Former top State official Bobby Charles announces Maine governor bid, vows to end state income tax

Former top Bush administration official Bobby Charles on Monday announced his 2026 bid for Maine governor. 

Charles made the announcement on the John Solomon Reports podcast on which he also vowed as a top campaign promises to eliminate the state income tax and make the state more attractive to businesses. 

"My pledge is to try to eliminate the income tax in this state, and that will have a tremendous ripple effect," Charles said. "We will be like a magnet, like the other nine states that have no income tax. We will bring them back here, and our young people will be able to afford housing. We have an affordability crisis."

Charles also told host John Solomon that higher income and property taxes in Maine have also had negative effects on seniors living in the state. 

Charles' home state has the oldest median age in the U.S., and 23% of Maine adults are 65 or older, according to a 2024 report from the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services.  

"The seniors are on fixed incomes," Charles said. "They cannot afford the property taxes that are now first in the country, and the second or third overall burden, maybe fourth overall burden, they cannot afford it. 

"They're literally getting thrown. They're getting pitched out of their homes, and then they're closing down the residential senior facilities. So seniors need to be a priority."

Charles served as assistant secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) from 2003 to 2005.  He is the president and founder of The Charles Group LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based business consulting firm.