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Former House Speaker Mark Eves Expected to Announce Run for Governor

Robert F. Bukaty
/
Associated Press/file
Then House Speaker Mark Eves, D- North Berwick, speaks Jan. 14, 2016 in the House chamber at the State House in Augusta.

Former Maine Democratic House Speaker Mark Eves is expected to launch his anticipated run for governor later today. 

Eves released a video this morning asking people to visit his Facebook page at 7 o'clock this evening for an important announcement.
 
The announcement is expected to take place at Eves' home in North Berwick.

If he declares his candidacy, Eves would be the 10th person to get into the race and the fifth Democrat.

Eves served two terms as Speaker of the House between 2012 and 2016. During that time he pushed for the expansion of Maine's Medicaid program through the Affordable Care Act and additional funding to combat Maine's senior housing shortage, including a $15 million bond that voters approved in 2015.

Gov. Paul LePage has refused to authorize those bonds.

LePage and Eves repeatedly clashed following the Democrat's rise to speaker. The zenith of their conflict came in 2015 when LePage threatened to yank state funding from a nonprofit that runs a charter school in Fairfield because it had hired Eves as its president.
 
Eves sued the governor in federal court, but LePage emerged unscathed.
 
So far, Attorney General Janet Mills, Adam Cote, Betsy Sweet and Patrick Eisenhart have all announced they're all seeking the Democratic nomination.

Former Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew and Deril Steubenrod are seeking the Republican nomination, while State Treasurer Terry Hayes, an independent, Libertarian Richard Light and Green Party candidate Jay Parker Lunt Dresse have also declared.

 

Journalist Steve Mistler is Maine Public’s chief politics and government correspondent. He is based at the State House.