Lawyer Bobby Charles called for unity last week after he racked up almost 38% support in Tuesday’s contentious gubernatorial primary, putting him in the best position to secure the Republican nomination after the ranked-choice vote count later this week.
Following the state’s ranked-choice tally, the Maine GOP is hosting a unity breakfast at Maple Hill Farm & Inn in Hallowell on Saturday.
But some party members and a few of Charles’ opponents, none of whom raised their hands when asked during a May debate if they’d back him as the nominee, may skip the event or are waiting out a decision until the final votes are tallied.
Former fitness executive Ben Midgley and entrepreneur Jonathan Bush are effectively tied for second at about 20% in the first round of voting.
“If it’s Midgley or Bush, we’ll be there 150%,” said Lauren Jones, a spokesperson for real estate executive David Jones, who notched 3% support. “If it’s Bobby, it’s going to take a conversation.”
Another Republican source familiar with discussions around the unity breakfast said they wouldn’t be surprised if three or four of the candidates don’t turn up to the event, which was scheduled long before primary night. They described the concern among some candidates and party members about Charles’ style and electability as a bad look for the former federal official. He faces tough headwinds in a Democratic-leaning state while President Donald Trump’s approval rating lags and the GOP scrambles to keep control of Congress and take the Blaine House.
Multiple candidates did not respond to requests for comment. Several have criticized Charles for months over his aggressive budget cut proposals and what they described as negative or unethical campaigning. He brushed aside the criticism and rode a wave of grassroots support to frontrunner status over a year-long, digital-heavy campaign.
Former state Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason in a recent statement encouraged voters to back Republicans at the state and federal level, including five-term U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, but he did not make an endorsement in the governor’s race. Mason received 11.3% of the vote.
But some others are on board — either with Charles or any Republican against the handful of liberal options. Democrats are wrapping up their own tight primary, with former public health chief Nirav Shah leading former Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree, former state Senate President Troy Jackson and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.
Robert Wessels, a businessman and former Paris Select Board member who received almost 3% in the Republican primary, said on Facebook Monday that it’s imperative to rally behind and “actively support” a Republican, “whoever our nominee is.”
“I plan to reach out and see if they want to hire me to be on their team,” he said.
Wessels argued Maine cannot afford more years of leadership from Democrats or independent candidate state Sen. Rick Bennett of Oxford, whom Charles has increasingly lumped with the top Democrats for sharp criticism on social media.
Entrepreneur Owen McCarthy, who received almost 4% and is seen by many Republicans as a rising star in the party, will be present at Saturday’s unity event, spokesperson Jim Barnett said.
Lance Dutson, a former Bush campaign strategist who has previously worked for U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, described Republican second-guessing around Charles as “sour grapes.” He said the rhetoric from the last Republican in the Blaine House, former Gov. Paul LePage, could sometimes make Charles seem like a “choir boy” by comparison.
“Bobby Charles just crushed these guys,” he said. “He spent more money on digital than all the rest of them combined, while other people put millions of dollars into archaic television campaigns.”
Dutson said those concerned about Charles may fail to grasp “the tone and tenor of the Republican Party in America now.”
“Bobby’s going to have a tough election ahead of him,” he said. “But for other Republicans to say he crossed some kind of line when you’ve got the president’s team cursing at people on [X] and motorcycles flipping through the air in front of the White House, it’s kind of a joke to think what happened here is beyond the pale.”
Charles in several social media posts has turned his eyes toward a “hard-hitting, hardworking” race to November. He has not only called for unity among his opponents and their supporters, but says he can build a broad coalition that includes unenrolled voters and conservative-leaning Democrats who may have supported the likes of former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.
“I hope the circle of friends grows,” he said in a recent post. “We are already becoming the coalition of common sense. We are against a coalition … of continuing progressive nonsense.”