Gov. Janet Mills speaks at a rally in Brunswick where she and House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross launch Women for Biden-Harris in Maine on Thursday. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

BRUNSWICK — Some of Maine’s top Democratic leaders gathered in support of President Biden at a rally Thursday that also sought to focus attention on abortion rights as a key issue in the upcoming presidential election.

The rally, organized by the Biden-Harris campaign team in Maine, comes amid a heated race for the presidency and as Biden faces continuing pressure to drop out because of concerns about his age and health.

At the same time, Republicans are rallying around former President Donald Trump, who survived an assassination attempt Saturday and was formally nominated for a second term as president at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week.

Thursday’s Democratic rally in Brunswick was billed as the Maine launch of Women for Biden-Harris, a national effort by the campaign to connect specifically with women.

It comes at the same time as abortion access and reproductive rights have become more of an election issue in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Maine Rep. Rebecca Millett, D-Cape Elizabeth, co-chair of Maine Women for Biden-Harris, kicked off the rally with a plea to voters to support Biden and reject Trump and his newly announced running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio.

She was joined by Gov. Janet Mills, Maine House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, and Assistant Senate Majority Leader Mattie Daughtry, D-Brunswick.

“I have never felt more strongly about the importance of an election, not just for our lifetimes but for our children’s and grandchildren’s lifetimes,” Mills told the crowd. “The consequences of the decision before us this fall are monumental.”

Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, speaks at a rally for the launch Women for Biden-Harris in Maine on Thursday. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

DEMS TALK PROJECT 2025, ABORTION

Speakers at the rally attacked Project 2025, a set of conservative policy proposals for a future Republican administration spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation and other conservative groups.

And they said a second Trump administration will only lead to greater rollbacks of rights and liberties, especially when it comes to abortion and reproductive health care.

Project 2025 calls for several controversial changes to government, including the abolishment of the Department of Education, the curtailing of abortion rights and cuts to funding for climate research and Medicare, among other things.

Trump has tried to distance himself from Project 2025, though his opponents have used it to highlight the changes that could come if he is elected.

“Project 2025 is a radical policy agenda by Trump and his MAGA loyalists that rolls back our rights and freedoms,” Millett said during Thursday’s rally.

A Trump campaign spokesperson did not respond to questions about Trump’s position on Project 2025.

However, Trump has resisted supporting a national abortion ban, saying the issue should be left to individual states. Vance has taken a more hardline approach to the issue in the past, but since being nominated to the vice presidency has said he is in agreement with Trump that abortion laws should be determined at the state level.

A new Republican platform removes a call for a federal abortion ban, though some critics say the new platform is simply using different language.

Supporters smile and clap as Gov. Janet Mills arrives at a rally in Brunswick where she and Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross launch Women for Biden-Harris on Thursday. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

Mills said in an interview after Thursday’s rally that the new platform does not erase concerns she has about a rollback of reproductive rights under a Trump administration.

“There’s no question in my mind that Trump deliberately stacked the Supreme Court to do what they’ve done, among other things, rolling back Roe v. Wade, and expanding the powers of the presidency for an individual,” Mills said.

“We should be extraordinarily concerned not just about the rollback of reproductive rights, but of the rollback of voting rights, the rollback of anti-discrimination laws, the rollback of environmental laws … All kinds of things are at stake in this election,” she added.

MILLS WILL SUPPORT BIDEN DECISION ON RACE

Thursday’s rally came as calls for Biden to drop out of the race have persisted since his fumbling debate performance in late June, with more than 20 members of the House of Representatives saying in recent weeks that he should step aside.

On Thursday it was reported that former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, has expressed concerns about Biden’s chances, while Speaker of the House Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have reportedly said they are worried about the impact on down-ballot races.

Mills spoke enthusiastically about Biden and his work during remarks before the crowd, saying he has fought to protect safe and legal abortion, strengthen the economy and improve infrastructure.

“What I can unequivocally say to Maine people is President Biden is a leader who has demonstrated character, competence and compassion,” Mills said. “President Biden cares about Maine people.”

Supporters stand behind the podium with signs at the rally on Thursday in Brunswick. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

The governor was among a cadre of Democratic governors who met with Biden two weeks ago as concerns about his mental acuity sprang up in the aftermath of the debate.

She said then that some Maine people had expressed concerns to her, including anxiety about whether Biden can win, and she told the president that it would be good for him to reassure voters.

Asked Thursday if she supports Biden staying in the race, Mills said, “I support his decision.”

Talbot Ross, who like Mills is one of Maine’s eight superdelegates for the Democratic National Convention next month, said she is a proud supporter of the Biden-Harris ticket when asked about the concerns about Biden’s age.

Biden supporters at the rally crowded behind the speakers carrying “Women for Biden-Harris” signs, but one attendee stood in the crowd with her own sign that read, “Hey DNC, No Joe,” in neon pink letters.

A rally attendee with a “No-Joe,” sign claps for a speaker on Thursday at a Women for Biden-Harris rally in Brunswick. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

About 150 people attended the event at the Town Mall, and several voters said they support Biden staying in the race.

“With what the Democrats stand for, I’m not worried about someone else taking over. I do support him but if that were to happen, and it could, I support everything the Democratic party stands for,”  said Judy Gilbert, a 72-year-old Democrat from Brunswick.

Long-time Bath resident and retiree Barbara Reinertsen, 67, came to the rally to support the Biden campaign. 

“I just feel so strongly that we need to reelect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” Reinertsen said. 

Reinertsen said she is unfazed by recent calls within the Democratic party for President Biden to step aside. Though she said she is unsure what will happen in November, she does not believe there is another candidate that people could easily unite behind.

“I think he’s been an excellent president,” she said. “I think he’s got great plans for the future.”

Times Record staff writer Kristian Moravec contributed to this report.