AUGUSTA, Maine – Owen McCarthy addressed the Maine GOP convention Saturday, casting himself as a northern Maine outsider with a written plan to reverse what he described as seven years of failed Democratic control in Augusta.
McCarthy, a native of Patten, said his upbringing in a working-class family shaped his view of government, work, and opportunity.
“I grew up in a trailer on my grandfather’s land,” McCarthy said, describing himself as the son of a third-generation logger and a second-generation lunch lady.
McCarthy told convention attendees he is the only candidate in the race with roots north of Augusta and said those roots give him a different perspective on the challenges facing rural Maine.
He said Maine families are being squeezed by high taxes, rising energy costs, unaffordable housing, declining schools, and shrinking access to basic services.
“Janet Mills and the Democrats want you to believe that it’s all President Trump’s fault,” McCarthy said. “But the people and businesses that are fleeing our state are leaving for better lives in other states like New Hampshire.”
McCarthy blamed the condition of the state on “seven years of one-party Democratic rule in Augusta,” saying Maine has seen “more spending and less accountability, higher taxes and lower standards, bigger government and smaller paychecks.”
The Republican candidate said his campaign is built around a plan called “Maine 2040,” which he described as a strategy focused on opportunity, affordability, and discipline.
In his first budget, McCarthy said he would cut Maine’s income tax by 10 percent for working families and phase in deeper reductions over eight years.
“I know what they’ll say,” McCarthy said. “Owen, we can’t afford it. And I say we can’t afford not to.”
McCarthy also pledged to cut state regulations, saying Maine has too much red tape standing in the way of small businesses and job creation. He said his administration would cut two existing rules for every new rule proposed.
He pointed to maritime innovation and forest products as two industries where Maine can lead, arguing that the state should build on its heritage industries instead of undermining them.
“As a son of a third-generation logger, when special interests call for the removal of the dams in central Maine that would put Sappi out of business, I’ll say over my dead body,” McCarthy said.
On education, McCarthy promised to be “the reading governor,” saying Maine schools need to return to basics and adopt reading instruction backed by evidence.
He said too many students are not reading at grade level and called for a “science of reading” law to require schools to use curriculum proven to work.
McCarthy also pledged to provide tax relief for fully disabled veterans, support President Trump’s no-tax-on-tips and no-tax-on-overtime proposals and reduce energy costs by exposing what he called hidden green energy fees on electric bills.
On housing, he said Maine must tear down regulations that make it difficult to build affordable homes and invest in skilled trades, including plumbers, electricians, and carpenters.
McCarthy also promised a sweeping review of state government, calling it the “Maine Performance Review.”
“We will audit every agency of state government,” McCarthy said. “Every dollar, every program. There are no sacred cows.”
He said any money found through savings would be returned to taxpayers, and any corruption uncovered would be dealt with aggressively.
“When we find the corruption, what are we going to do? People are going to go to jail,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy closed by contrasting his background as an engineer, entrepreneur, and political outsider with the political establishment in Augusta.
“I’m not running for governor to be somebody,” McCarthy said. “I’m running for governor to do something.”
He said Maine must become more than “vacationland for wealthy people” and once again become a place where working-class Mainers can live, work, and prosper.
“Whether you grew up in a double-wide on the outskirts of Portland, or a trailer on a dirt road in Patten, you can use your God-given talents to reach your highest potential,” McCarthy said. “Vote for Owen in 2026.”
