Former Senate Majority Leader Mason announces 2026 gubernatorial run

Former Maine Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason announced his run to replace outgoing Gov. Janet Mills on his podcast Wednesday morning, framing his campaign around the need for experienced leadership.

Mason, a Republican from Lisbon who spent eight years in the Maine Legislature and now works as a lobbyist, ran for governor in 2018 and was the runner up in the primary. On Wednesday, he commented on the crowded race he’s joining, saying he is the only Republican candidate with prior experience and understanding of how the Legislature works. 

While state Sen. James Libby is among those running, the GOP primary field is packed with candidates with mostly business experience, such as former Planet Fitness president Ben Midgley, health care entrepreneur Jonathan Bush and David Jones, a construction and real estate business leader.

On the podcast, he said many candidates on both sides are “promising things that a governor cannot deliver on at all, or immediately.”

“The reason I’m running is very simple,” Mason said. “It’s not because I have better ideas. It’s because I know how to actually turn those ideas into results.”

The former Senate majority leader emphasized that Maine requires seasoned leadership at such a crucial moment for the state, not someone who tries to imitate Donald Trump or a political “hobbyist.” 

Mason admitted to having similar views to the other Republican candidates, highlighting key talking points for the party including overtaxation and government inefficiency, education reform, and rising crime — despite the most recent state report showing crime declining steadily since 2021. 

But drawing on his past roles as a business owner and legislator, Mason set himself apart as someone who could bring practical experience to the job. His entry into the race signals a major development in the Republican primary. 

“I’ve heard a lot of people in the Republican primary talk about how they’re an outsider,” he said. “There are times for outsiders. There are times that we need somebody to come in and rattle up the system. This is not this time. This moment requires precision. It requires institutional knowledge, and it involves understanding the real levers of power.”