Republican field for 2026 Maine governor's race slow to take shape

Yahoo20 hours ago

Jun. 29—The Maine governor's race is still more than a year away, but already four high-profile Democratic candidates are vying to succeed Gov. Janet Mills, setting up what's expected to be a heavyweight primary.
Among Republicans, though, there are a lot of names but no front-runners. And one of their more viable options — Sen. Rick Bennett of Oxford — announced last week that he was unenrolling from the Republican party to run for governor as an independent.
There is still plenty of time for more candidates to join the mix, but now that the state Legislature has adjourned, a lot of eyes have turned to the 2026 governor's race and whether Mainers will continue what has been more than a half-century tradition of not electing back-to-back governors from the same party.
"On the Republican side, the people who have announced so far are kind of lesser-known or second-tier candidates," said Mark Brewer, a professor and chair of the political science department at the University of Maine.
Brewer noted, however, that it's still early and he expects the field to grow. Among the prominent names that have been mentioned are: Rep. Laurel Libby, Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart, former Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason, and former U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin.
Candidates have until March 16 to turn qualifying signatures in to the Maine Department of the Secretary of State ahead of primaries that are nearly a year away.
The Democratic field started to take shape early and could be set. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows declared her candidacy in March followed by former Senate President Troy Jackson's announcement last month, and Hannah Pingree, a former speaker of the Maine House of Representatives who recently left a position in the Mills administration and is the daughter of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, declared earlier this month.
Angus King III, a businessman, renewable energy entrepreneur and the son of U.S. Sen. Angus King, announced his bid in early May.
Bennett's decision to run as an independent had long been rumored but it will certainly impact next year's race.
The Republican field has been slower to build momentum. While seven people have filed campaign finance paperwork with the state to run, none are well-known and several have no experience holding elected office.
"There are no big Republican names out there right now, but I would be stunned if we didn't have at least one high-profile Republican get into the race," Brewer said.
A LOOK AT WHO'S IN
Perhaps the most politically well-known Republican candidate so far is Sen. Jim Libby, R-Standish, a professor at Thomas College who is serving his sixth nonconsecutive term in the Legislature and who also ran in the Republican primary for governor in 2002.
Other candidates include Bobby Charles, a Leeds resident and lawyer who served as an assistant secretary of state under President George W. Bush, Owen McCarthy, a medical technology entrepreneur from Gorham, and David Jones, a Falmouth real estate broker.
Steven Sheppard of Bangor, Ken Capron of Portland and Robert Wessels of Norway have also filed paperwork with the state to run.
Some other names that have been rumored as possible candidates include Laurel Libby, the Auburn representative who is a prolific fundraiser and who has been in the spotlight recently for her criticisms of Maine's policy allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls sports; Stewart, the current Senate minority leader from Presque Isle; Mason, a former Senate majority leader who also was a candidate in the Republican primary in 2018; and Poliquin, Maine's 2nd District congressman from 2015-19 and a former state treasurer.
Libby said last week that she is "actively exploring a run for governor." She said she is confident in her donor base and fundraising potential and doesn't see a need to rush a decision.
"There's still plenty of time," Libby said.
Mason, who finished a distant second to Moody in the 2018 primary, also said he is thinking about getting in the race.
"I ran for the job in 2018, so I think I would be lying if I said I didn't want the job," he said. "I'm looking to see how the field shakes out and, if I feel I can make a contribution and see a path to win, I might get in. I'm definitely interested."
Stewart and Poliquin did not respond to messages asking if they are considering getting in the race.
Brent Littlefield, who worked on past Poliquin campaigns and is also a longtime strategist for former Gov. Paul LePage — now a candidate for the U.S. House seat held by Rep. Jared Golden — said the Republican field for this year's race is likely to grow.
Littlefield noted that LePage was relatively unknown outside of Waterville, where he served as mayor from 2004 to 2011, before winning statewide office in 2010, and said it's not necessarily a "big name" that will win.
"Certainly, very few people outside of Waterville knew LePage in 2010, and he became governor of the state for eight years," Littlefield said. "The field is wide open. I think there may be additional candidates who enter, but no one should begin to guess at this point who might serve as the next governor."
THE WAITING GAME
Candidates may also be waiting to see what other possible contenders do.
"I think a lot of Republicans who might be potentially interested are waiting to see what Laurel Libby does," Brewer said. "Is she going to get in? Is she not going to get in? If she does get in, does she clear the field? ... I think a lot of people are watching to see what she does."
There were no contested primaries in the last governor's race in 2022, when Gov. Janet Mills was running for re-election and was challenged by LePage, who sought an unprecedented third nonconsecutive term and didn't face any primary opponents. Mills, a Democrat, cannot seek reelection next year because of term limits. Some want to see her challenge U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, but Mills has not announced any future political plans.
Since there is no official start to campaign season, predicting when the field might be set is difficult.
In the 2018 governor's race, Shawn Moody, an auto body entrepreneur who ran as an independent in 2010 and who became the Republican nominee, did not announce he was entering the race until November 2017, just a little over a month after Moody joined the party. Mills, who was attorney general at the time, announced her candidacy in July 2017.
"It's not so much the Republicans are late (in announcing candidates), it's that the Democrats went early this cycle," Brewer said.
McCarthy, one of the candidates who has declared as a Republican in the race already, acknowledged in a written statement that he doesn't have the name recognition or political experience of some of the Democrats who have gotten in the race, but he said that's not a bad thing.
"If people are looking for more of the same from Augusta, they'll have plenty of options," he said. "But if they are looking for something different, someone with modest roots who understands their struggles, someone with an unmatched work ethic and grit and who will fight to build a better future for Maine's working families — then I'm their candidate."
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