AUGUSTA – Maine Senate President and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Elizabeth “Libby” Mitchell said she was disappointed by the recent news that two Democratic state senators said they would support another candidate in November.

Sen. Dennis Damon of Trenton announced in late June that he had decided to support independent Eliot Cutler in the governor’s race. Sen. Elizabeth Schneider of Orono pledged her support for Cutler in mid-July.

“I can’t say anything other than I was disappointed. I would love to have their support. I would be lying if I said otherwise,” Mitchell said during an editorial board meeting at the Kennebec Journal on Wednesday. “But at the same time, I respect their decisions, and I’ll just have to go pick up some other Democrats to replace them.”

Mitchell said she thought Schneider chose not to support her based on personal reasons. She speculated that Damon’s reasons might have been policy-oriented.

” I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t support his efforts to increase the gas tax when I was in leadership and he thought that was very important for the roads, or what,” she said.

Damon said Cutler is the “most qualified candidate.” Schneider cited personality traits.