Bobby Charles Leads Republican Gubernatorial Primary in Maine, Though Ranked-Choice Runoff Looms

Bobby Charles, an attorney and former U.S. assistant secretary of state, held a commanding lead Tuesday night in Maine's seven-way Republican primary for governor, setting up what could be a prolonged ranked-choice voting process to determine the party's nominee.

With 11% of votes counted by 10 p.m., Charles had captured more than 40% of the vote. Ben Midgley, a fitness franchise executive, sat in second place with roughly 18%, followed closely by healthcare executive Jonathan Bush. Former Maine Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason, entrepreneur Owen McCarthy, businessman David Jones and former Paris Selectman Robert Wessels trailed further behind.

Addressing supporters at his watch party inside Dysart's Restaurant in Bangor, Charles expressed confidence in his chances.

"We are confident we are going to win this primary," Charles said, drawing cheers from the assembled crowd.

Because no candidate appeared positioned to surpass the 50% threshold needed to secure the nomination outright, attention was already turning to Maine's ranked-choice voting system and how subsequent rounds might unfold.

State Senator Jim Libby, who dropped out of the race in April but remained on the ballot, appeared likely to be the first candidate eliminated once the runoff process begins. Under ranked-choice rules, the candidate with the fewest first-place votes is removed, and ballots ranking that candidate are redistributed according to voters' next choices. The elimination cycle repeats until one candidate crosses the majority threshold.

The general election in November will match the eventual Republican nominee against the winner of the Democratic primary, which also appeared poised for its own ranked-choice runoff, as well as independent candidate Rick Bennett.

Charles built his lead in part through an early entry into the race and an aggressive social media presence that kept him atop public polling throughout the campaign. Despite being significantly out-fundraised by Bush, Charles' messaging clearly connected with primary voters.

At his watch party, Charles reiterated key themes from his campaign: eliminating Maine's income tax, deporting undocumented immigrants and lowering energy costs.

A Lewiston voter named Christine Moreau echoed some of those priorities after casting her ballot Tuesday.

"I like Bobby Charles … He's got moral values, and I'm tired of 'woke,'" Moreau said, adding that she hopes Charles can address local concerns. "Gun control, taxes, the school. There are certain things that need to get fixed and addressed."

Charles' candidacy was not without controversy. He drew criticism last year for a series of posts attacking a Somali-American state lawmaker whom he alleged was not loyal to the United States. Throughout the primary, he made being tough on crime and immigration central issues.

His Republican rivals frequently went after him as well, arguing that his promises to slash the state budget were unrealistic and that Maine needed a chief executive officer rather than a Washington insider. Several opponents pointed to Charles' background in federal government and his current role running a consulting firm as evidence he was out of step with the state's needs.

In an unusual move for a party that has historically opposed ranked-choice voting, some candidates actively encouraged their supporters to use the system and formed alliances aimed at blocking Charles from accumulating second-choice support. Jones went so far as to urge his backers at an event last week not to rank Charles at all. Charles, by contrast, asked his supporters to vote only for him.

Charles acknowledged the contentious tone of the primary but struck a conciliatory note when he spoke Tuesday night.

"Every one of my fellow Republican candidates would be a better governor than Janet Mills," Charles said.

The question now is whether Charles can convert his strong first-round performance into outright victory through the ranked-choice process, particularly given how aggressively his opponents worked to deny him second-choice votes. Even so, he entered the night as the strong favorite to become the Republican standard-bearer in November.

This is a developing story.