General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Meet Graham Platner. Here is one white guy who can help save the Democratic Party from itself, imho. [View all]Jack Valentino
(4,478 posts)Based on her actions as Governor of Maine leading into her 2025-2026 U.S. Senate campaign, Janet Mills has developed a record that has drawn criticism from the progressive wing of the Democratic party. While she is viewed as a moderate and a key opponent of1 Donald Trump, her, use of the veto pen on labor, housing, and tribal issues, along with a fiscally conservative approach, has created friction with the left.
Here are the specific, more conservative actions taken by Governor Mills that have made her less acceptable to the progressive left:
1. Vetoing Key Labor and Worker Rights Bills
Opposed Expanded Collective Bargaining: Mills vetoed legislation in 2024 that would have strengthened collective bargaining rights by banning anti-union intimidation tactics.
Axed Noncompete Agreement Ban: She killed a bill that would have banned restrictive noncompete agreements, which labor advocates argued restricted worker mobility.
Weakened Farmworker Protections: While she eventually signed a version of a bill setting a $14.65 minimum wage for farmworkers, she removed critical enforcement provisions, limiting its impact.
Vetoed "Buy Local" Requirements: She vetoed legislation that would have required state government contracts to prioritize local Maine businesses over multinational corporations.
Opposed Overtime Protections: She vetoed a bill that would have required the state to study the issue of paper mill workers being forced to work excessive overtime.
2. Fiscal and Economic Conservatism
Conservative Budgeting/Surplus Retention: Critics from the left argue that Mills administration has been too conservative in forecasting, resulting in unnecessary, large budget surpluses rather than investing in social programs or infrastructure.
Opposed Raising Taxes on the Wealthy: She opposed 2024 tax reform proposals intended to raise taxes on wealthy residents to balance the budget, drawing criticism for prioritizing corporate interests.
Opposed Rent Control/Tenant Protection: In 2019, she blocked tenant protection reforms that would have mandated more notice before rent hikes and evictions, citing burdens on business.
3. Stances on Social and Justice Issues
Vetoed Youth Prison Closure: A significant point of criticism from progressives was her veto of a proposal to close the Long Creek Youth Development Center, a facility critics have described as unsafe and punitive.
"Yellow Flag" Gun Law Defense: Following the 2023 Lewiston mass shooting, she resisted calls for a "Red Flag" law (which allows for the temporary removal of firearms from dangerous individuals), choosing instead to stand by Maines existing "Yellow Flag" law, which is seen as a compromise by gun control advocates.
Supported Filibuster: Mills has stated her support for retaining the U.S. Senate filibuster, which many progressive Democrats want to eliminate to pass legislation with a simple majority.
Opposition to Drug Decriminalization: She has expressed opposition to the decriminalization of drug possession, putting her at odds with reformers on the far left.
4. Tribal Relations and Environmental Issues
Vetoed Tribal Sovereignty Bills: Mills has faced intense backlash for vetoing legislation aimed at enhancing tribal sovereignty, including a bill that would have ensured Wabanaki Nations received the same federal rights as other Native American tribes.
Legal Challenges Against Tribes: As governor, her administration has been accused of "environmental racism" by tribal leaders for legal challenges involving water quality standards and fishing rights on the Penobscot River.
5. Environmental Policy
Stance on Clean Energy Jobs: She killed a permitting reform bill designed to accelerate offshore wind projects because it included a mandate for union jobs, a move that drew ire from labor-aligned environmentalists.
6. Opposing Federal Action
Criticized ACA Subsidy Deal: In late 2025, she drew criticism for calling a bipartisan deal to reopen the federal government a "lousy deal," arguing it didn't do enough to immediately address Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) subsidies, a move seen by some as obstructionist rather than constructive.
These actions have caused her support among Democrats to drop in some polls, leading to a competitive primary challenge from progressive candidates in her bid for the Senate, particularly with support from figures like Bernie Sanders for her opponents.
Most of those things 'give me "pause' over Janet Mills--- more than what some say was a 'nazi tattoo' that Platner has since covered up.....
which most likely was not labeled as a 'nazi tattoo' at the tattoo shop where he got it....
It's up to the Democratic primary voters in Maine, I will support whomever they nominate as an out-stater---
but some of the things Mills has actually DONE against progressive policy
concern me a little more than anything Platner had tattooed on his body which he has since covered up...