By Senator James Hamper
The 2026 Republican Primary has blessed voters with some very good candidates to choose from. However, in listening to the Maine Wire Debate, one candidate rises above the rest, and another proves why he cannot be the Republican nominee this fall.
For six years, I proudly served on the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, four of those years as the Senate Chair. I fought hard for fiscal restraint and accountability for Maine’s taxpayers. Under the budgets I helped shepherd through the legislature, we lowered taxes and controlled spending. Since I termed out of the legislature, spending has gone out of control, and fiscal restraint no longer exists. Our state is now on an unsustainable path that will continue to evade the panacea Democrats think they can buy with taxpayer’s money.
I support reigning in spending, lowering taxes for Maine families, strengthening our businesses so they can grow and improve the lives of working Mainers. But what Republican candidate Bobby Charles proposed at the Maine Wire Debate is an unrealistic talking point not based in any reality whatsoever.
Mr. Charles bragged that under his administration he would eliminate $4 billion from Maine’s budget year one. While this might be a popular talking point, it is simply not realistic. A cut of that magnitude would be nearly one third of the current budget, and is simply unattainable both practically and politically. No Legislature would support that, whether run by Democrats or Republicans. At best Mr. Charles is uninformed about what is an achievable budgetary goal, at worse he is deliberately misleading Republican primary voters with polished talking points. Either way, his position is not a serious one and should be questioned.
I remember carefully weighing the decision of who to support in the 2010 Republican Primary. Ultimately, I determined that Paul LePage, the Mayor from Waterville with strong executive experience, was the right candidate for that moment. This election cycle, more than any other I can remember, Republicans must nominate a candidate who is conservative but also is electable in the general election this fall. The stakes for our state are too high to nominate someone who cannot deliver a winning effort on November 3 rd. As I analyzed the field of candidates, the choice became crystal clear: the man to lead Republicans into November should be Ben Midgley.
Many people in my area are just learning about Ben and his story for the first time. Ben has lived the American Dream, but it only came to him through hard work and perseverance. Ben Midgley has a plan to build a stronger Maine. Ben is well informed, researched, and committed to setting realistic and attainable goals that will bring prosperity back to Mainers. As a seasoned experienced CEO who founded and grew a billion-dollar business, Ben has the right temperament to lead our state. He is committed to reigning in state spending, lowering the cost of electricity, eliminating fraud, and getting our state back on track.
The American Dream is out of reach for far too many Mainers. While other candidates use polished talking points and fictional policy goals, Ben Midgley offers Mainers realistic plans that will revive the American Dream in Maine. Republican voters should nominate Ben Midgley on June 9 th, and Maine voters should send him to the Blaine House on November 3 rd.
Knows what it means to sign the front of a check, a good solid voice.