AUGUSTA, Maine — Entrepreneur and Republican gubernatorial candidate Owen McCarthy today released “Maine 2040: Built to Lead Again,” a comprehensive policy program his campaign says is designed to reverse Maine’s affordability crisis, restore economic opportunity for working families, and bring discipline and accountability back to state government.
The plan lays out what it describes as a clear, integrated strategy to make Maine a place where families can afford to live, work, and raise their children, and where the next generation sees a future worth staying for.
“For too many Mainers, life has become harder every year,” McCarthy said. “Housing is out of reach. Energy bills are crushing family budgets. Taxes are high, services are slow, and opportunity is slipping away. Maine 2040 is a serious plan to change direction, fix what’s broken, and build a future where our kids can stay and succeed.”
McCarthy’s campaign says Maine 2040 is built around three guiding principles that shape every proposal in the plan: Opportunity to build a career and a life in Maine, rooted in a growing economy and good-paying jobs; Affordability so working families can stay in their communities and get ahead; and Discipline to ensure state government lives within its means and delivers real results for taxpayers.
The plan also frames itself as a direct response to what it calls Maine’s most pressing challenges head-on, including high taxes, runaway spending, excessive regulation, unaffordable housing, high energy costs, declining education outcomes, workforce shortages, and failures in public safety and child protection.
In its policy outline, the plan calls for immediate tax relief for lower- and middle-income Mainers and what it describes as a responsible roadmap to eliminate the income tax. It also proposes a full, independent audit of state government spending and a rollback of spending growth that the campaign says has outpaced inflation and population.
On housing, McCarthy’s plan pitches aggressive reform aimed at cutting red tape, speeding permitting, expanding workforce housing, and “legalize building again.” It also lays out a pro-growth economic strategy that the campaign says fixes the fundamentals while making smart bets on industries where Maine can win, including maritime innovation, advanced forest products, life sciences, and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.
The plan also outlines what it describes as a back-to-basics education agenda focused on literacy, accountability, multiple career pathways, and preparing students for an AI-driven economy. It includes a healthcare strategy centered on access, affordability, telemedicine, and stabilizing rural care and emergency services.
McCarthy’s plan further calls for what it describes as a serious public safety and child protection agenda focused on accountability, enforcement, recovery, and protecting the most vulnerable. It also proposes a sweeping government modernization effort to move Maine out of the paper era and make state government fast, transparent, and accountable.
McCarthy, an engineer and entrepreneur from Patten, Maine, said the plan reflects his belief that Maine’s best days are ahead if the state is willing to change course.
“I grew up in a trailer, the son of a third generation logger and a second generation lunch lady,” McCarthy said. “I know what it means to work hard. I see Maine today as a place that if you work hard and play by the rules that is not enough. This plan is for the people I grew up with. It is about making Maine work again for working families and opportunity for the next generation, not for politicians and special interests.”
The campaign says Maine 2040 is intended as a living document and long-term blueprint, focused on execution, accountability, and measurable results rather than slogans or short-term fixes. The full plan is available at www.owenformaine.com.
