Augusta, Maine — Yesterday, the Maine Democratic Party called on former Maine GOP Chairman Rick Bennett to denounce the super PAC supporting his candidacy that is bankrolled by Paul LePage donors.

Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson and former state legislator Rebecca Millet spoke to Bennett’s long Republican track record, directly connecting the dots between Bennett’s past and his current Republican-backed super PAC.  

WATCH:

News Center Maine: Maine Democratic Party scrutinizes Independent Rick Bennett for Republican past and supporters
By Christian Harsa

• The party is calling on Bennett to denounce a super PAC backing him that has donors overlapping with the Maine Republican Party and former Gov. Paul LePage.

• The Maine Dems are calling on Bennett to reject a super PAC that is backing his push for the Blaine House due to ties donors have with the Maine Republican Party and Gov. Paul LePage.

• The super PAC is Maine Wins Together, which identifies as “an independent political committee supporting Rick Bennett’s 2026 campaign for governor of Maine” on its website.

• According to campaign reports, from December to March, Maine Wins Together received $100,000 from three donors: businessman and Boothbay area philanthropist Paul Coulombe and Gray and Sandra Bahre, of the family that developed the Oxford Speedway.

• Coulombe, according to the American Journal, donated $160,000 to the Maine Republican Party in 2014 and the Bahres donated $15,000 more recently.

• Maine Dems Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson cited these donations as why she believes Bennett is a Republican in Independent clothing.

• “It is not surprising that these Republican donors are backing Bennett given his long history with Paul LePage and the fact that Bennett himself has been a Republican for more than 40 years,” she said. “They know Rick Bennett’s record. They know he’d govern like a Republican.”

• Bennett has not shied away from his long career as a Republican. Bennett served in the State House in the 90s and early 2000s, taking a hiatus as a consultant before returning to the Maine Senate in 2020 as a Republican.  

• During that break, he also served as the state party chair but in June 2025, Bennett left the party after saying he no longer aligned with it.

• “Whether I served with him or watched his work from outside the legislature, one thing has always been consistent. Rick Bennett has championed Republican priorities,” Millet said, listing that Bennett was opposed to expanding MaineCare, inconsistent support of reproductive rights and support of right-to-work laws. “His legislative record matters. Voters look at it, donors look at it,” she added.

Spectrum: Maine Democrats call on Bennett to denounce GOP funds, he calls it a distraction
By Susan Cover

• Maine Democrats on Thursday called on independent gubernatorial candidate Rick Bennett to denounce money from Republicans who support his candidacy.

• Bennett, a state Senator, is a former Republican Party Chairman who dropped his party affiliation last year when he launched his campaign for governor.

• “Rick Bennett may be calling himself an independent, but you cannot erase decades of Republican politics with a rebrand,” said Devon Murphy-Anderson, executive director of the Maine Democratic Party. “His record is Republican. His donors are Republicans.”

• Specifically, Democrats say a political action committee called Maine Wins Together, which is supporting Bennett, recently received $100,000 from donors who have also given to former Republican Gov. Paul LePage, who is now running for the 2nd Congressional District.

• The debate over campaign funds comes as new polling shows Pingree with a significant lead over Charles and Bennett.

• According to the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, Pingree leads the pack at 49%, followed by Charles at 35% and Bennett at 6%.

• When it comes to funds raised by the candidates themselves — which is different from money raised by groups supporting them — Pingree also holds a big advantage.

• Pingree raised just over $900,000 in the latest reporting period, compared to $217,507 by Charles and $114,638 by Bennett, according to the Maine Ethics Commission.

• “Hannah Pingree is running a formidable campaign, which is exactly what we expect from somebody with her experience,” Murphy-Anderson said. “We feel confident in the polling numbers and the fundraising numbers that back that up.”