A conservative firebrand. A well-connected Democrat hoping for a tough midterm year for President Donald Trump. And a test of both major parties’ enthusiasm as an independent threat looms and a costly fight over a U.S. Senate seat dominate the airwaves.
Political observers are braced for all of that as Maine’s race for governor is now poised for the general election. Republican lawyer Bobby Charles faces off against former state House Speaker Hannah Pingree, the Democratic nominee, while independent state Sen. Rick Bennett aims to spoil both sides’ paths to the Blaine House.
Charles has fired up his base in part by painting the Democratic contenders — and lately, Bennett — as woke Augusta insiders while touting his ability to combat crime and cut waste and fraud. But he faces strong Democratic enthusiasm according to both polling and turnout in last week’s primaries.
Pingree is sure to tap into widespread frustration with federal cuts to health and food programs and ongoing concerns about gas, grocery and energy prices. She has touted fighting Trump in the past and will look to tie Charles to a polarizing president who promised lower prices and no new wars.
“The president’s party doesn’t usually fare well [in midterm years] and this is a particularly unpopular president,” David Farmer, a Democratic operative who supports Pingree, said. “The general atmosphere in the state favors Democrats. The nominee starts with an advantage, but they have to execute a solid campaign to get it across the finish line.”
Pingree has pledged to pour $100 million into housing, called for investments in education and launching public health insurance options for individuals and small businesses and bumping up property taxes on second-home residents. Standing in her way are Charles and Bennett, a former Maine Republican Party chairman turned maverick independent.
Charles is likely to continue delivering a steady feed of social media and AI-generated content. He often emphasizes cutting government waste, ending syringe service programs, and keeping transgender girls out of girls’ sports. Many in his party are jittery about his electability, but he said he hopes to build a coalition of conservatives and conservative-leaning Democrats and independents who may have supported Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.
Lance Dutson, a Republican strategist who worked for Sen. Susan Collins, suggested voters should recall the last Republican in the Blaine House was former Gov. Paul LePage, who was every bit as provocative and combative as Charles. A headline-grabbing contest between Collins and Democrat Graham Platner could help level the playing field for Republicans.
With so many resources flooding into the Senate race, Republicans’ ground game across the state is likely to improve over previous gubernatorial contests. With Platner facing continued attacks over past statements on social media, a Nazi-linked tattoo and alleged toxic behavior with ex-girlfriends, it means Charles won’t be the only one hit with questions about a controversial figure getting national attention.
Pingree was part of a Platner-backed ranked-choice alliance with Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former state Senate President Troy Jackson. But Jackson and Bellows had deeper ties with Platner. Farmer said the omnipresent Senate race presents an “attention game” challenge for all three gubernatorial candidates.
“The real energy of campaigns is attention,” he said. “Platner’s figured that out. Bobby Charles in the primary faced a massive deficit in spending, but he won the attention game. The candidates that are able to understand that new environment, the currency of attention, will do the best.”
As both parties kicked off their ranked-choice vote counts last week, Bennett launched a statewide tour with stops in Waterville and Bangor. He has a mix of leadership experience in government and business, and has called for tackling affordability, growing the economy and restoring trust in government at a time when both parties face sharp criticism.
Bennett voted in the Democratic primary last week and was the only Republican to vote against banning transgender girls from female sports last year. In a recent interview at Geaghan’s Pub in Bangor, Bennett said he’s disappointed in the way Charles “engages with the public.”
“People deserve a different kind of discourse,” he said. “People are tired of it.”
The Democrats have targeted Bennett too, highlighting his track record as a Republican leader and supporter of both LePage and Trump. Multiple previous donors to LePage, who will face State Auditor Matt Dunlap for the 2nd Congressional District seat, have helped fund a pro-Bennett PAC, Maine Wins Together.
“Both major parties are concerned about Senator Bennett and the impact he’ll have on the race,” Farmer said. “But it does not change the dynamic of the Democratic advantage in the environment.”