Seven Republicans running for Maine’s 2026 gubernatorial nomination will meet in a Tuesday debate that won’t feature the frontrunner in the race.
Lawyer Bobby Charles of Leeds is the only major candidate to sit out the event being hosted by the conservative group Common Sense for Maine at the Dunegrass Country Club in Old Orchard Beach. It will be the fourth debate put on by the group in the past year.
Charles had a big lead on the large field in two recent polls, including one last week from Pan Atlantic Research. But his campaign is at an inflection point with two other candidates now running TV ads and others trying to rise in the field full of more-or-less unknown outsiders.
Charles is not attending because he will be in Washington, D.C., for meetings, Vincent Harris, his strategist, said. He has committed to attending a debate hosted by The Maine Wire, the news arm of the conservative Maine Policy Institute, next week. Other candidates have needled Charles for his absence from this week’s debate.
“See everyone tomorrow!” real estate agent David Jones, another candidate, posted to Facebook on Monday. “Well…almost everyone.”
Charles has worked behind the scenes to generate a loyal conservative base through adopting the style of President Donald Trump. He has campaigned on huge promises to eliminate the income tax while cutting property taxes. Last month, he debated Democratic gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson after the two sparred on social media.
The race is still deeply uncertain. Charles led with 29% support in the Pan Atlantic poll to 11% for the runner-up, lobbyist and former Maine Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason of Lisbon. Other candidates were stuck at 8% or lower, with nearly half or more of Maine Republicans saying they were not familiar with any candidate.
Mason has emerged as perhaps the biggest threat. He is benefiting from $1.7 million in ad reservations from an outside group funded by Illinois billionaire Richard Uihlein. Health tech entrepreneur Jonathan Bush has locked in more than $800,000 in ad time so far, according to AdImpact data.
Other candidates are making noise as well, including former fitness executive Ben Midgley, who won a straw poll of the Franklin County Republicans over the weekend. His campaign is being run by top allies of former Gov. Paul LePage, including strategists Brent Littlefield and Lauren LePage, the former governor’s daughter and a Republican national committeewoman.