Mills' Senate Bid: Contrasting Pragmatism Against Collins' Inaction

Key Quotes

"I wrote to congress a month and a half ago, I said you've got to extend these tax credits. They're so critical. Tens of thousands of more than 60,000 people in Maine that we know of are using those tax credits. People have gone out on a limb to start a new business, a small business. People who are self-employed, gig workers, they all depend on those tax credits to stay healthy, stay insured. And without those tax credits, I mean, I can tell you, there are tens of thousands of people who probably will probably will have to drop the insurance because they can't afford it. It's going to triple in some cases, quadruple the monthly premiums for people in Maine."

Governor Mills emphasizes the critical importance of ACA tax credits for Mainers, particularly small business owners and gig workers. She explains that without these credits, many individuals will be forced to drop their health insurance due to unaffordable premiums, which could also lead to increased rates for those who maintain coverage.

"I am running for US Senate now, if you notice. I am running for the US Senate. You mentioned Maine's a rural state. We are actually the most rural state in the country because we don't have cities. I mean, Portland's about 65,000 people, that's our biggest city, it's not huge. And we're nine tenths wooded, as you probably know. But our small hospitals in the rural areas are really struggling, and nursing homes because we're older. We're the oldest state in the country right now, trying to reverse that. But because we're an older state as well, nursing homes are very important, assisted livings very important. And to the extent that Medicaid is covering most of those entities, they're hurting too."

Governor Mills explicitly states her candidacy for the U.S. Senate. She highlights Maine's unique rural character and explains how proposed federal legislation, specifically the "big bad bill," negatively impacts essential healthcare infrastructure like rural hospitals and nursing homes, which are vital to the state's aging population.

"Susan Collins is very concerned. She was concerned the other day when she voted on both ACA bills, one of which would have banned the money used for abortion or gender affirming care, and then she voted for the Democratic version when they didn't need her vote anyway. She was very concerned about healthcare. Concern is one thing, courage is quite another. She's failed to show courage. She's failed to show courage when she had a chance to stand up to Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch before that, horrible."

Governor Mills criticizes Senator Susan Collins's voting record, particularly on ACA-related bills. She argues that Collins expresses concern but lacks the courage to take decisive action, citing her votes on healthcare legislation and her past decisions regarding judicial appointments as examples of this perceived failure.

"I'm running for one term because I got a pretty powerful voice when I want to and I will use my voice to make things happen in the next few years because these are the most critical years in our nation's history. I don't want to find myself going down there and start dialing for dollars and running for re-election on day one. On day one, I'll be there working for the Maine people instead. I don't want to find myself down there six years from now running for re-election when I'm Bernie Sanders' age."

Governor Mills outlines her strategic approach to her potential Senate term, stating she is running for a single term. She explains this decision is driven by a desire to focus entirely on urgent national issues without the distraction of constant re-election campaigning, allowing her to immediately dedicate her efforts to serving the people of Maine.

"I've run two statewide campaigns and won two statewide races, and that's the difference between me and anybody else who's run against Susan Collins in the past. We've run good people, smart people, but we've run untested people, people who've never won a statewide election. Sarah Gideon, lovely person, she never won a race outside her house district, which is like 7,000 people. I've won two statewide races with increasing margins. I took on Paul LePage and beat him by 13 points."

Governor Mills contrasts her electoral success with that of previous opponents of Senator Susan Collins. She emphasizes her proven ability to win statewide elections in Maine, highlighting her victories against prominent figures like Paul LePage as evidence of her capability to defeat Collins.

"I stood in the Kennedy Caucus Room a few months ago to receive the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Human Rights Award, and it was very, very moving. And I realized standing there that that was the caucus room where they held the Army McCarthy hearings in 1954, when the U.S. Senate finally stood up to Joseph McCarthy, four years after Margaret Chase Smith had stood up to him on the floor of the Senate. It took that one room with courage. Susan Collins is not a person of courage."

Governor Mills draws a historical parallel between past acts of courage in the Senate and the current political climate. She uses the example of the Army McCarthy hearings and Margaret Chase Smith's stance to illustrate the importance of courage, directly stating that Susan Collins lacks this essential quality.