Former Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree said Thursday that she is stepping down from her post in the Mills administration.

Pingree has been mentioned as a possible candidate for governor, but told a reporter for the Maine Trust for Local News that she hasn’t made any decisions.

“I’ve loved this job,” Pingree said after speaking at the Great Falls Forum in Lewiston. “Gov. Mills has given me a tremendous opportunity to work on issues that are important to Maine. Housing, climate, economic recovery. I am leaving the administration. I am exploring how to continue to focus on the future.”

Pingree’s last day with the administration is Friday. Her early departure is certain to fuel speculation that she will soon join a growing field of candidates looking to succeed Gov. Janet Mills, who cannot seek reelection because of term limits.

Also on Thursday, state Sen. James Libby, R-Standish, filed papers with the state to begin raising money as a Republican candidate. Libby has not yet issued a formal announcement.

Pingree, the daughter of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, has served as the director of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future since 2019. She has helped coordinate cross-agency initiatives for climate change, housing, children and aging.

Prior to joining the Mills administration, the 48-year-old North Haven resident served four terms in the Maine House of Representatives, including stints as the speaker and majority leader. She also helps run a family farm and inn.

Without an incumbent, the 2026 governor’s race is expected to draw a large field of candidates.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows of Manchester and businessman and renewable energy entrepreneur Angus King III, of Portland, the son of independent U.S. Sen. and former Gov. Angus King, are seeking the Democratic nomination, while former Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, is also exploring a run.

Bobby Charles, a Leeds resident and lawyer who served under President George W. Bush, announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination last month.

Other candidates to file paperwork with the state are: Republicans Steven Shepherd of Bangor and Robert Wessels of Norway; Democrat Kenneth Pinette of South Portland; and Alexander Murchison, an unenrolled candidate from Dover-Foxcroft.

Democrats have held a trifecta since Mills took office in 2019, maintaining majorities in both the House and Senate.

But the party is facing historical headwinds in 2026.

Since the 1950s, Mainers have not elected a candidate from the same political party as a departing governor — a trend that began after Maine had five consecutive Republican governors from 1937 through 1955.

The decades of ping-ponging between parties in the Blaine House began when Democrat Ed Muskie was elected in 1954, ending Republicans’ nearly two-decade hold on the governorship.

Sun Journal Staff Writer Andrew Rice contributed to this report.