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Hannah Pingree Outlines Priorities in Gubernatorial Campaign
The article covers Hannah Pingree’s gubernatorial campaign priorities in Maine, emphasizing her belief that Mainers value community and neighborly care.
Updated Oct 16, 2026, 2:34 PM ET
Robert "Bobby" Charles, a lawyer who was U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs from 2003 to 2005, is Maine's 2026 Republican nominee for governor.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Robert Charles.
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Live News
Recent media coverage for Robert Charles.
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Key takeaways from Maine's fourth and final gubernatorial debate
The three candidates running to be the next governor of Maine: Democrat Hannah Pingree, Republican Bobby Charles, and independent Rick Bennett: met for the fourth and final time on the debate stage Thursday evening.
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Why Hannah Pingree is the leader Maine needs
The article is an endorsement piece by a Maine Democratic Party leader praising Hannah Pingree as the suitable governor for Maine.
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Pingree Leads Fundraising With $4.2 Million After Final Debate
Robert (Bobby) Charles is the Republican candidate for Maine governor in the referenced race.
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Republican Bobby Charles casts early vote in Maine gubernatorial race
Republican Bobby Charles (Robert Charles) cast his ballot early in Leeds, Maine, encouraging others to vote early and expressing confidence in his chances less than three weeks before Election Day.
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Fact checking Maine gubernatorial debate
Immigration at polls: Pingree claimed Charles invited ICE to polling sites. Charles denied inviting ICE and said the audio recording cited by supporters was a misrepresentation.
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Maine governor candidate profile: Bobby Charles
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Maine governor debate between Bennett, Charles, Pingree on WMTW
With less than three weeks to go until Election Day, the three chief candidates for Maine governor will face off in an hourlong debate hosted by Maine's Total Coverage on Thursday.
WMTW
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How candidates for Maine governor want to turn around education
" property="og:image:url"> How candidates for Maine governor want to turn around education | PenBay Pilot
No story this week names this candidate.
- Born
- August 23, 1960
- Education
- Dartmouth College (Bachelor of Arts)
New College, Oxford (Master of Arts, philosophy, politics and economics)
Columbia Law School (Juris Doctor)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Robert Bruce Charles, known as Bobby Charles, was born on August 23, 1960, and grew up in Wayne, a small town in Maine; his mother, Doris Anne, worked as a teacher. He graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts in 1982, studied at New College, Oxford, as a Keasbey Scholar, earning a Master of Arts in philosophy, politics and economics in 1984, and completed a Juris Doctor at Columbia Law School in 1987. In 1988 he married Marina Timasheff.
Career
Charles, a lawyer, held the post of Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs between 2003 and 2005. During that period the bureau's work included counter-narcotics programs and the building of police forces in Afghanistan. He founded The Charles Group, a Washington, D.C., consulting company.
2026 race
Democratic Governor Janet Mills is term-limited, which leaves the office open in 2026. Charles declared his candidacy in early April 2025 and won a nonbinding straw poll of delegates to the Maine Republican Convention, announced on April 25, 2026.
In the ranked-choice Republican primary on June 9, 2026, he led the first count with 37.7% of the vote, ahead of Ben Midgley (20.1%) and Jonathan Bush (19.8%), and was declared the winner after seven rounds of tabulation.
During the primary he opposed ranked-choice voting and urged supporters to rank him alone. In the November 3, 2026, general election, which uses plurality voting, he faces Democrat Hannah Pingree and independent Rick Bennett.