From the Peanut Gallery

Because Maine is in peril, Ronald Reagan’s 11th commandment is in abeyance. As the eight Republican candidates for governor squared off at the Maine Policy Institute’s ‘Clash in the Queen’ on Tuesday night, there was too little blood flying around the Cross Insurance Center.

Whether the candidates held themselves in check, intimidated by the statue of Paul Bunyan or the imperious moderation by Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson, is not clear. But the time for being polite is over.

If polling is any indication, Bobby Charles was the big dog in the arena. This was the first debate where he shared the stage with others (not counting a candidates’ forum in Saco last year.) His presentation came off as the most polished.

Other candidates also had what campaign consultant Lauren LePage called “bright moments.” Among these was Patten native and medical tech entrepreneur Owen McCarthy, who showed passion when Robinson questioned whether he had what it took to capture the Blaine House. McCarthy said he was the only candidate with an actual written plan to fix this state, referring to what he called Maine 2040. He also stood out by declaring his intention to be known as Maine’s ‘Reading Governor,’ taking issue with the alarming fact that one in four 4th graders currently advance despite being functionally illiterate.

According to Robinson, the number one issue of concern for his readers going into the debate was corruption. Too little has been done, the candidates agreed, to create consequences for apparent corruption revealed both by the state auditor and the Maine Wire. The problem, Standish Senator Jim Libby argued, is that the attorney general is chosen by the ruling party behind closed doors while the solution lies in directly electing the state’s top law enforcement officer, as almost every other American state does. Libby has previously introduced legislation to change this, but on Tuesday, pledged to push a constitutional amendment if necessary.

Only one candidate drew boos from the crowd, and that distinction belonged to Cape Elizabeth businessman Jonathan Bush. It was Bush’s past opposition to Donald Trump that angered many in the Bangor hall. Until he purchased Eliot Cutler’s multimillion dollar home, he was just a summer resident of Maine, but is now as his podcast promises, here “for keeps.”

In the back of the room, former Senate Assistant Majority Leader and now Penobscot County Commission Chairman Andre Cushing III, appeared to be taking careful notes every time his former colleague Garrett Mason took credit for an accomplishment during the administration of former governor Paul LePage.

Meanwhile, in Southern Maine, Dr. Nirav Shah was rumored to be measuring the drapes in the Blaine House. If the Republicans are not fighting each other hard enough, the Democrats are just playing kumbaya in apparent thrall to the man they widely credit with saving us all from COVID. How much Mr. Nice Guy can one state take?

This observer registered only two attacks at the MPI debate. The first was gratuitous, as Jim Libby corrected Robert Wessels about the education commissioner’s name. The other, hypocritical in a way, seemed more rooted in deep grievance. Falmouth businessman David Jones, whose campaign has repeatedly called the frontrunner “Lobby Charles,” took a dig at Bobby’s having only returned to Maine in recent years (Jones himself is a transplant to Maine from Florida.) Unfazed, Charles reverted to his talking points about his experience and his promise to cut taxes, fight crime, and brook no nonsense.

Now, with two and a half months to go until the Republican primary, the real question becomes whether the GOP is ready to close ranks behind Charles or dissolve into all too familiar infighting under the carpet. As far as entertainment goes, it’s always better to shed blood in plain sight.

By Sam Patten