Maine Democrats accuse Bobby Charles of misleading voters with shifting rhetoric

A political action committee registered to support Republican gubernatorial nominee Bobby Charles has spent more than $140,000 to bolster one of his competitors: independent Rick Bennett. 

The Maine Democratic Party is pointing to that spending as evidence that Charles is running a disingenuous campaign, further bolstered by what they described as the Republican’s shifting position on President Donald Trump as well as his refusal to release his full financial disclosures.

“Charles says one thing and yet does another, all while leaving Mainers to figure out what he doesn’t want them to see and who the real Bobby Charles is,” said former Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Colby College professor Nirav Shah at a press conference in Portland on Tuesday. “That’s not accountability, that’s not transparency, and it’s certainly not the straight talk that Charles promises voters.”

Charles’ campaign denied that his selective release of financial disclosures, changing campaign rhetoric or PAC spending were attempts to mislead voters. 

“Three weeks out, Maine Democrats called a press conference to talk about anything except what Mainers are actually living with: higher energy bills, higher property taxes, and a cost of living that has gotten worse every year of the last eight,” Charles said. 

During the Republican primary, Charles rose to the top of a crowded field with a social media strategy akin to Trump’s, that consisted of AI-generated memes and inflammatory statements about his challengers and immigrants.

He also released plans to “stop Islamification of Maine,” circulated a petition for the state to have its own detention facility to hold “violent illegal alien criminals” and openly opposed several of the state’s policies that protect against discrimination on the basis of gender identity. As of May, his website also listed coalitions that voters could join including “MAGA for Bobby Charles” and “conservatives for Bobby Charles.” 

In his general election campaign, Charles has portrayed himself as more moderate, often describing himself as an “independent-minded” candidate. 

At a Sept. 23 town hall with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, an outspoken Trump critic, Charles said he disagreed with Trump’s Canadian tariffs and some environmental policies. He has also softened his stance on immigration in recent months, saying publicly that he supports legal immigration and believes in some checks and balances on federal immigration enforcement including body cameras. 

His website underwent a similar shift.

“I have no qualms with folks changing their opinions on things, that’s a respectable thing to do,” Shah said Tuesday. “But when that is done, he should be clear about it.”

Shah suggested that Charles is changing his tone for “political expediency…in an attempt to soften his image, and make a play for moderate voters.”

Charles’ campaign manager Dale Crafts Jr. acknowledged the change, but disputed that it is meant to mislead voters. 

 “Bobby Charles agrees with the President when it’s good for Maine and disagrees when it isn’t, and that would be true no matter who was in the White House,” Crafts said.

“That’s not a change in the campaign, that’s what independence looks like,” he added.

PAC spending and financial disclosures 

Last week, the Maine Democratic Party pointed to campaign finance disclosures showing spending in favor of Bennett by the national group registered in support of Charles. The top funder for No Nonsense PAC is Thomas Klingenstein, a hedge fund manager and prominent Republican donor.

The spending was mostly for ads that ran in October, urging progressives to vote for Bennett, touting his record supporting LGBTQ+ rights and protections for gender identity in the Maine Human Rights Act and his healthcare policies. 

Jordan Wood, a former candidate for U.S. Representative who previously worked in Washington, D.C. advocating for campaign finance reform, said the ads make a “deceptive case … intentionally trying to mislead voters.”

Most polling shows Bennett has between 8% and 11% support. Though he recently stepped away from the Republican Party, he aligns much more closely with Pingree than Charles on most issues, although the Democratic nominee’s policy proposals are more progressive. 

“This is an attempt to boost Bennett, a spoiler in the race to confuse voters and help Charles get ahead without having to make a convincing case for himself,” Wood said. 

Bennett’s campaign did not respond to questions about the ads.

The Maine Democratic Party also criticized Charles for not providing his financial disclosures to nonprofit outlet The Maine Monitor. However, days earlier, he released some information to WMTW after months of urging from the Maine Democratic Party.

It showed that in 2025 he made just over $164,000 in taxable income from his consulting and lobbying firm, The Charles Group LLC.

“Bobby Charles shared his personal financial information with the press, including exactly what he earned last year,” Crafts said Tuesday.