Rick Bennett
Candidate, Governor (ME) · Independent · Maine
Rick Bennett is a former President of the Maine Senate running as an unenrolled (independent) candidate for Governor of Maine in 2026, campaigning on anti-corruption and reducing the influence of money in politics.
Profile last updated Sep 7, 2026 · Center Field Politics
Summary
Longtime Maine legislator and anti-corruption reformer mounting an independent, unenrolled bid for governor centered on reducing the influence of money in politics.
Recent Action
Launched an unenrolled (independent) campaign for the 2026 Maine governor’s race.
Where They Stand
Stances on the issues many voters care most about. Where a candidate has not given a clear answer we mark it "Mixed / Partial" or "Unclear" rather than guess. Positions are drawn from official records and bias-labeled news sources; they are descriptive only and are never scored.
Environment—Supports34
Climate protections and regulation versus fewer climate-related regulations on industry.
Has backed consumer-owned-utility and clean-energy efforts, campaigning on lowering energy costs for Maine ratepayers.
Healthcare—Unclear3
Expanding healthcare coverage for all versus expanding market-based, private insurance.
Campaign centers on political reform and cost of living; no detailed universal-coverage plan is stated in the reviewed sources.
Second Amendment—Unclear3
New firearm regulations versus no new firearm regulations.
No specific gun-legislation position is stated in the reviewed sources.
Immigration—Unclear3
Pathways to citizenship versus a closed-border approach.
No detailed immigration platform is documented in the reviewed sources.
Roe v. Wade—Unclear3
Protecting access to abortion versus restricting access to abortion.
No clear public position is documented in the reviewed sources.
National Security—Unclear4
Whether diplomacy or military strength should be the primary national-security priority.
As a state-level candidate, he has no significant documented position on U.S. military action against Iran.
Party Loyalty
Party independence is read from his roughly 18 years in the Maine Legislature (including as Senate President) and his current unenrolled candidacy, not a current party-line score: he built a reform record on campaign finance and elections with cross-partisan support. A precise unity/defection percentage is not compiled in this snapshot.
On the 2026 Ballot
Sources
- Rick Bennett for Maine — Official campaign site
- AP — State policy coverage
- Rick Bennett for Maine — Issues & priorities
- Portland Press Herald — Coverage of Bennett independent gubernatorial bid
- Maine GOP — Statement on Bennett independent candidacy
- Bangor Daily News — Analysis of the three-way governor race
- Maine State Legislature — Senate record, June 13, 2003 (Bennett motion to indefinitely postpone LD 1611)
- Los Angeles Times — Maine OKs nation’s first universal health plan
- Maine Legislature — LD 194 (foreign-government electioneering ban), text and status, 130th Legislature
- Maine Public — Mills vetoes bill barring foreign government-owned entities from electioneering
- Maine Morning Star — Maine votes to ban foreign spending in elections (Question 2)
- Maine Legislature — LD 498 (University of Maine System bond ceiling), 120th Legislature
- Wikipedia — Rick Bennett (Maine politician)