Politics
Our political journalists are based in the Maine State House and have deep source networks across the partisan spectrum in communities all over the state. Their coverage aims to cut through major debates and probe how officials make decisions. Read more Politics coverage here.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Republican gubernatorial candidate Bobby Charles will skip two televised debates this week, leaving the crowded field to spar without their early frontrunner.
Charles, a longtime lobbyist and former federal government official from Leeds, was the only one in the seven-person Republican field to decline both a Tuesday debate hosted by WMTW and a Thursday one sponsored by CBS News 13 and the Bangor Daily News.
It came as he tried to portray himself as the runaway leader in a race that has had no public polls in nearly two months and Republicans generally see as still competitive. Two rival candidates, entrepreneur Jonathan Bush and lobbyist and former Maine Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason, have been backed by major ad pushes since then.
On Monday, Charles released an internal poll showing him ahead and calling for the party to coalesce around him. Last week, he bowed out of the Thursday debate citing the exclusion of longshot Robert Wessels, the only candidate who has not met criteria long used by CBS News 13 and the BDN, including getting 5% support in an independent poll of the race.
But WMTW invited all candidates. Charles had until 4 p.m. Friday to commit to the debate and did not, Amy Beveridge, the station’s news director, said. In a statement, the candidate cited his February debate against Democrat Troy Jackson and other Republican primary debates in touting “the most open, transparent, and accessible of any campaign on either side of the aisle.”
“Mainers are ready to cut crime, cut taxes, and end the corruption and Bobby will continue sharing that message through the June 9 primary,” Charles spokesperson Vincent Harris said in a statement.
Charles’ criticism of CBS News 13 and the BDN for not including Wessels followed a statement from former fitness executive Ben Midgley that pressed for the inclusion of all candidates. The primary will be decided by ranked-choice voting, leading those in the field to look for ways to appeal to other candidates’ supporters.
