Maine Policy Institute

Maine Policy Institute MPI is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works to expand individual liberty in Maine. Dedicated to a rebirth of prosperity and growth in Maine.

"At a time when confidence in elections is already fragile, Maine should be working to make the process simpler and more...
06/11/2026

"At a time when confidence in elections is already fragile, Maine should be working to make the process simpler and more transparent, not more complicated . . . Elections should produce clear and timely results that voters can understand. Ranked-choice voting does the opposite."

Read the full analysis by MPI Policy Analyst Montana Towers here:
https://mainepolicy.org/maines-2026-primary-shows-why-rcv-should-be-repealed/

From The Maine Wire: "Maine’s 2026 primary elections delivered decisive victories in some races while triggering the sta...
06/10/2026

From The Maine Wire: "Maine’s 2026 primary elections delivered decisive victories in some races while triggering the state’s ranked-choice voting system in several of the night’s most competitive contests, setting the stage for days of additional ballot tabulations before final nominees are officially declared."

Full story in the comments. Follow The Maine Wire on Facebook, Instagram, and X for updates.

🔥 NEW: On this episode of the Pine Tree Pulse Podcast, we talk about the "Graham Platner Experience" continuing to go so...
06/08/2026

🔥 NEW: On this episode of the Pine Tree Pulse Podcast, we talk about the "Graham Platner Experience" continuing to go south in the wake of several new, and incredibly disturbing revelations. Those include a sexting scandal, as well as accusations of abusive behavior toward former romantic partners.

For months, it has seemed like scandal has done nothing to rub the shine off his campaign, but this time does seem different. His polling numbers are finally moving downward, and Janet Mills is politely reminding everyone in Maine that she has remained a candidate on the ballot. Will Platner survive all this? We discuss.

We also talk about the upcoming primaries on Tuesday, ranked choice voting, what we think the calculus will be on election day, and try to make heads or tails out of both gubernatorial fields.

Listen to the newest episode on Substack and Spotify, and subscribe to the Pine Tree Pulse Podcast:

SUBSTACK
https://mainepolicy.substack.com/p/the-platner-implosion-and-primary

SPOTIFY:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5qI7i1HfRmYDn8iKtwoqeA?si=667978e0f33548c5
—

06/08/2026

"I don't have a fancy title. The reality is, I know business, I know finances . . . I know small government, and I know the direction we're going is the wrong direction."
—
Robert Wessels for Maine Governor is a 2026 Maine Republican gubernatorial candidate and self-described political outsider.

Over the years Robert has worked as retail leadership, and in 2012, he was elected to the Town of Paris’ select board. This year he became the first Republican candidate to file a ballot petition for the 2026 Maine governor’s race.

In our interview with Robert, we discuss what led to his decision to run for governor, as well as his stance on a host of different issues.

Watch or listen to our interview with Robert on the Pine Tree Pulse Podcast on Substack or Spotify.

SUBSTACK:
https://mainepolicy.substack.com/p/the-candidate-robert-wessels

SPOTIFY:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1J4MejwjRc9ZOLRJPUSiiV?si=7c18a46154124ef1

Watch our 2026 Republican Gubernatorial Debate with all eight Republican candidates: https://youtu.be/P5vXz5P0vFY?si=MoHi2BPzHwEa1yX1
—

Steve Robinson: "Ten years of progressive experimentation has now proven beyond serious dispute: the progressive program...
06/08/2026

Steve Robinson: "Ten years of progressive experimentation has now proven beyond serious dispute: the progressive program has made life in Maine worse. Not marginally worse. Worse in every single way that social science, economics, and political science can measure. Everything is worse and nothing is better after voters handed progressives carte blanche over the levers of political power.

Things are worse on the metrics that decide whether a 28-year-old electrician stays in Lewiston or leaves for New Hampshire — energy costs, housing costs, the tax burden, the sense that the government in Augusta works for someone other than you, unfettered organized crime, extremists injecting politics into schools while children can’t read. We did the experiment. We have the results. The results are bad. Now is the time for us to make political decisions based on evidence and prudence, not emotion and virtue signaling."

Read the full article at The Robinson Report by The Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief here:
https://open.substack.com/pub/robinsonreport/p/my-endorsement-in-the-governors-race?r=6ycca3&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Photo: Garrick Hoffman Photography

The June primaries are just days away, and this weekend is the perfect time to brush up on the Republican candidates wit...
06/05/2026

The June primaries are just days away, and this weekend is the perfect time to brush up on the Republican candidates with our gubernatorial debate and candidate interviews before voting on Tuesday (if you haven't already).

To learn more about each candidate, watch our 2026 Maine Republican gubernatorial debate hosted by Steve Robinson of The Maine Wire here:
https://youtu.be/P5vXz5P0vFY?si=9G9i055FStK9IQhg

You can also watch our candidate interviews here:
https://mainepolicy.substack.com/t/2026-gubernatorial-interviews
—

06/05/2026

"I have built a billion-dollar company from scratch and created 15,000 jobs. Very few people will ever have that experience..."
—
Ben Midgley for Governor is a 2026 Maine Republican gubernatorial candidate and an entrepreneur with a successful career in the fitness industry. He got his start by cleaning gym equipment in exchange for a membership, which quickly spun off into doing, in his words, “virtually every job you could do” in fitness.

Eventually he rose to become an executive, serving as the president of Planet Fitness. Most recently, Ben was a Founding Partner and former CEO of Crunch Franchising, a company he steered for 15 years from a startup into a billion-dollar business.

We discussed his journey, and what made him decide to run for governor. We also discuss Maine’s economy, property taxes, housing, education and other major issues facing the state into the future.

Watch the full interview, including interviews with other candidates, on our Substack and Spotify pages.

SUBSTACK: https://mainepolicy.substack.com/p/the-candidate-ben-midgley

SPOTIFY:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2U4LL5NFWQcXXSEzAgNX6k?si=1dc40321bd234d65

Listen to Ben's "Final Pitch" on WGAN Morning News:
https://wgan.com/morning-news/final-pitch-ben-midgley/

Watch our 2026 Republican Gubernatorial Debate with all eight Republican candidates: https://youtu.be/P5vXz5P0vFY?si=MoHi2BPzHwEa1yX1
—

06/05/2026

"I'm going to live by the policies that I myself implement here in the state, and I think we need a governor who has stake in the game for the future."
—
Garrett Mason is a 2026 Maine Republican gubernatorial candidate, businessman, and former Maine State Senator.

In 2010, at just 25 years old, Garrett ran for the Maine State Senate and defeated an 18-year incumbent by 11% of the vote. He served eight years representing Androscoggin and Kennebec Counties and was twice elected by his Republican colleagues to serve as Senate Majority Leader, becoming the youngest Majority Leader in Maine history at age 29.

After leaving the Legislature, Garrett built and grew businesses in public affairs, crisis management, and real estate.

Earlier this year we sat down with Garrett to discuss his campaign, his background, and his candidacy. Watch the full interview, including interviews with other candidates, on our Substack and Spotify pages.

SUBSTACK: https://mainepolicy.substack.com/p/the-candidate-garrett-mason

SPOTIFY:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6UObMCONcaD9nFI6KeBpME?si=5a25917537ef4af9

Listen to Garrett's "Final Pitch" on WGAN Morning News: https://wgan.com/morning-news/final-pitch-garrett-mason/

Watch our 2026 Republican Gubernatorial Debate with all eight candidates: https://youtu.be/P5vXz5P0vFY?si=MoHi2BPzHwEa1yX1
—

06/04/2026

"I'm not one to sit there and say 'David Jones knows it all,' but David Jones listens, and David Jones continually learns."
—
David Jones for Governor, a well-known real estate broker and businessman, is a 2026 Maine Republican gubernatorial candidate.

David sat down for an interview with Maine Policy Institute to talk about his unique story, and why he thinks he is the best candidate for governor in 2026. Our conversation covers a lot of ground, including his personal history, his thoughts on the last seven years of the Mills administration, and what he thinks is necessary to create a prosperous Maine.

Watch the full interview, including interviews with other candidates, on our Substack and Spotify pages.

SUBSTACK:
https://mainepolicy.substack.com/p/the-candidate-david-jones

SPOTIFY:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Qk2z7Fyke7Ficth6e7pBL?si=a7618a89224d49c3

Listen to Jones' "Final Pitch" on WGAN https://wgan.com/morning-news/final-pitch-david-jones/

Watch our 2026 Republican Gubernatorial Debate with all eight candidates: https://youtu.be/P5vXz5P0vFY?si=MoHi2BPzHwEa1yX1
—

06/04/2026

"I have built my life making systems work at scale."
—
Jonathan Bush for Maine is a 2026 Republican gubernatorial candidate. He is also a technology entrepreneur, best known as the cofounder and former chief executive officer of athenahealth, a healthcare technology company he founded in 1997. Here, Bush provides his closing remarks at our Gubernatorial Debate in March.

Earlier this year, Bush sat down with Maine Policy to discuss his personal history, including his business ventures, service in the military, personal challenges, and his reasons for jumping in the governor’s race. We also talk about the state’s spending addiction, the broken healthcare market, explosive housing costs, energy and our failing education system.

The June 9 primary is next week. Watch or listen to the full interview with Bush, as well as all other Republican candidates, on our Substack and Spotify pages.

SUBSTACK: https://mainepolicy.substack.com/p/the-candidate-jonathan-bush

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0qwJnR4uFN2szKOkbV4udr?si=da4ccb1e73ee4dc5

Listen to Bush's "Final Pitch" on WGAN Morning News: https://wgan.com/morning-news/final-pitch-jonathan-bush/

Watch our 2026 Republican Gubernatorial Debate with all eight candidates: https://youtu.be/P5vXz5P0vFY?si=MoHi2BPzHwEa1yX1

Address

Post Office Box 7829
Portland, ME
04112

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Maine Policy Institute posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category