Bobby Charles’ campaign returning contributions that exceeded limit amid ethics complaint

Republican gubernatorial nominee Bobby Charles’ campaign acknowledged Monday that it accepted contributions that exceeded the limit, and is in the process of refunding them, according to campaign manager Dale Crafts Jr.

Meanwhile, the Maine Ethics Commission is reviewing a complaint by the Maine Democratic Party which claimed Charles’ campaign knowingly accepted donations exceeding $2,075. The commission has not determined yet whether Charles or his campaign violated the law.

The Maine Democratic Party said in a press release Monday that it found 46 contributions to Charles’ campaign that exceeded $2,075, totaling more than $25,000. The release also said Charles had been ordered by the commission to return funds to donors. Jonathan Wayne, the commission’s executive director, clarified that there has been no determination of wrongdoing yet.

“We have asked the Charles campaign to use information (compiled by commission staff) to conduct its own investigation into whether it accepted over-the-limit contributions,” Wayne told Maine Morning Star.

“If the campaign concludes that it has, we ask that the campaign rectify the situation by returning the excessive amounts to the contributors,” Wayne continued.

He added that the Republican nominee’s campaign had agreed to those terms. 

A Maine Morning Star review of Charles’ campaign finance records found 39 individual contributions over the limit, including at least three that were double the permitted maximum. Some of those were reported twice on the same day, leaving it unclear if they were erroneously duplicated. 

Crafts said that the errors were likely due to couples contributing through the same check instead of individually, or people over-donating because they didn’t realize that fees were included.

“It’s as simple as that, some people donated too much, and it should have been dealt with before the filing, essentially,” Crafts said. He said the complaint, which comes weeks before the election, is politically motivated.

The Maine Democratic Party’s complaint is the only instance of a campaign finance probe against a 2026 candidate for governor this year. Wayne said the commission occasionally finds that a candidate has accepted an over-the-limit contribution, “but it does not happen often.”

In a letter sent to the campaign treasurer on Friday, Wayne wrote that commission employees will send their assessment of any potential contributions that exceed the limit to Charles’ staff, and will expect a written response by Oct. 16. At the upcoming Oct. 26 commission meeting, the commission will determine any potential finding of violations or penalties.

“It’s premature for the commission staff to make any predictions or recommendations about that,” Wayne’s letter said. 

However, in the Maine Democratic Party’s complaint, it asked the commission to look at Charles’ entire campaign finance history that extends beyond the latest filing period. 

“If Bobby Charles can’t follow Maine’s campaign finance laws as a candidate, Mainers have every right to question why they should trust him to follow the law as governor,” a statement from spokesperson Lauryn Fanguen said.

Fanguen also pointed out that while campaigns may receive donations over the limit, the fact that Charles’ campaign waited until a complaint was filed to return the money is evidence of wrongdoing.

“We’re glad they’re returning the funds,” she said. “They should have done that before we filed a formal complaint.”