Bobby Charles holds campaign stop in Penobscot
Republican candidate for governor discusses oil prices, housing shortages and Maine’s income tax
Bobby Charles talks to the audience at the Penobscot Community School on October 3. Photo by John Epstein.
Oct. 6, 2026
By John Epstein
PENOBSCOT— On Saturday, Oct. 3, approximately 30 people, a few wearing Trump-themed baseball hats, gathered in the Penobscot Community School gymnasium for a town hall with Bobby Charles, the Republican candidate for governor. They also heard from several local GOP candidates.
The event was scheduled for 1 p.m., but Charles, who was driving up from an event in Auburn, was running late. In the meantime, Sherm Hutchins, who heads Penobscot’s local Republican Committee and helped organize the gathering, introduced some local Republicans to speak briefly.
Local GOP Candidates
Ellsworth’s Cheryl Hewes, who recently retired from Maine Coast Hospital as an administrator in the surgical services department, introduced herself as a candidate for state Senate.
“People are being taxed out of their own homes,” she said, citing one of her key issues.
Hewes is also concerned about burgeoning electric bills for Mainers and believes that illegal immigrants are taking too much of the state’s resources.
“I have no problem if the immigrants are properly vetted,” she said.
Steve Juskewitch, a local criminal lawyer, then stepped up to tell folks at this Republican gathering that he was running for District Attorney of Hancock and Washington counties as an “unenrolled candidate,” which is the technical term for an independent.
Steve Juskewitch, independent candidate for district attorney for Hancock and Washington counties, spoke to voters before Bobby Charles arrived. Photo by John Epstein.
“I can do a better job than Bob Granger [the current DA], who’s had his chance,” said Juskewitch.
Then state Rep. Russ White took the floor. He represents the 13th District, which includes Ellsworth.
“Having seen eight years of the Mills administration, it’s time for a change," he said. “I came back to Maine after 20 years in the Air Force, and this is not the Maine I left.”
He decried the partisanship of the Maine Legislature, as well as the recently reported $1.3 billion budget shortfall that the state faces.
“And it’s not just because we lost federal money because of boys in girls sports,” he said, alluding to the funding penalties ordered by President Trump because Maine allows transgender sports competition. “We didn’t get the revenues that the Legislature expected.”
Bobby Charles takes the floor
At 2 p.m., Charles, 66, bounced energetically to the front of the room. Pointing to the painted jack-o-lantern pumpkins lining the stage behind him, he said, “Look, Democrats.”
A Columbia University-trained lawyer who grew up in Wayne, Maine, and once served as an aide to former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Charles launched into criticisms of the Democratic-controlled Legislature, as well as of Democrat Gov. Janet Mills.
Founder of The Charles Group, LLC, a lobbying firm in Washington, DC, Charles has a penchant for quoting Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, and Winston Churchill. He blasted Maine’s legislature for spending money at the end of the fiscal year on “pet projects.” He condemned the subsidies given to solar energy and wind power companies, which he contends send much of the power they generate out of state.
“The cost of energy has gone up 6 cents a kilowatt hour to 19 cents a kilowatt hour,” he said. “I have a 12-point energy plan, and I believe we can get energy costs down 37% pretty quickly.”
Charles then segued to discuss drug trafficking in Maine, citing his role as Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement. He contended that Maine “encourages[s] the [drug] traffickers to come here.”
Additionally, he accused state administrators of not adequately funding the mental health services needed to help addicts.
“Now, I’m a very compassionate person,” Charles said, “and I believe addiction services must be at a far higher level.”
Charles, who has never before sought elected office, talked about why he is running. After asking how many in the room were veterans, Charles said he had “benefited from the blessings of the World War II vets” and that he “wanted to step up as they did.”
Continuing on his reasons for running, Charles said, “There is power in the energy of liberty, not the Democratic Socialist garbage and boys in girls’ sports.”
In response to an audience question about fixing the housing crisis, Charles proposed rolling back home construction regulations and reducing property taxes over five years to “incentivize first-time homebuyers.”
Charles pushed hard for getting rid of Maine’s income tax, claiming that the states that do not have that tax experience tremendous growth. He likened the state government to weeds in a garden that prevent the vegetables of economic prosperity from growing.
Before Charles left for another town hall further north, Charles responded to several questions from The Rising Tide.
At polling places, Charles said there is a place for ICE or the U.S. Marshals to appear “if there is any election integrity issue.”
Charles said he supported voter identification cards and a permanent deportation center for illegal immigrants in Maine.
Regarding why gas, oil and food prices were so high in the state, Charles said the governor “has no control over international issues.” He said that if he becomes governor, he would look to the state’s $1 billion “Rainy Day” fund for temporary relief.
He said such relief would include:
Distributing $100 million to schools to purchase heating oil;
Rolling back the state’s gasoline tax for three months, while using $60 million from the “Rainy Day” fund to pay for road maintenance
Extending $60 million in home heating oil credits to low-income Mainers
Charles faces off on Nov. 3 against Democrat Hannah Pingree, Independent Richard Bennett, and write-in candidates Randy Wilcox and John Glowa.
