BOBBY CHARLES PLEDGES TO REFUSE AUGUSTA LOBBYIST MONEY, CALLS ON PINGREE AND BENNETT TO DO THE SAME

LEEDS, Maine — Republican gubernatorial nominee Bobby Charles today issued a challenge to his general election opponents, Democrat Hannah Pingree and Democrat Rick Bennett: pledge to refuse corrupt Augusta cash from lobbyists, lobbying firms, and interests seeking to impose AI data centers on Maine communities and return any money already collected from these groups.

The pledge comes as Charles enters the general election backed by more than 4,500 small-dollar donors, the most of any Republican in the race, the overwhelming majority of them from Maine.

"Hannah Pingree and Rick Bennett have spent decades in Augusta collecting special-interest money, handing out no-bid contracts, and doing the bidding of lobbyists," said Charles. "After thirty years combined in Augusta politics, they have made promises and owe special favors to too many insiders to ever truly put Maine people first. This will not be how the Charles administration conducts itself. I owe favors to no one. The only people I work for are the people of Maine. Mainers deserve a governor who answers only to them, not to the Augusta insiders who have been running and failing this state for the last eight years."

As Charles begins fundraising for the general election,  he is pledging to refuse:

• Contributions from Maine lobbyists and Augusta lobbying firms
• Contributions from law firms that lobby in Augusta
• Money from any individual or entity with a financial interest in expanding or creating AI data centers in Maine
• Contributions from Central Maine Power (CMP) 

A former federal investigator and career crime fighter, Charles has built his life around holding the powerful accountable. 

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Bobby Charles is a Theodore Roosevelt Republican, a conservationist who supports Maine's environment and has serious concerns about the impact large-scale AI data centers could have on Maine's environment, and communities. He will not accept contributions from entities involved in AI data center development or from CMP itself.

"Bobby Charles has never taken corrupt Augusta cash because he has never been part of the Augusta machine," said Vincent Harris, Senior Strategist for Bobby Charles for Governor. "He built this campaign on the small-dollar contributions of everyday Mainers, and that is exactly how he intends to govern, beholden to no one but the people of Maine."

The challenge highlights a stark contrast at the heart of the 2026 governor's race. Democrat Pingree and Democrat Bennett together represent over three decades of Augusta insider politics, years defined by no-bid contracts, special favors, fraud, and waste that Mainers are demanding an end to. Charles, a former federal investigator and crime fighter, has made cleaning up Augusta a centerpiece of his campaign.

Charles is asking voters to join his movement at bobbyformaine.com and asking both Pingree and Bennett to respond to his pledge.

Bobby Charles is the Republican nominee for Governor of Maine. A former U.S. Naval Intelligence officer and federal investigator, Charles has built his campaign on cutting crime, cutting taxes, and ending woke nonsense. Learn more at BobbyforMaine.com

Press Contact:press@bobbyformaine.com