Maine Democratic delegates largely silent on whether Kamala should replace Biden as nominee

After President Joe Biden announced he would not run for reelection and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement, many prominent Democrats followed suit and endorsed Vice President Harris within hours of President Biden’s announcement.

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Despite the support of many Democrats, Harris’ nomination is far from assured, and Maine delegates remain largely silent on who they will ultimately support at the Democratic National Convention.

While nationally, delegates from some states, such as New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, have pledged their unanimous support for Harris’ presidential bid, only two of Maine’s nine Democratic superdelegates have pledged their support for Harris.

Gov. Janet Mills (D) released a statement of support for Harris shortly after Biden’s announcement, which came exclusively via a letter on X.

“I look forward to continuing to work with President Biden for the remainder of his term and doing everything I can to elect Vice President Kamala Harris, a friend and former colleague as Attorney General and a fighter for the people, as our next president,” Mills said.

The only other superdelegate to endorse Harris was Maine House Speaker Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland), who gave Harris her “full support” and posted a link on Facebook for people to donate to her campaign.

Interestingly, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), who has been a staunch Biden supporter, welcomed his decision to resign but stopped short of endorsing Harris.

Senate President Troy Jackson (D-Maine) also made statements supportive of Biden, but stopped short of endorsing Harris.

U.S. Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), who has remained silent on Biden’s fitness for office but has publicly admitted he believes former President Donald Trump will win the presidency, reportedly called the decision to resign “good for the country” but did not comment on Harris.

Other superdelegates have remained silent on the issue, with the exception of Maine Democratic Chairwoman Bev Uhlenhake, who praised Biden but stopped short of endorsing Harris.

Ulenhake did not respond to a phone call from The Maine Wire.

Only one of Maine’s non-superdelegates, Ryan Fecteau, commented on Biden’s decision, congratulating the president without mentioning his support for Harris.

“He will be remembered as one of the greatest of all time. Why? He didn’t just make big speeches. He delivered. He led Congress in a time of extreme political division and passed major, transformative initiatives. He saved our economy from collapse, avoiding a major recession or worse. And he brought decency back to the White House,” Fecteau said in a lengthy LinkedIn post.

The Maine Wire also reached out to delegates by phone, but none indicated whether or not they supported Harris for the Democratic nomination.

While many Democrats consider Harris’ nomination a given, the reluctance of many Maine delegates, as well as prominent Democrats such as U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and former President Barack Obama, to endorse Harris suggests she could face significant competition at the convention.