hear from parents, teachers, fishermen, students and retirees worried about high energy bills, polluted drinking water and whether their children can afford to stay in the communities they love. They want leaders who understand what’s at stake and who can deliver results — not slogans or half-measures. 

Maine has made tremendous progress on clean energy, climate action, and environmental protection — but that progress is fragile. It will not survive without a governor who can fight for it and, at the same time, has a clear vision for Maine’s future.

That person is Hannah Pingree.

For the first time in our organization’s history, Maine Conservation Voters Action Fund is endorsing a candidate in a primary for governor. While several candidates are qualified, Hannah’s combination of experience, environmental leadership and proven results makes her uniquely prepared for this moment. She is not only a fighter — she has a plan for where Maine needs to go and the skills to get us there.

First elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 2002, Hannah rose to become speaker of the House in 2008. Under her leadership, Maine became one of the first states to pass the Kid-Safe Products Act, protecting children from toxic chemicals in everyday products. She later brought that work to Washington, helping advance national protections.

Hannah has consistently fought for land conservation, clean energy and the protection of working waterfronts. She expanded access to health care, helped pass marriage equality and addressed Maine’s housing crisis.

After leaving the Legislature, Hannah returned to her island community home of North Haven, where she ran a small family business, raised her children, chaired the local school board and led a community housing organization. 

She then returned to state government as director of Maine’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, which confronts some of Maine’s toughest, most complex challenges — from the housing crisis to climate change. 

In that role, she has helped thousands of Mainers lower energy costs, strengthened storm resilience and advanced Maine’s climate leadership through the Maine Climate Council and the Maine Won’t Wait plan. Hannah has a clear picture of the future she wants for Maine, and the proven ability to bring people together and make it a reality.

For all her accomplishments, Hannah’s most important work still lies ahead. 

Maine needs a governor who can stand up to failed leadership in Washington, confront the outsized power of billionaires and corporations and fight for working families. We need someone with the skills to build broad coalitions, the vision to guide the state through new challenges and the backbone to stand up for core values.

To meet Hannah is to immediately recognize her intelligence, her deep love for Maine and the energy she will bring to the governor’s office. She understands what Maine families are going through, she knows how to get results and she has spent her career fighting for people and places that too often get left behind.

For these reasons, Maine Conservation Voters Action Fund proudly endorses Hannah Pingree in the Democratic primary for governor. Maine deserves bold, experienced and principled leadership — and Hannah is the leader our state needs now.