Former-speaker Mark Eves launches Maine gubernatorial run

AUGUSTA, Maine — Former Democratic Maine House Speaker Mark Eves is set to join the increasingly crowded 2018 governor’s race.

The former legislator is expected to announce his campaign during a Thursday evening barbecue at his North Berwick home. He becomes the fifth Democrat to seek the nomination to replace Republican Gov. Paul LePage, who became Eves’ political and personal foe during his tenure as House speaker.

Eves, 40, teased the announcement of his entry into the Democratic Party primary in a video posted Thursday morning. Each member of his family appears in the video.

Eves, a family therapist who now serves as executive director of Woodfords Family Services in Westbrook, will make a “big announcement about the 2018 gubernatorial campaign” at 7 p.m. Thursday at his home, according to a news release. The announcement will be broadcast on live on Facebook.

The news is little surprise to Maine’s political establishment. Eves, a former four-term representative from North Berwick who was speaker of the House from 2012 to 2016, has long shown ambitions to run for governor but until now he has not confirmed them. When asked whether he was planning a gubernatorial run by the Bangor Daily News in 2015, he said, “I’d love to continue to serve in public office.”

In late 2016, with six months left before he was forced out of office by term limits, Eves launched a 10-stop “listening tour” through Maine, even though he wasn’t returning to office. Asked again by the BDN whether it was a prelude to a run for governor, Eves said, “I’m not going to answer that question.”

Helping senior citizens maintain independence and lower living costs has been a focus of Eves’ political career. He led efforts to provide direct-care workers who serve senior citizens with raises and in 2014 sponsored a successful property tax relief bill that included an extra benefit for homeowners older than 65. In 2015, Eves spearheaded a $15 million senior citizen housing bond, which was approved by more than 69 percent of voters at referendum. LePage has refused to sell that bond and though a bill to force the governor’s hand passed the Legislature this year, House Republicans sustained the governor’s veto of it.

LePage has said repeatedly that the bonds won’t be sold while he is still governor, although the bonds will still be valid under his successor.

Eves is well known for his legal clashes with the governor, which started in June 2015 after LePage intervened in a decision by the Good Will-Hinckley board of directors to hire Eves as its executive director. The contract with Eves was quickly rescinded by the school after LePage threatened to withdraw state funding. That triggered an unsuccessful attempt in the House to impeach LePage and a lawsuit by Eves that was dismissed by a federal judge in 2016 and then again on appeal.

The 2018 Democratic primary field is growing. On Monday, Attorney General Janet Mills announced her candidacy. Sanford attorney and military veteran Adam Cote, lobbyist Betsy Sweet of Hallowell and Patrick Eisenhart of Augusta have also filed to run as Democrats.