Bobby Charles surges to the top of Republican governor primary

 Auburn resident Pete Couillard, left, shakes hands with Republican gubernatorial candidate Bobby Charles on Tuesday morning in a parking lot next to the Auburn Senior Community. At right is 2nd Congressional District Democratic candidate Jordan Wood, who was there to cast his vote. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer) [](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/election-2026/) _[Read all of our coverage](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/election-2026/) of Maine's 2026 election or stay up to date with the latest developments through the [Maine Political Report](https://www.pressherald.com/mprnewsletter/) in your inbox or [text messages](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/01/11/maine-political-news-sent-right-to-your-phone-sign-up-for-text-alerts-from-our-editor/) from politics editor Kirby Wilson._ BANGOR — Bobby Charles held a commanding lead in the Republican primary for governor Tuesday night, though a ranked-choice runoff may determine the final outcome. [Charles, an attorney and former U.S. assistant secretary of state](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/03/29/will-bobby-charles-lead-in-the-republican-primary-for-governor-last/), had more than 40% of the vote as of 10 p.m., with 11% of votes counted. In second place was Ben Midgley, a fitness franchise executive, who netted about 18%. He was followed closely by healthcare executive Jonathan Bush, with former Maine Senate majority leader Garrett Mason, entrepreneur Owen McCarthy, businessman David Jones and former Paris Selectman Robert Wessels trailing further behind in the seven-way primary. “We are confident we are going to win this primary,” Charles said to cheers at his watch party inside Dysart’s. Related [Will Bobby Charles’ lead in the Republican primary for governor last?](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/03/29/will-bobby-charles-lead-in-the-republican-primary-for-governor-last/) In the runoff, the candidate who garners the smallest number of first-place votes will be eliminated. The voters who cast their ballots for that candidate will have their votes redistributed based on their next choice. If no candidate earns a majority in the second round, that process of elimination and second-choice tallying will repeat itself until one person emerges with more than 50% support and a winner is declared. [](https://w2pcms.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/43637731_20260609_GopGov_2.jpg) Republican gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Bush, right, arrives at his election party at Saltwater Grille in South Portland on Tuesday night. At left is former Maine state Sen. Lisa Keim. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer) [Purchase this image](https://dev.mainetodaymedia.com/smugmug/upload.php?data=%7B%22src%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fwww.pressherald.com%5C%2Fwp-content%5C%2Fuploads%5C%2Fsites%5C%2F4%5C%2F2026%5C%2F06%5C%2F43637731_20260609_GopGov_2.jpg%22%2C%22caption%22%3A%22Republican%20gubernatorial%20candidate%20Jonathan%20Bush%2C%20right%2C%20arrives%20at%20his%20election%20party%20at%20Saltwater%20Grille%20in%20South%20Portland%20on%20Tuesday%20night.%20At%20left%20is%20former%20Maine%20state%20Sen.%20Lisa%20Keim.%20%28Derek%20Davis%5C%2FStaff%20Photographer%29%22%7D) Jim Libby, a state senator who dropped out of the race in April but remained on the ballot, is likely to be the first candidate eliminated in the runoff. Advertisement The Republican nominee race will take on the winner of the Democratic primary — which is also likely headed to a ranked-choice runoff — [and independent Rick Bennett](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/03/maine-governors-race-will-be-a-three-way-contest-in-november/) in November. Charles led public polling throughout the race after getting in early and running an aggressive social media campaign. Although being badly out-fundraised by Bush, his message clearly resonated with the Republican base. At his watch party, Charles reiterated his desire to eliminate Maine’s income tax, deport undocumented immigrants and lower energy costs. Throughout the campaign, Charles made being tough on crime and immigration key issues, [and drew attention last year for a series of posts](https://www.pressherald.com/2025/08/07/republican-candidate-for-governor-criticized-over-attacks-on-south-portland-lawmaker/) slamming a Somali-American lawmaker whom he alleged was not loyal to the United States. [](https://w2pcms.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/43637731_20260609_07charles_.jpg) GOP candidate for governor Bobby Charles greets supporters during his election party at Dysart’s Restaurant Broadway in Bangor Maine Tuesday night. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer) [Purchase this image](https://dev.mainetodaymedia.com/smugmug/upload.php?data=%7B%22src%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fwww.pressherald.com%5C%2Fwp-content%5C%2Fuploads%5C%2Fsites%5C%2F4%5C%2F2026%5C%2F06%5C%2F43637731_20260609_07charles_.jpg%22%2C%22caption%22%3A%22GOP%20candidate%20for%20governor%20Bobby%20Charles%20greets%20supporters%20during%20his%20election%20party%20at%20Dysart%5Cu2019s%20Restaurant%20Broadway%20in%20Bangor%20Maine%20Tuesday%20night.%20%28Rich%20Abrahamson%5C%2FStaff%20Photographer%29%22%7D) “I like Bobby Charles … He’s got moral values, and I’m tired of ‘woke,’” Christine Moreau said after voting in Lewiston on Tuesday, adding that she hopes Charles can work on city problems. “Gun control, taxes, the school. There are certain things that need to get fixed and addressed.” He was frequently attacked on the campaign trail by his fellow Republicans, who said he made unrealistic promises about how much could be cut from the state budget. In a field featuring several businessmen, Charles’ opponents also argued that Maine’s next governor should be a chief executive officer. They painted Charles as a Washington, D.C., insider because he had worked in the federal government and because he runs a consulting firm. Advertisement Related [We profiled every major Maine candidate. Read the stories for free.](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/02/we-profiled-every-major-maine-candidate-read-the-stories-for-free/) Charles alluded to how the GOP primary turned nasty at times on Tuesday, but he struck a conciliatory tone, too. “Every one of my fellow Republican candidates would be a better governor than Janet Mills,” Charles said. In an effort to beat back Charles’ momentum, Some of the candidates encouraged voters to utilize the ranked-choice voting process and formed alliances amongst themselves — despite historical opposition from Republicans to the process. Charles, however, encouraged his supporters to only vote for him. It remains to be seen if Charles will get enough second-choice votes to propel him to victory, especially with the other candidates largely ganging up against him. At an event last week, Jones [encouraged his supporters to not rank Charles at all](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/01/republican-candidate-for-governor-encourages-use-of-ranked-choice-voting/). But Charles seems to be the strong favorite to be the Republican candidate for governor in November. _This is a developing story._ Copy the Story Link Tagged: [bobby charles](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/bobby-charles/), [election 2026](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/election-2026/), [governor's race 2026](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/governors-race-2026/), [Jonathan Bush](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/jonathan-bush/) [](https://www.pressherald.com/author/rachel-ohm) [Rachel OhmStaff Writer](https://www.pressherald.com/author/rachel-ohm) Rachel covers state government and politics for the Portland Press Herald. It’s her third beat at the paper after stints covering City Hall and education. Prior to her arrival at the Press Herald in. [More by Rachel Ohm](https://www.pressherald.com/author/rachel-ohm) [](https://www.pressherald.com/author/billy-kobin) [Billy KobinStaff Writer](https://www.pressherald.com/author/billy-kobin) Billy covers politics for the Press Herald. He joined the newsroom in 2026 after also covering politics for the Bangor Daily News for about two and a half years. Before moving to Maine in 2023, the Wisconsin. [More by Billy Kobin](https://www.pressherald.com/author/billy-kobin)