Gov. Janet Mills voiced support for President Joe Biden after a meeting between the president and 20 state governors on Wednesday.
The meeting came after a debate performance by Biden that prompted the New York Times Editorial Board to say he should drop out of the presidential race. Democratic leaders have largely come to Biden’s defense amid some signs that support for the 81-year-old president within his own party is eroding.
Mills took part in the meeting remotely from Maine. Other governors attended the White House meeting in person or remotely.
In a statement to the BDN, Mills recounted the meeting, gave her thoughts on the president’s work and expressed her hopes for the coming days and months of the campaign:
“I appreciated the opportunity to talk with the president. We had a candid and constructive conversation, in which 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. When he was elected, it was a breath of fresh air during a very dark time. He helped pull us out of the grips of the pandemic and he has passed some of the most consequential laws in decades — laws that are helping Maine people every single day. I also conveyed to the president that last week’s debate was difficult to watch, that some Maine people had since expressed concerns to me about his campaign, including anxiety over whether he could win, and that it would be good for him to reassure the voters of Maine, just as he was reassuring us. 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. 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. I stand with President Biden and his record of accomplishment for Maine people over the chaos and ineptitude that Donald Trump would rain down on the American people.”
