Mary Mayhew

Mary Mayhew (born 1965) is an American lobbyist, former Maine commissioner of Health and Human Services and candidate for Governor of Maine in 2018. A lobbyist for hospitals prior to her appointment as Commissioner by Republican Governor Paul LePage, Mayhew spent more than six years pursuing conservative welfare policies. Early life and career Mayhew grew up in Pittsfield, Maine. Her mother worked as a nurse's aide, and her father was a foreman at a local manufacturing company. He also was chairman of the school board and a community leader. At 14, her family moved to Arkansas to be near her mother's aging parents. At 17, she moved to Washington, D.C. to become a Congressional page and finish high school. Her graduation included a Rose Garden reception with President Ronald Reagan. She then enrolled at the University of Arkansas, earning a bachelor's degree in political science. Her father died when she was 19. Mayhew served as a legislative assistant in Washington, D.C. for Arkansas Democratic Congressman William Alexander and then worked as a manager of state government relations for Equifax Corporation in Atlanta, Georgia. She moved back to Maine in 1990 and served as fellow Pittsfield resident Patrick K. McGowan's congressional campaign manager.