Maine
Angus King III, son of U.S. senator, announces campaign for Maine governor
Robert West, right, of the Ocean Energy Institute of Rockland, speaks with former Angus King, center, and his son, Angus King III in February 2010. Jill Brady/Portland Press Herald
Angus King III, a businessman, renewable energy leader and the son of U.S. Sen. Angus King Jr., announced Tuesday that he is running for governor of Maine.
King, a Portland Democrat, joins what is likely to be a crowded field of candidates seeking to replace Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who will be prevented from running in 2026 because of term limits.
Fellow Democrat Secretary of State Shenna Bellows has also announced a run for governor, and former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, also a Democrat, announced in March that he was forming a committee to explore a run for governor.
In all, seven candidates have so far filed campaign finance paperwork with the state for the governor’s race.
“I’ve spent my life building and making things that really help people,” Angus King III said in a written statement. “Now, I’m running for governor to build a better Maine – where it’s easier to start and grow a small business, where we can build our economy through innovation and hard work, and where it’s not so hard to afford the basic things you need to live and raise a family in the state we all love.”
King is the founder and former president of Peaks Renewables, a renewable energy development company that recently spearheaded a project to develop an anaerobic digester to produce natural gas from cow manure in the town of Clinton.
His father, U.S. Sen. Angus King, is an independent who was governor from 1995 to 2003 and who has served as Maine’s junior U.S. senator since 2013.
Sen. Angus King described his son as “hard-working, smart, engaged, and caring” in a written statement.
Senator Angus King’s son, Angus King III, left, and his wife, Mary Herman, center, stopped by King’s Portland campaign office with him last fall. Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald
“He’s a builder and an optimist who knows Maine and doesn’t quit until the job is done,” Sen. King said. “He’s been building things to take care of people and make the world a better place throughout his life, and I think his combination of smarts, experience, and character will make him an excellent governor of Maine.”
Other Democratic contenders whose names have been floated as potential candidates for governor include U.S. Rep. Jared Golden and Hannah Pingree, the director of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, a former Maine House speaker and the daughter of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree.
A spokesperson for Golden said Monday that the fourth-term congressman is focused on his work and “the next election is the furthest thing from his mind.”
Speculation about possible Republican candidates has included former U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart, Rep. Laurel Libby and Jonathan Bush, a cousin of George W. Bush who lives in Cape Elizabeth.
State Sen. Rick Bennett and former Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason, now a lobbyist, have also been mentioned as possible candidates.
Signatures to qualify for the ballot are due to the Maine Department of the Secretary of State by March 16, 2026, and primary elections are scheduled for June 9, 2026.
This story will be updated.
The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition says over the past two weeks its immigrant defense hotline has seen an uptick in reported ICE detentions.
They say this corresponds with a national shift in ICE activity, including bids for local businesses to cooperate with ICE.
In Maine, the arrests follow a broader trend of targeting Black and brown immigrants, including people navigating immigration proceedings.
The coalition, which represents more than 100 organizations, says it’s ready to protect civil and human rights and is urging immigrants to prepare themselves and their families.
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They suggest having the defense hotline ready in case you witness ICE activity, making sure you have important personal documents in case of detention, and reviewing rights around judicial warrants in private spaces, like your home or workplace.
It wouldn’t be Mother’s Day without a stop at the florist.
According to Fox Business, about 154 million flowers are sold during the week of Mother’s Day. So it’s safe to say it was a busy day for stores like Estabrook’s Maine Garden Center and Nursery.
Plenty of families stopped by to pick out flowers on Sunday, looking to choose the perfect bouquet for their moms.
“I think Mother’s Day is tradition, you know, and so it’s great to see families here. We have a lot of new families that have come today for the first time with their young children and their mother. Watching the young kids and seeing how excited they are—their eyes light up at all the beautiful flowers,” Tom Estabrook, president of Estabrook’s, said.
Estabrook says Mother’s Day tends to be a great kickoff to the spring season.
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