AUGUSTA, Maine – Republican gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Bush is seizing early momentum in Maine’s open 2026 governor’s race, with his campaign announcing it has raised more than $1 million as Republicans and Democrats alike jockey for position in one of the state’s most competitive contests in years.
Bush, a health care technology executive, launched his campaign in October in Belfast and has positioned himself as an outsider promising economic growth and a shakeup in Augusta. His campaign released the fundraising figure ahead of the state’s next reporting deadline, emphasizing early donor enthusiasm as he seeks the Republican nomination to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Janet Mills.
Jonathan Bush, 56, making his first run for elective office, is the cousin of former President George W. Bush and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who co-hosted a fundraiser for Jonathan in Kennebunkport. He is a nephew of late former President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush.
The fundraising disclosure comes before full transparency is required under state law. End-of-year financial reports for candidates for state office, which detail funding sources and expenditures, are not due to be filed with the Maine Ethics Commission until Jan. 15, meaning Bush’s latest totals have not yet appeared in official state filings.
Bush is running in a crowded Republican primary that includes former U.S. assistant secretary of state Bobby Charles, businessman Owen McCarthy, real estate developer David Jones, state Sen. James Libby, entrepreneur Ben Midgley, and Robert Wessells, who has also declared his candidacy. The size of the GOP field underscores a scramble to define the party’s direction after eight years of Democratic control of the Blaine House.
Democrats, meanwhile, have already demonstrated formidable fundraising strength — but only in the most recent filed reports, which cover activity through June 30, 2025 and do not include any late-year fundraising. In those filings, former House Speaker Hannah Pingree led the Democratic field with more than $540,000 raised. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows reported raising more than $520,000, while businessman Angus King III, the son of U.S. Sen. Angus King, and former Senate President Troy Jackson each reported raising more than $400,000.
Updated Democratic fundraising totals, like those of Bush and other Republicans, will not be publicly known until end-of-year reports are filed Jan. 15, setting up a clearer, apples-to-apples comparison across the field.
With no incumbent in the race, both parties are bracing for competitive primaries ahead of the June 2026 election. Candidates must still meet filing and petition requirements to qualify for the primary ballot, but early fundraising, some of it now campaign-reported at seven figures, signals a high-stakes contest already well underway.
