President Donald Trump loomed large in an often testy debate Thursday that saw three gubernatorial candidates bicker on stage as much as they advocated bipartisanship and dove into the weeds of tax, housing and energy policy.
As she did in the Democratic primary, former Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree invoked the president multiple times, citing rising prices in the wake of the Iran war, calling governors the front lines against an overreaching Trump administration and urging voters to boot Republicans out of Congress.
Independent state Sen. Rick Bennett of Oxford did not criticize the president directly, but linked the unpopular war to increased fuel and gas prices hurting Maine families and businesses. He also said he’d push Maine to reduce dependency on fossil fuels, and to work with other New England states to expand renewables, in stark contrast to the Trump administration’s pro-oil-and-gas posture.
And even Republican attorney Bobby Charles, who has long embraced Trump and was known for his similarly bombastic style during the GOP primary, highlighted two disagreements with the president: the Iran war and broad tariffs undercutting Maine consumers and businesses.
“I do not agree with him right now,” Charles said of Trump’s war, noting he did support previous U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. He added that while he backed some targeted tariffs, he was “absolutely against” levies that were across the board or upended trade between the U.S. and Maine’s biggest trading partner in Canada.
The candidates laid out a number of economic, tax, housing, energy and addiction recovery plans in the Portland debate, hosted by News Center Maine and the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. And while moderators sought to rein them in amid crosstalk over policy and character, at many points the debate grew heated. None of them spared each other from attacks even as they all touted bipartisan bona fides.
“This is why we need women in charge,” Pingree said during a heated exchange between Bennett and Charles, drawing cheers and laughs in arguably the biggest line of the night.
Charles was fiery and aggressive on taxes, budget cuts and energy, pinning plenty of the state’s problems including high costs and a tough business environment on both Pingree’s and Bennett’s time in Augusta.
After Charles accused Pingree of a conflict of interest involving her family, she said, “Bobby has been spewing … misinformation,” lying about both her husband and taxes. She said she was not surprised by Charles’ negativity, while the attorney pushed back that he was presenting facts.
Bennett and Pingree both went after Charles for being a longtime Washington lobbyist, with Bennett questioning Charles’ ability to manage the budget based on previous reports of his work at the State Department. Charles argued Bangor Daily News reports on audits during his leadership were cherry picked and inaccurate.
Bennett at one point appeared unready for a question after arguing between Pingree and Charles, drawing laughs by saying it was hard to digest what was flying rapid-fire from the Republican. He later found his footing and pointed to partisanship as part of the reason government isn’t effective, citing the state budget growing significantly over the last decade.
“Nobody’s minding the store,” he said.
The debate capped off with each calling for bipartisanship. Bennett, a former Republican who often talked up his independence, said politicians should “start treating each other as human beings.”
Pingree said she’s learned how to agree to disagree and work together with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Mainers want elected leaders “to get things done to improve their lives,” she said.
Charles said “words are cheap,” arguing Democrats have stonewalled Republicans in Augusta and worked against the legacies of former Secretary of State Ed Muskie and former U.S. Sen. Margaret Chase Smith.
“I pledge to do my level best,” he said.