Mills reaffirms support for Biden, asks him to reassure Mainers

In remarks to the roughly 50 attendees of the South Portland presidential debate watch party, Gov. Janet Mills drew a stark contrast between the candidates. (Emma Davis/ Maine Morning Star)

Maine Gov. Janet Mills joined other Democratic governors in a conversation with President Joe Biden on Wednesday night as part of a White House effort to shore up support for Biden after his widely critiqued performance in the first presidential debate.

Mills wrote in a statement to Maine Morning Star that the debate was difficult to watch, but affirmed that she will continue to back Biden after the conversation, which she participated in remotely from Maine.

“The president made clear to me and the rest of the governors that he was in it to win it and that he would be making his case to the American people – and I believe him,” Mills wrote. “Over the next several months, and especially in the coming days, I look forward to the president demonstrating to the American people the same heart, determination, and vigor that he brought to our conversation this evening – qualities that I have come to know well in my time with him over the years.”

During the debate on June 27, Mills told Maine Morning Star that democracy is at stake in the November presidential election, as well as common sense and civility in the White House, which she said she had not seen from former President Donald Trump during the debate. Rather, the governor criticized Trump for deploying what she called mudslinging, name calling and “just so many fibs.”

Reiterating this contrast in the statement Wednesday, Mills added that Biden had a record of accomplishment for Maine people, as opposed to “the chaos and ineptitude that Donald Trump would rain down on the American people.”

Reacting to debate, Gov. Mills outlines what’s at stake for Maine in presidential election

However, Mills wrote that she told Biden the debate was difficult to watch and that some Mainers shared concerns with her about his campaign, specifically anxiety over whether he could win. Mills also conveyed to Biden “that it would be good for him to reassure the voters of Maine, just as he was reassuring us,” she wrote.

Writing that the conversation was candid and constructive, Mills added, “I told him that I cared deeply about him, that I believe he has been an excellent leader for our country, and that I support him.”

In the week since the debate, Democrats have raised concerns about Biden’s performance . On Tuesday, Texas U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett called for Biden to withdraw as the Democratic nominee, becoming the first congressional Democrat to do so.

Amid speculation about Biden’s future as the Democratic nominee, the White House has said Biden is “absolutely not” stepping down.

The Maine Democratic Party has also continued to show its support for the president. In a statement on Tuesday, the state party contrasted the candidates’ records on a range of issues.

“Unlike Donald Trump, President Joe Biden has delivered for Mainers by lowering costs for Maine families, creating more than 44,000 good paying jobs, investing $2.5 billion to strengthen our infrastructure, and expanding Mainers’ access to affordable health care,” the statement read.

The Maine Democratic Party is also of the belief that “the only way to defeat Donald Trump and his plans to ban abortion nationwide including here in Maine, gut access to affordable health care, and destroy our democracy is to reelect Joe Biden this November.”

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