Former Portland state Rep. Diane Russell has become the eighth Democrat to enter the race for governor.
Russell says her campaign will emphasize her experience as a force behind two referendum campaigns that many believed would never pass: The legalization of recreational marijuana and adoption of ranked-choice voting.
“It was a daunting task six years ago when I laid out the vision to legalize marijuana — they said it couldn’t be done. They got it passed, we got it passed this past year. When I laid out ten years ago that I wanted to bring ranked-choice voting to the state of Maine, it took a long time. We got it done,” she says.
And Russell says her message will focus on several key issues, including the opioid crisis, affordable education and health care.
“Maine people want to know they are going to have health care, that’s why I am supporting single-payer health care without equivocation. They want to know that their kids will be able to get a college education or a trade education,” she says.
Russell served eight years in the Maine House, but was defeated in a state Senate primary last year.
