Governor of Maine 2026
Information on this page is sourced from Balletopedia, the Maine Campaign Finance website, and Who is running for what? Your guide to 2026 statewide elections in Maine and summarized here for convenience. Please go to the Balletopedia page to view the original information in greater detail.
Democratic Candidates
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Republican Candidates
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Independent Candidates
To use this accordion widget, click on the “Plus” icon next to each name. The box will expand with more information about the candidate. After the primaries, we will supply a more detailed page for our primary winners.
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Shenna Bellows is the current Secretary of State for Maine, a position she has held since 2021. She is the first woman to serve in that role. Bellows previously ran for the U.S. Senate in 2014 and was elected to the Maine State Senate in 2016, where she served three consecutive terms before reaching the term limit. She is also a former executive director of the ACLU of Maine.
Current Position: Maine Secretary of State.
Base Salary: $100,339
Websites and Social Media:
https://mainecampaignfinance.com/index.html#/exploreDetails/507473/10/0/51/2026
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Jason Cherry is a former defense attorney and FBI special agent. He previously ran as an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2024, finishing fourth in the general election.
Web and Social:
https://mainecampaignfinance.com/index.html#/exploreDetails/543577/10/null/51/2026
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Troy Jackson is a former President of the Maine State Senate. In March 2025, he announced the formation of an exploratory committee for a statewide campaign and officially launched his candidacy on May 19, 2025. Jackson has said his campaign focuses on representing Mainers who are dissatisfied with the current political landscape and concerned about the influence of wealthy interests and special-interest groups in national politics.
Maine State Senate District 1
Years in office: 2016 - 2024
Maine State Senate District 35
Maine House of Representatives
Web and Social:
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Angus King III is the founder and former president of Peaks Renewable and is a newcomer to electoral politics. He is the son of U.S. Senator Angus King Jr. King has said his campaign emphasizes efforts to reduce costs for Maine families.
Web and Social:
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Hannah Pingree is a former Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives who served four terms in the Maine Legislature, representing House District 36 from 2002 to 2010. From 2019 until May 16, 2025, she led the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. Pingree also served as co-chair of the Maine Climate Council, where she worked on the state’s climate action plan. She is the daughter of U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree. Earlier in her career, Pingree worked as development director at Waterman’s Community Center, a political editor/producer at iVillage.com, and an intern at the New York City Office of Management and Budget.
Web and Social:
https://mainecampaignfinance.com/index.html#/exploreDetails/511296/10/null/51/2026
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Nirav Shah is the former Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and previously served as principal deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He is currently a visiting professor at Colby College. Shah confirmed in August that he was considering a gubernatorial run and officially launched his campaign on October 20.Web and Social:
https://mainecampaignfinance.com/index.html#/exploreDetails/554942/10/null/51/2026
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Jonathan Bush is the nephew of former President George H.W. Bush; cousin of former President George W. Bush and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush; and grandson of former U.S. Sen. Prescott Bush.
He is the co-founder and former CEO of the Massachusetts-based health care technology company Athenahealth.Web and Social:
https://mainecampaignfinance.com/index.html#/exploreDetails/554869/10/null/51/2026
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Kenneth Capron is from Portland. He filed paperwork with the Maine Ethics Commission on May 21, 2025. He is a CPA and systems expert and says he is the "perfect candidate for a DOGE entity in Maine."
He is also the developer of the Cruise Ship Hope Harbor project and the SkyWay by MicroRail maglev transit project.
Web and Social:
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Robert "Bobby" Charles was the Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs under Secretaries Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice. He also served as the Office of Domestic Policy's deputy associate director from 1992-1993 during the George H.W. Bush administration.
He says he is focused on fentanyl and education.
Web and Social:
https://mainecampaignfinance.com/index.html#/exploreDetails/508124/10/0/51/2026
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David Foster is from Bangor and filed his candidacy with the Maine Ethics Commission on Nov. 8, 2025.
Web and Social:
https://mainecampaignfinance.com/index.html#/exploreDetails/555540/10/null/51/2026
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David Jones lives in Falmouth with his wife and is a real estate broker who currently owns The FO Bailey Company.
He says he has supported President Trump's America First platform since 2015, founding the Making Maine Great Again PAC. Jones also represented Maine as a 2024 RNC National Delegate and Platform Committee member.
Web and Social:
https://mainecampaignfinance.com/index.html#/exploreDetails/511194/10/null/51/2026
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James Libby is a current state senator representing District 22, covering parts of Cumberland, York and Oxford Counties. He currently sits on the Education and Cultural Affairs and Senate Conduct and Ethics committees.
James Libby (Republican Party) is a member of the Maine State Senate, representing District 22. He assumed office on December 6, 2022. His current term ends on December 1, 2026.
Libby (Republican Party) is running for election for Governor of Maine. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.[source]
Base salary
$25,000 for the first regular session. $20,000 for the second regular session.
Per diem
$70/day for lodging (or round-trip mileage up to $0.55/mile in lieu of housing, plus tolls). $50/day for meals.
Web and Social:
https://mainecampaignfinance.com/index.html#/exploreDetails/511194/10/null/51/2026
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Garrett Mason is a former Maine Senate Majority Leader who served in the State Senate from 2010-2018. He is from Lisbon and formed an exploratory committee in October 2025. He confirmed to Maine's Total Coverage on Nov. 17, 2025 that he was considering a run for Governor and then officially launched his campaign on Jan. 7, 2026.
Mason (Republican Party) was a member of the Maine State Senate, representing District 22. Mason assumed office on November 30, 2010. Mason left office on December 4, 2018.
Mason was a candidate running for Governor of Maine in the 2018 election. He was defeated by Shawn Moody (R) in the June 12 primary.
Web and Social:
https://mainecampaignfinance.com/index.html#/exploreDetails/557680/10/null/51/2026
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Owen McCarthy is a native of Patten and founder of MedRhythms. He launched an exploratory effort in April 2025 and then made his campaign official on June 11, 2025.
He says "to move forward, we must harness our competitive strengths, cultivating an economy driven by innovation, talent, and local determination."
Web andSocial:
https://mainecampaignfinance.com/index.html#/exploreDetails/511310/10/null/51/2026
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Ben Midgley grew up in York County and previously served as the president of Planet Fitness. He was also the founding partner and former CEO of Crunch Franchising, LLC.
Web and Social:
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Campaign Terminated.
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Robert Wessels is a former selectman from the town of Paris who says he wants to shrink government, restore freedom, and bring back common sense.
Wessels completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
https://mainecampaignfinance.com/index.html#/exploreDetails/482011/10/null/51/2026
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Richard Bennett lives in Oxford, Maine. Bennett earned a B.A. from Harvard University in 1986 and an M.B.A. from the University of Southern Maine in 2000. His career experience includes working as the CEO and chairman of GMI Ratings, co-chairman of the board of directors of Quoddy Inc., and the president and CEO of ValueEdge Advisors.[2][3][4] Bennett was first elected to serve as the chair of the Republican Party of Maine in 2013, and he was re-elected to a two-year term in 2015.
Richard Bennett (independent) (also known as Rick) is a member of the Maine State Senate, representing District 18. He assumed office on December 6, 2022. His current term ends on December 1, 2026.
Bennett (independent) is running for election for Governor of Maine. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.[source]
On June 24, 2025, Bennett announced that he was leaving the Republican Party and would register as an independent.[1]
Base salary
$25,000 for the first regular session. $20,000 for the second regular session.
Per diem
$70/day for lodging (or round-trip mileage up to $0.55/mile in lieu of housing, plus tolls). $50/day for meals.
Web and Social:
Richard Bennett (independent) (also known as Rick) is a member of the Maine State Senate, representing District 18. He assumed office on December 6, 2022. His current term ends on December 1, 2026.
Bennett (independent) is running for election for Governor of Maine. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.[source]
On June 24, 2025, Bennett announced that he was leaving the Republican Party and would register as an independent.[1]
Biography
Richard Bennett lives in Oxford, Maine. Bennett earned a B.A. from Harvard University in 1986 and an M.B.A. from the University of Southern Maine in 2000. His career experience includes working as the CEO and chairman of GMI Ratings, co-chairman of the board of directors of Quoddy Inc., and the president and CEO of ValueEdge Advisors.[2][3][4] Bennett was first elected to serve as the chair of the Republican Party of Maine in 2013, and he was re-elected to a two-year term in 2015.
https://mainecampaignfinance.com/index.html#/exploreDetails/511574/10/null/51/2026
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W. Edward Crockett was born in and lives in Portland, Maine. Crockett graduated from Portland High School in 1979. He earned a bachelor's degree in broadcasting/journalism from the University of Maine in 1983 and an M.B.A. in marketing/sales from Boston College in 1986. His career experience includes working as a vice president of marketing for Lepage Bakeries, a category manager for Hannaford Bros, a director of sales for Oakhurst Dairy, and president of Capt'n Eli Soda.[2][3]
W. Edward Crockett (independent) is a member of the Maine House of Representatives, representing District 112. He assumed office on December 6, 2022. His current term ends on December 1, 2026.
Crockett (independent) is running for election for Governor of Maine. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.[source]
In August 2025, Crockett announced that he was leaving the Democratic Party and would register as an independent.[1] To learn more about officeholders that switched parties, click here.
Base salary
$25,000 for the first regular session. $20,000 for the second regular session.
Per diem
$70/day for lodging (or round-trip mileage up to $0.55/mile in lieu of housing, plus tolls). $50/day for meals.
https://mainecampaignfinance.com/index.html#/exploreDetails/543904/10/0/51/2026
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John Glowa, Sr. was born in Presque Isle and now lives in South China who is a longtime environmental and wildlife advocate, having worked in the Maine Department of Environmental Protection for almost 30 years before retiring in 2016.
Glowa completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Web and Socials:
https://mainecampaignfinance.com/index.html#/exploreDetails/543604/10/0/51/2026
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Derek Levasseur is a self-described small-business leader, author, and advocate for government transparency. He says he is focused on lowering the cost of living, eliminating property taxes on primary homes, and reforming DHHS for accountability and child protection.
Web and Socials:
https://mainecampaignfinance.com/#/exploreDetails/555514/10/null/51/2026
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Alexander Murchison was born in Caribou, Maine. He earned a high school diploma from Caribou High School and a bachelor's degree from the University of Maine in 2019. His career experience includes working as an engineer.[1]
Alexander Murchison (independent) is running for election for Governor of Maine. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.[source]
Murchison completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Web and Socials:
unknown
https://mainecampaignfinance.com/index.html#/exploreDetails/509338/10/0/51/2026