People in the news

John E. Baldacci

Former Maine Governor (January 2003-2011)

(John E. Baldacci)

Why He Matters

On May 6, 2009, Baldacci signed a law making gay marriage legal in Maine. It was a reversal of personal opinion for the governor, who had previously supported only civil unions for gay and lesbian couples. But his decision is helping to frame a national debate on homosexual rights that is, at this stage, being largely fought by the country's governors.

Baldacci, a former congressman currently serving his second term as Maine's governor, is known for ambitious education and health-care plans and has a reputation as a rare Democrat who's against tax increases. He has said he will not seek elected office when he leaves office in 2011.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: U.S. Representative (1994-2002); Maine State Senator (1982-1994); Member, Bangor City Council (1978-1981)
Birthday: Jan. 30, 1955
Hometown: Bangor, Maine
Alma Mater: University of Maine, B.A., 1986
Spouse: Karen

Religion: Catholic
State Office: Office of the Governor, #1 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0001207-287-3531
Email
Web site

Path to Power

John Elias Baldacci was born on Jan. 30, 1955, and raised in Bangor, Maine, as one of eight children in a political family. His father was a city councilor, a brother grew up to become mayor of Bangor, and former senator George Mitchell (D-Maine) - now serving as the Obama administration's special envoy to the Middle East - is his cousin. Baldacci's family also ran a local restaurant, Momma Baldacci's, where Baldacci worked off and on.

In 1978, at the age of 23, Baldacci was elected to the Bangor City Council, a position his father, Robert Baldacci Sr., had previously held. In 1982 Baldacci ran for and won a seat in the Maine State Senate, where he chaired the tax committee, and where he served until he was elected to the U.S. House to represent Maine's 2nd district in 1994.

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Along the way, Baldacci earned a degree in history from the University of Maine in 1986.

U.S. House

When 2nd district Rep. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) announced that she would leave the House to run for the U.S. Senate in 1994, Baldacci had plans to replace her. He famously held spaghetti dinners for $2-a-head around the state to fundraise. In the general election, Baldacci and his Republican opponent Richard Bennett tried to differentiate themselves from their respective national parties. Baldacci opposed new taxes and the controversial Clinton health-care plan and Bennett didn't wholeheartedly support the GOP's "Contract with America." Baldacci won, 46 to 41 percent.

In Congress, Baldacci represented Maine's 2nd district, the largest congressional district east of the Mississippi River. He was re-elected in 1996, 1998, and 2000 with more than 70 percent of the vote each time.In Congress he has a solidly liberal voting record, including a 2002 vote against the use of force in Iraq. He said he would leave the House after his 4th term.

2002 Governor's Race

Baldacci was right to have greater ambitions-his three immediate predecessors in the House were elected to the Senate.But Baldacci had been considered a frontrunner for the 2002 governor's race for years. In the campaign he opposed income tax hikes and pushed for increased aid to public schools to keep property taxes down. Republican candidate Peter Cianchette, a former state representative, pledged to cut the state tax burden by 20 percent and called for a property tax cap. Green Party candidate Jonathan Carter, who received almost as much in state public financing as Baldacci and Cianchette, campaigned on a platform of single-payer health insurance.

Baldacci won 47 percent of the vote to Cianchette's 41 and Carter's 9 percent and was sworn in as governor on January 8, 2003.

In 2006, Republicans thought they might have a chance to win back the governor's seat as Baldacci's approval rating fell in the face of a controversial health-care plan and a proposal to borrow money to balance the state budget. Baldacci had history on his side; Maine hadn't voted out a sitting governor in 40 years. In the general election, Baldacci won a plurality with 38 percent of the vote to Republican state senator Chandler Woodcock's 30 and independent state representative Barbara Merrill's 22 percent. By a 54 to 46 margin, voters also opposed a state spending cap, something Woodcock supported and Baldacci opposed.

The term-limited Baldacci has repeatedly said that he will not run for office again when his second term ends in 2011.

Baldacci is married to Karen Baldacci, a former kindergarten teacher, and they have a teenage son, Jack.

The Issues

Gay Marriage

On May 6, 2009, just minutes after the legislature sent it to his desk, Baldacci signed a law legalizing gay marriage in Maine, making it the fifth state to legalize same sex marriages. "In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions. I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage," Baldacci said in a statement.The bill is set to take effect in mid-September 2009, but challenges, possibly in the form of a public referendum, are expected.

In 2005, Baldacci successfully pushed a law that would ban discrimination against gays and lesbians (and that had previously been defeated by voters), which was upheld in a state referendum.

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The Network

In the 2008 presidential election, Baldacci initially endorsed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) in December 2007, saying, "She will be ready to lead on her first day in office." In early February 2009, however, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) beat Clinton 59 to 40 percent in Maine's caucuses. On the day that Clinton officially ended her campaign in June, Baldacci issued a statement endorsing Obama.

Former President Bill Clinton came to Maine to help Baldacci fundraise for his 2006 re-election bid. Praising his record on balancing the budget and extending health insurance, Clinton said, "There are very few people in America who have a record like this."

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