A missing Bobby Charles and new alliance mark Maine Republican debate

Five of the seven Maine Republican candidates participated in a second debate this week in Portland, absent frontrunner Bobby Charles, who skipped due to the disqualification of longshot Robert Wessels. The debate featured sharp exchanges over Charles’s background as a lobbyist and his proposal to cut the state budget by $4 billion, which opponents called economically reckless. Jonathan Bush and Garrett Mason repeatedly attacked Charles, with Bush calling him a lobbyist and Mason arguing his plan would crash the Maine economy. None of the candidates raised their hand when asked if they would support Charles as the nominee, focusing instead on securing their own primary victory. During the debate, real estate executive David Jones announced a new alliance, urging voters to rank him first and former fitness executive Ben Midgley second in Maine’s ranked-choice voting system. Jones praised Midgley as a solid candidate and acknowledged Bush and Owen McCarthy as strong contenders. Midgley reciprocated the endorsement, calling Jones an accomplished businessman. Bush joked about the alliance afterward, saying Jones had ‘broken his heart’ by not including him. A secondary dispute emerged between Bush and Mason over leadership credentials. Mason highlighted his experience negotiating with Democrats and passing a tax-cutting budget, while Bush countered that Mason’s lobbying ties disqualified him. Mason fired back, noting Bush’s political family name, though Bush dismissed it as irrelevant beyond his uncle’s past campaigning. The exchange underscored tensions between outsider and insider candidates in the race to replace outgoing Gov. Janet Mills. Charles, who held a separate Facebook discussion with Wessels earlier in the day, dismissed the debate as an ‘alternate universe,’ accusing opponents of manipulating the election through ranked-choice voting. His absence and social media-driven campaign contrast sharply with the more traditional fundraising approaches of Bush and Mason, who lead in outside financial support. The debate revealed deep divisions among candidates over strategy, experience, and economic policy ahead of the primary.