Jonathan Bush, the cousin of former President George W. Bush, announced this week he is running for governor in Maine.

Newsweek reached out to Bush’s campaign for comment via email.

Why It Matters

Bush’s campaign will be a key test as to whether there is still room for a more traditional version of conservatism in the Republican party, which has become increasingly dominated by President Donald Trump’s style of politics. In 2022, George P. Bush’s defeat in the Texas attorney general GOP primary was viewed as the potential end of the decades-long political dynasty, but Jonathan Bush’s campaign could give the family an opportunity to reboot its influence over the GOP.

Maine is a Democratic-leaning state that backed former Vice President Kamala Harris by about seven percentage points last November. But it does have an independent streak and has been willing to support moderate Republicans like Senator Susan Collins in the past.

What To Know

Bush, the co-founder of Athenahealth, who has been speculated to be considering a campaign, officially jumped into the race on Wednesday—joining many other Republicans and Democrats hoping to succeed incumbent Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat who cannot run for reelection due to term limits.

“Maine is the greatest place on earth to live and raise a family, but for many Mainers, it’s gotten too hard to achieve the American dream here. We’re paying too much to Augusta and getting too little,” he said in a campaign launch video. “Maine needs big change. I’ve made my career disrupting the status quo, creating jobs and helping people achieve their American dream.”

Bush touted support for auditing the state government, lowering taxes, investing in trade schools, and erasing regulations as ways he would advance Maine’s economy.

Bush has cast himself as a disruptor and problem solver in a state where Republicans typically need to be moderate to win a majority of voters. President Trump will likely loom over the primary and general election—candidates like Bush may need to walk a fine line to win support from Trump-aligned conservatives without alienating moderates in the general election.

Bush is a nephew to former President George H.W. Bush, cousin to former President George W. Bush and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and grandson to former U.S. Senator Prescott Bush. He has ties to Maine, with the Walker’s Point Estate in Kennebunkport serving as a summer retreat.

Maine politics experts told Newsweek in August that there could be Republicans in Maine who support the idea of a more moderate candidate—and that there could be a path to victory for Bush.

“There are still Republicans in Maine who have fond memories of the Bush family, and some who support an idea of moderate, or at least non-Trumpish, conservatism who could well be open to such a candidate, and there are Republicans who hope to follow Trump’s political path. I don’t think it’s been established yet which faction is stronger,” Ronald Schmidt, professor of political science at the University of Southern Maine, told Newsweek at the time.

Bush won’t be the only candidate whose family has political ties. Both the son of Senator Angus King, Angus King III, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, and Representative Chellie Pingree, a Democrat, are already in the race on the Democratic side.

Several other notable candidates are also running, including Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson on the Democratic side. Republican candidates include Robert Charles, former U.S. assistant secretary of state, and State Senator James Libby.

Forecasters give Democrats an advantage in the race—the Cook Political Report classifies it as Likely Democratic, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball views it as Lean Democratic.

What People Are Saying

GOP candidate Robert Charles wrote on X: “Our state faces unparalleled chaos thanks to Augusta Democrats, and now has the chance to elect a conservative Governor who will cut crime, cut taxes and end Augusta Democrats’ nonsense. We cannot waste this once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix Maine on a divisive, Never-Trump elitist whose entire political identity is built on a hatred for the leader who delivered record jobs, border security, and American First policies.”

Jonathan Bush told WGAN on Friday: “I think Maine’s biggest problem is its economic growth crisis. That it’s just accepted it’s going to be a shrinking pie, and a shrinking pie is no way to live. We’re going to make more pie in Maine, and that’s what I’m going to do as governor.”

What Happens Next

Maine’s primary election is set for June 9, 2026, and the general election for November 3, 2026. Candidates like Bush will spend the coming months making their cases to voters about why they are the best candidate to lead the state of Maine.