Republican gubernatorial candidate Bobby Charles skipped a televised debate in Maine, drawing sharp criticism from his six primary opponents. Candidates including Garrett Mason and Jonathan Bush attacked the absent front-runner's policy proposals, such as a $4 billion budget cut, and questioned his commitment. Charles's campaign stated he preferred to meet voters directly before the June 9th primary.
Bobby Charles debate absence
- ▪Bobby Charles, a Republican candidate for governor of Maine, was the only one of seven candidates to not participate in a televised debate hosted by WMTW
- ▪Charles's campaign stated he skipped the debate to spend time before the June 9th primary talking directly with voters in their communities
- ▪Debate moderator Jon Chrisos responded to Charles's statement, noting the event was a "statewide broadcast" to speak with voters
Republican candidate attacks on Charles
- ▪Garrett Mason joked during the debate that the absent Bobby Charles "might be in bed."
- ▪An unscientific straw poll of viewers placed Ben Midgley first (694 votes), Garrett Mason second (587), and the absent Bobby Charles third (405)
- ▪The six Republican candidates present at the debate attacked their absent rival, Bobby Charles, throughout the event
- ▪Former Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason criticized Bobby Charles's past involvement in budgeting, claiming it increased costs
Budget cutting proposals
- ▪Jonathan Bush highlighted his own plan to cut $1 billion in income taxes
- ▪Entrepreneur Jonathan Bush criticized Charles's $4 billion tax cut promise as a "lavish promise" from someone who "hasn't run anything before."
- ▪Ben Midgley, a former fitness executive, called Bobby Charles's proposal to cut $4 billion from the state budget "not reasonable."
Candidate background differences
- ▪The Republican primary features seven candidates seeking to replace the term-limited Governor Janet Mills
- ▪Bobby Charles, an attorney and former federal official, had led in two public polls on the Republican gubernatorial race earlier in the year
Ranked-choice voting positions
- ▪Five of the six Republican candidates on stage said they would use Maine's ranked-choice voting system in the primary
- ▪Garrett Mason was the only candidate on stage who did not commit to using ranked-choice voting, saying he "maybe" would
- ▪Maine's ranked-choice voting system, first used in statewide elections in 2018, has historically been criticized by Republicans
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