Former Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew took her first steps as a gubernatorial candidate June 28 in the Windjammers Days Street Parade. Local Republicans Dawn Gilbert of Boothbay and Joan Owen of Newcastle accompanied Mayhew in the annual Boothbay Harbor parade.

This is the first time Mayhew has sought elective office. She concluded her 6.5 years as DHHS commissioner May 24. Mayhew became the second Republican to declare her candidacy for the Blaine House with a June 6 announcement at Dingley Press, a Lisbon publishing firm.

For Mayhew, marching in the parade with the streets filled with community members and their kids was a memorable experience.

“This is my first event as a candidate right here in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. I absolutely loved it,” she said. “You’re surrounded by people committed to the community with their kids. These types of parades really restore in you what living here in Maine is all about.”

Later, Mayhew spoke at the Lincoln County Republican Meeting in Newcastle. Mayhew explained she was running for governor to continue the LePage administration’s “common sense” approach toward reining in government spending and improving the state’s economy.

Mayhew’s tenure as commissioner has received both cheers and jeers. Conservatives applaud her efforts at reining in government spending and reducing welfare rolls. Liberals decry her efforts to reinstate work requirements for food stamp eligibility, drug testing for some welfare recipients, and increased investigations into welfare fraud. Mayhew said her detractors have called her “everything in the book.” But she believes, the LePage administration has transformed DHHS. In prior administrations, the agency experienced several $100 million budget shortfalls. Mayhew described the current situation as one with financial stability.

“I’ve been called everything from Marie Antoinette to Natasha to Gov. (Paul) LePage’s Boris. But the results speak for themselves. We’ve absolutely gotten away from the crisis-riddled budgets to one making sure the state’s most vulnerable are not neglected.”

As governor, Mayhew would continue LePage era policies by constantly reviewing state government spending and programs. She said LePage’s reforms have worked as the department hasn’t had an emergency budget in three years. Other successes listed by Mayhem include an increased state commitment to nursing homes by 40 percent, home health care reimbursement up over 60 percent and more than a $100 million more in funding for those with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

“I was prepared to make the difficult decisions and ready to stand up and answer every question about it, and defend the path we took,” she said.

Mayhew was a lobbyist for the Maine Hospital Association when she met LePage on the campaign trail in 2010. She agreed to serve as the newly elected governor’s health policy adviser. A few weeks later, he asked her to become DHHS commissioner.
”He only gave me 24 hours to accept and I’m glad he did. If I thought about it any longer, I might have had a different decision. It turned out to be one of the most rewarding professional experiences of my life,” Mayhew said.

At first the match between LePage and Mayhew seemed unlikely. LePage was the state’s first GOP governor in two decades. Mayhew was a registered Democrat who previously served as a page for an Arkansas congressman. In 1990, she returned to Maine and served on U.S. Congressional candidate Pat McGowan’s two campaigns against Olympia Snowe. But Mayhew liked what she heard from LePage on the campaign trail and joined his team.

During the county GOP meeting, Mayhew was asked about her previous work as a Democrat. She responded by stating her principles haven’t changed.

“My father was a Democrat so I was too. But the party changed. It left me a long time ago, and I just hadn’t made it official.”

Mayhew was also asked why she announced her decision to run for governor before U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R - Maine, had. GOP officials expect Collins to make a decision in August.

“It’s irrelevant to me. I’m determined to transform the state’s economy and I believe I’m the best one to do that,” Mayhew said.

Mayhew, 52, lives in South China and has two sons. She grew up in Pittsfield and moved to Perragould, Arkansas as a high school sophomore. In Arkansas, she also experienced name-calling. “I had two nicknames. One was Yankee and the other was the Brain from Maine.”

The second nickname stemmed from her already completing several high school courses in Maine as a freshman. As a sophomore, she was placed in several advanced courses, according to Mayhew. In her senior year, Mayhew became a congressional page and completed high school by taking coursework at the Library of Congress. She graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in political science. She returned to Pittsfield in 1990 to manage McGowan’s congressional bid.

In November 2018, Mayhew hopes supporters and detractors both call her another name, governor.