AUBURN, Maine — Speaking at the Lincoln Dinner in Auburn, gubernatorial candidate Bobby Charles delivered an energized and deeply personal speech Saturday night, telling Republicans that Maine is at a political breaking point and arguing that the state is ready for major change in 2026.
Charles framed the moment in stark terms, saying frustration is building across Maine and comparing the political mood in the state to the national climate in 2016, when Donald Trump won the presidency.
“Can you feel the thunder in the rails?” Charles asked the crowd. “Faith is coming alive. This state has had it.”
Drawing on the famous line from the film Network, Charles said voters are reaching the point where they are “mad as hell” and no longer willing to tolerate high taxes, public disorder, and what he described as the failures of one-party Democratic rule.
Throughout his remarks, Charles returned to the idea that Maine voters — including some Democrats — are increasingly fed up with the direction of the state. He described conversations with Democrats who, he said, privately agree that property taxes are too high, income taxes are too high, and everyday quality-of-life issues have gotten worse.
Charles also said he has seen that frustration firsthand while collecting signatures, claiming that some Democrats have been willing to sign petitions and even consider voting Republican, though many are reluctant to speak publicly because of what he described as a culture of fear.
On policy, Charles laid out an ambitious agenda centered on tax relief, lower energy costs, and a tougher approach to crime and drugs.
He said he wants to eliminate Maine’s income tax in four years, roll back property taxes, and reduce electricity costs by 30 to 40 percent through what he described as a detailed energy plan already posted online. He also said he wants to remove drug traffickers from the state within 24 months, pointing to his background in national security and counter-narcotics work.
Charles told the audience those goals are achievable and said he has assembled policy advisers who believe the plans can be implemented.
He also spent a significant portion of the speech reflecting on his personal background and the values he said shaped him.
Charles said he grew up in Wayne and now lives in Leeds. He spoke about being raised by his mother, who he said emphasized education, hard work, ethical leadership, and service. He credited her as one of the central influences in his life and said the desire not to disappoint one’s mother remains one of the strongest motivations for young people to stay away from drugs.
He recounted his path from rural Maine to Dartmouth College, Oxford University, and Columbia Law School, later serving in high-level legal and national security roles, including as an assistant secretary of state. He also described building a business that worked with combat commands and law enforcement on counter-narcotics efforts around the world.
Even with that résumé, Charles said Maine has always remained central to who he is.
He told the crowd that what makes Mainers different is not just geography, but a distinct culture shaped by a slower pace of life, independence, and self-reliance. He recalled cutting and stacking wood, ice fishing, biking long distances as a child, and learning to take care of practical things on his own, including changing oil and rotating tires.
According to Charles, those experiences built what he described as an internal compass — one rooted in Maine values that stayed with him whether he was working overseas, handling national security matters, or appearing before Congress.
He said that self-reliance remains one of the defining traits of Maine people and argued that it is something the state should preserve and pass on to the next generation.
Charles closed on a more personal note, saying his ideal Saturday night is spent laughing with family and friends around a fire pit. He named his mother, World War II veterans, and Jesus Christ as among the biggest influences on his life.
The speech mixed campaign themes with autobiography, but the message was consistent from beginning to end: Charles believes Maine is in trouble, believes voters are ready to act, and is pitching himself as the candidate prepared to lead a dramatic course correction.
At one point, echoing former Gov. Paul LePage’s blunt political style, Charles summed up the task ahead in simple terms: Republicans need to turn out and “kick those SOB’s out.”
