Maine governor candidates agree to 4 debates ahead of election

Maine Governor’s Race to Feature Four Fall Televised Debates

Portland, ME — The three candidates vying to become Maine’s next governor have confirmed they will take part in a series of televised debates during the month of October, a move that should give voters a clearer view of the candidates’ positions as the November 3 election approaches.

The scheduled debates, all produced in partnership with local media outlets, will take place on the following dates:

• Thursday, Oct. 1 – News Center Maine in cooperation with the Maine State Chamber of Commerce
• Thursday, Oct. 8 – Maine Public, News Center Maine and the Portland Press Herald
• Tuesday, Oct. 13 – WGME CBS 13 and FOX 23
• Wednesday, Oct. 14 – WMTW

Bennett, the independent candidate, and Pingree, the Democratic nominee, had previously agreed to these appearances. Republican candidate Bobby Charles announced on Tuesday that he would also join the debates, bringing the total to three participants in each round.

In addition to the four scheduled appearances, Charles and Bennett have signed up for a fifth debate that will be hosted by WABI and WAGM on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Pingree’s campaign has yet to confirm whether it will attend the additional forum.

The race, which will determine the successor to Democratic Governor Janet Mills—whose term ends with the November election—has already seen a clear front‑runner. Pingree, who served as speaker of the Maine House of Representatives and held a senior role in Governor Mills’s administration, was endorsed by the outgoing governor in May. She leads both in fundraising and in polls, according to the latest data from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.

As of the most recent campaign‑finance deadline in July, Pingree had raised more than $3 million, a sum that exceeds the combined totals of her Republican and independent opponents. The poll, released in July, found that 49 % of likely voters said they would support Pingree, 35 % favored Charles, 6 % leaned toward Bennett, and 1 % favored another candidate. Eight percent of respondents were undecided.

With the debates lined up and the campaign season heating up, voters across Maine will have the opportunity to hear directly from the candidates about their plans for the state’s future. The outcome of the October forums could help sharpen the differences among the nominees and influence the final stretch of the campaign leading up to Election Day.