President Donald Trump’s sweeping takeover of policing in Washington, D.C., has put a focus on crime that has carried over into the 2026 governor’s race in Maine.
In Maine, the crowded field of gubernatorial candidates seeking to succeed Gov. Janet Mills in 2026 includes Republican Bobby Charles, who says he will rid the state of “organized crime” and illicit drug operations. That comes amid declining crime rates and fatal overdose totals in Maine, which FBI data has long placed among the safest states in the nation.
In echoing the Republican president’s crime claims, rising politicians are tapping into frustration that residents of Bangor and other cities express when asked about their daily lives. Many of the worries tie into cases of the increasing homelessness problems as well as daytime violence. Around Bangor, residents and business owners also acknowledged the nuances at play.
The state’s third-largest city has become dangerous, Ron Dinkins of Hermon said last week outside Danforth’s Down Home Supermarket. He mentioned “arrogant street people” whom his brother helps as the pastor of a Bangor church. But he also acknowledged drug issues in quieter Penobscot County towns like his.
“It’s got its heroin,” Dinkins, 61, said of Hermon, adding he feels safe as a gun owner living on a dirt road.
While sitting by Pickering Square in the middle of Bangor, William Jackson, 67, mentioned similar concerns about changes he has seen living in the city. He said more walking beat cops would help the one Bangor officer who started a downtown beat last year.
“You keep an eye out,” Jackson said. “People carry guns and everything today, so you never know.”
Rebeca Garcia, who owns Palomas Gifts in Bangor, opened her business about two years ago but moved five months ago from the corner of Central and Harlow streets to a Central Street spot slightly closer to the heart of downtown. That came after she “went through hell” dealing with shoplifters and drug use right outside the entrance of the original location.
“Maybe Bangor can start shipping them somewhere else. You don’t see this in Brewer,” Garcia, who is from Spain, said. “I’m sorry. I might sound too harsh, but something has to get done.”
The state’s three largest cities of Portland, Lewiston and Bangor have seen drops in serious “index crimes” — such as murder, rape, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft, among other offenses — that the Maine Department of Public Safety tracks in annual reports going up to 2023. Lewiston implemented a plan last year to deal with rising gun violence.
The three cities saw higher totals in the early and mid-2000s. Population changes paired with data reporting tweaks that expanded certain categories in recent years can complicate per-capita comparisons, but Bangor (about 200 fewer total offenses) and Portland (50 fewer offenses) each saw drops from 2022 to 2023 while Lewiston reported 240 more offenses.
Maine had the lowest violent crime rate nationally in 2023 by reporting 102 incidents per 100,000 people, according to FBI data. In 1985, the earliest year the FBI made available the state-specific data, Maine had 167.5 violent crime incidents per 100,000 people. Different reporting from Maine State Police showed a statewide rate of 29.65 crimes per 1,000 people in 2023, which was down from 2022 and 2021, when the state switched reporting systems.
The FBI has cautioned against ranking or comparing cities and states when it comes to crime data and noted the figures may not account for many additional variables.
“We’re going to stay out of politics,” Sgt. Jason McAmbley, a Bangor police spokesperson, said when asked for comment on candidates making claims about crime.
Charles, the gubernatorial candidate who was the assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs under former President George W. Bush from 2003 to 2005, said drug and human trafficking is “widening” from southern to northern Maine while other types of violent crimes tied to drugs are increasing as well.
He did not provide more specific figures, but Charles argued major and “offshoot” organized crime groups connected to other countries and operating in Maine “impose fear” while causing victims to not report attacks. Not all GOP gubernatorial candidates are using such dire language, though they acknowledge concerns among voters.
“Statistically, Maine may rank as one of the safest states in America, but that doesn’t mean much if Mainers don’t feel safe in their communities,” Falmouth real estate agent David Jones, another Republican candidate, said.
Other residents of Bangor and surrounding Penobscot County towns mentioned the video of a man punching a woman last week in downtown Bangor. But Allison Buckley, who works at The Eddington Store in the town outside Bangor and lives in Brewer, said she does not like “the politics” of debates over crime and which towns are safer, particularly when it comes to drugs.
“They’re everywhere,” Buckley said. “It doesn’t discriminate. You can’t escape that.”
A man standing in downtown Bangor on Thursday said he is homeless and grew up in the city that has “changed so much” between his childhood and years he spent living elsewhere before returning. The man, who declined to share his name, said drugs, trespassing, fights and other issues combine and “feed off of each other.”
“Generally, I feel fine [being outside],” he said. “Certain areas at night is when I kind of get a little on edge.”
