Decline of Maine Governors, from Joshua Chamberlain to Janet Mills

Maine Governor Janet Mills is enjoying a viral moment after her public spat with President Trump at the White House over her attempted nullification of federal law to allow boys in girls’ sports. The politics of my beloved home state remain consumed by Mills’s refusal to comply with new Title IX regulations, which has been aptly described as “neo-C onfederate” by Victor Davis Hanson. It’s a disgrace to the office once held by Union hero Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.

Maine governors rarely make national news. With the exceptions of Paul LePage (thanks to his notoriously big mouth) and Ed Muskie (owing to his post-gubernatorial career in the Senate), most informed Americans from away would be hard-pressed to name a single occupant of the office. The only other exception might be Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, though most are probably unaware that he served as governor after his more famous military career in the Civil War.

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About the Author

James Erwin

James Erwin is a native of Yarmouth, Maine, and an alumnus of Bates College. He works on free-speech and tech policy in Washington, D.C.

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Maine Governor Janet Mills is enjoying a viral moment after her public spat with President Trump at the White House over her attempted nullification of federal law to allow boys in girls’ sports. The politics of my beloved home state remain consumed by Mills’s refusal to comply with new Title IX regulations, which has been aptly described as “neo-C onfederate” by Victor Davis Hanson. It’s a disgrace to the office once held by Union hero Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.

Maine governors rarely make national news. With the exceptions of Paul LePage (thanks to his notoriously big mouth) and Ed Muskie (owing to his post-gubernatorial career in the Senate), most informed Americans from away would be hard-pressed to name a single occupant of the office. The only other exception might be Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, though most are probably unaware that he served as governor after his more famous military career in the Civil War.