Politics
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Republican gubernatorial nominee Bobby Charles has hired a top staffer from one of his primary rivals, marking a union between the untraditional frontrunner and former state Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason.
Dale Crafts Jr., the son of the former state lawmaker of the same name who ran for Congress in 2020, confirmed he came on board with Charles on Thursday. He was listed as Charles’ campaign manager in an email sent by the campaign the day before election officials wrapped up the ranked-choice voting count.
“I’m taking my chances,” Crafts said. “I’m focused on getting a Republican elected governor.”
Fueled by grassroots support, grand promises and a dominant social media presence, Charles has led polls for months despite spending only a fraction of his opponents and their allies — particularly Mason and Bush. Crafts’ hiring is a marker of some harmony among the field, although some of Charles’ rivals look unlikely to attend a party unity breakfast on Saturday.
Former state Rep. Joel Stetkis, who has led Charles’ nearly year-long campaign and is on the November ballot for a Maine Senate seat, is shifting to campaign chairman. Vincent Harris, who has done digital strategy for prominent national conservatives and Israel’s Likud Party, remains Charles’ senior strategist entering the general election.
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Mason, who finished with just over 11% of the vote, was one of several candidates during the primary to knock Charles’ aggressive budget cut proposals and potential ability to work with both sides of the aisle. Crafts, who lives in Auburn, described Mason, who is his cousin, as a “brilliant” leader and strong mentor.
Crafts said he’d met Charles and Harris multiple times on the campaign trail, and that both campaigns had “tremendous respect” for each other even as the primary got heated.
Charles’ team approached him after the primary results showed the attorney on top and only Bush and Midgley with a shot at an upset. Crafts said Charles had successfully delivered a message to Republican and unenrolled voters, particularly on Facebook which is popular with the state’s older population.
Asked about the perception among some opponents, including independent state Sen. Rick Bennett, that Charles has run a negative campaign, Crafts said Mainers “don’t have anything positive to say” about Maine government and Democratic-led leadership over the last eight years.
“So many Mainers are frustrated,” he said. “They can barely pay their bills as fraud is running everywhere in state government. Bobby’s message is relatable.”