Maine Disgrace – “Steepest Decline in Child Well-Being”

Maine’s Democrat leaders are an embarrassment, more every day. Their Senate candidate is out, a new one being “installed,” democracy sounds quaint.  When the 250th happened, Maine’s Governor was AWOL, so Mainers did it. Now, Maine – under Democrat leaders – has “the steepest decline in child wellbeing” in America.

Even “Maine Public” had to admit the failure, headlining: “Report finds that Maine has seen the biggest decline in child well-being in the country since 2019,” explaining, “the latest Kids Count Report finds that Maine has seen the biggest decline in child well-being in the country since 2019.”

They note the worst news is “a decline in child health outcomes and test scores.” National Public: “The report ranks Maine in the bottom ten states for educational achievement, citing the fact that 75 percent of students failed to reach proficiency in the latest national exams…” plus “a high number of high school students who did not graduate on time.”

To this bad news – corresponding to the leadership of Governor Mills and her advisor, Hannah Pingree, now hoping to be governor – was more. “Maine also ranks low in health indicators due to a comparatively high child obesity rate and declining access to healthcare in rural areas.”

Looking for something good to say about Maine’s failed leadership, the National Public report noted: “Maine did improve its overall score due to its low teen birth rate and relatively small number of children in poverty.” Even this is a stretch.

The real report is one that is entitled “2026 Kids Count Data book,” which assesses data in a non-partisan, highly methodical way – and has for decades. Their findings are stark.

Implicitly condemning Maine’s Democrat Governor, Democrat hopeful to replace Mills – Hannah Pingree, daughter of a congresswoman by that name – and Democrat legislature, the real report is more pointed and detailed.

“At the state level, Maine had the steepest decline in child well-being since 2019, followed by four Midwestern states: Nebraska, North Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota. Among the 15 states with progress from 2019 to 2024, eight were in the South, led by gains in South Carolina, Louisiana, and Kentucky.”

“By domain, Education trends were the most concerning, with 47 states faring worse in 2024 than in 2019. The biggest drops were in North Dakota, Maine, Delaware, Iowa, and Oklahoma. This underscores the pandemic’s lingering effects on student learning, particularly reading and math proficiency.”

What is also underscored are two other un-trumpeted facts: Maine lags the nation in recovery, and Maine was first to shut down schools and last to reopen them, as well as lagging the nation in mental health, drug addiction, and other critical services.

Ironically, “Louisiana and Mississippi were the only states in the nation to see growth in Education, while South Carolina remained stable.”

Compounding Maine’s low marks was abysmal leadership in child health, not surprising for a state in which 152 children died in state custody under Democrat control of the state. Worse, the Democrats just voted not to open these cases for investigation, even by a Democrat legislature.

Report: “Health outcomes also revealed more setbacks than progress for young people, with declines in 26 states and progress in only 10 states since 2019. Maine and Mississippi lost the most ground on children’s health, and Virginia, Indiana, and New Jersey made the greatest gains.”

By contrast: “As a nation, these trends from 2019 to 2024 show widespread progress in Family and Community, moderate success in Economic Well-Being, limited steps forward in Health, and almost no advances in Education.”

Needed is real leadership – with a capital “L” or maybe these days, a capital “R” for Republican.  “…The new scores reinforce that all states can do more to support children — from economic and educational opportunities to healthcare access and adequate family and community resources,” with some states in special need of restored leadership, progress, and protection of children.

Bottom line: Sometimes the time comes for a self-analysis, for a look at how badly things are going, and a course correction. When it comes to helping children, Maine is there. Time for change.

Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, Maine attorney, ten-year naval intelligence officer (USNR), and 25-year businessman. He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (North Country Press, 2018), and “Cherish America: Stories of Courage, Character, and Kindness” (Tower Publishing, 2024). He is the National Spokesman for AMAC. Today, he is running to be Maine’s next Governor (please visit BobbyforMaine.com to learn more)!