Businessman Shawn Moody is unlikely to run for Maine governor in 2026, something that would take a top Republican candidate off the board in a crowded primary.
He said during a Saturday segment on WGAN’s “Inside Maine” that he had been ready to launch his run in November and moved up a medical exam necessary to keep his pilot’s license. It found elevated levels of a prostate antigen that could be a sign of cancer.
Moody said during the show he was “0% concerned” about his long-term health but did not want to commit to a campaign under these circumstances. In an interview, he said there is a possibility that he could get test results by February that allow him to confidently run but noted a March 15 deadline to collect the signatures required to get on the primary ballot.
“The window’s closing,” he said.
Nine candidates are running in an uncertain Republican primary for the right to replace the term-limited Gov. Janet Mills. Moody, who lost to Mills in 2018, would have instantly been the best-known person in a field in which the hopefuls are struggling to define themselves.
The Republican candidates are entrepreneurs Jonathan Bush, Ben Midgley and Owen McCarthy, lawyer Bobby Charles, real estate agent David Jones and state Sen. Jim Libby. The biggest name on the sidelines is lobbyist and former Maine Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason, who has had an exploratory effort going since late October.
Moody, who lives in Gorham and founded his eponymous chain of employee-owned collision centers, was an also-ran candidate for governor in 2010. He emerged as a Republican eight years later to easily beat Mason and others in the primary after hiring several operatives tied to former Gov. Paul LePage. But he lost to Mills in a strong year for Democrats.
He has stayed active around politics in frequent radio appearances and charitable work boosting awareness of jobs in the trades. Many operatives on his 2018 campaign went to work with Midgley, including Lauren LePage, the former governor’s daughter. But Moody said he had assembled another team that had a plan to win before deciding not to run for now.
“This isn’t the end,” Moody said on the radio about his time in public life. “We’ve got to get a clean bill of health before committing to public service, but I’m hopeful and staying active.”