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Jonathan Bush, cousin of former President George W. Bush, is signaling a potential run for Maine governor, blasting what he calls the state’s “realized helplessness” and outlining a coverage imaginative and prescient to revive the “Maine Dream.”
Bush’s message, printed by means of his nonprofit, Maine for Retains, gives a preview of how he may body his pitch to voters.
The Bangor Day by day Information reported that former President Bush and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush lately attended a small fundraiser for Jonathan in Kennebunkport.
Newsweek additionally reported he has already launched an exploratory committee for governor along with launching Maine for Retains to advertise his concepts. These strikes could place him because the face of a possible Bush household revival in politics after George P. Bush’s defeat in Texas in 2022 was seen as a setback for the dynasty.
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Jonathan Bush, cousin of former President George W. Bush, pictured right here, could also be eyeing the Maine governor’s seat and persevering with the Bush household political dynasty. (AP Photograph/Seth Wenig, File)
As of this reporting, nonetheless, Bush doesn’t but seem among the many 18 gubernatorial candidates formally registered with Maine’s Ethics Fee.
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills is time period restricted, leaving an open 2026 gubernatorial seat in a state that leans left however prides itself on its unbiased streak. Mills was re-elected in 2022 by double digits over former Republican Gov. Paul LePage, displaying Democratic power within the Pine Tree State. The Cook dinner Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball at present charge the race as “Seemingly Democratic.”
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In his Maine for Retains blueprint, Bush roots his imaginative and prescient in household ties and a way of place.
“Maine is the very best place on earth to dwell and lift a household! My household has been in Maine because the Eighteen Nineties. My spouse Fay’s household has been right here because the 1700s,” he wrote.
However he warns the state authorities has didn’t foster alternative.
“As an alternative of making an atmosphere that fosters financial progress and independence, Maine state authorities has slipped right into a ‘realized helplessness,'” he stated.
He additionally factors to varsities and housing as areas of decline, writing, “Our faculties have dropped from among the many finest within the nation to the underside of the barrel. … We’re experiencing a housing disaster as a result of a spider net of growth restrictions has shut down new development for something however high-end properties.”
Jonathan Bush is the founding father of Athenahealth and the cousin of former President George W. Bush. He could run for governor of Maine in 2026. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe by way of Getty Photos)
Bush has additionally sought to tell apart himself with entrepreneurial credentials and plainspoken appeals to civic responsibility. In a current interview with journalist Polina Pompliano, he described an “unwritten Bush household rule”: “That you must earn either side of a paycheck earlier than you inform different individuals what to do with their tax {dollars}.”
Bush stated that philosophy led him to construct companies in Maine.
“I moved to Maine, which is a troublesome state to do enterprise in, and I’ve tried to assist out as a lot as I can in my neighborhood,” he stated.
His philosophy, he added, is that “we must always all be determining lean in, relatively than simply yell on the TV. The TV doesn’t care.”
Bush, 55, is finest generally known as a healthcare entrepreneur. He co-founded Athenahealth within the Nineties, increasing it into a significant medical software program firm earlier than stepping down in 2018 amid an activist investor battle. He later launched Zus Well being, a Boston-based startup centered on well being information interoperability.
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills is time period restricted in 2026, resulting in a crowded area of gubernatorial hopefuls. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Photos)
A number of outstanding Democrats are already exploring bids, together with Angus King III, Hannah Pingree, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and Senate President Troy Jackson. Republicans, in the meantime, face a fragmented area, with a number of candidates vying for consideration in a celebration divided between Trump-aligned populists and moderates, analysts instructed Newsweek.
One Gallup ballot from Jan. 21 exhibits each Bush’s potential and his hurdles.
Trump enjoys 93% favorability amongst Republicans, in comparison with 63% for Bush’s cousin, George W. Bush. Maine’s custom of electing moderates, as seen with Sen. Susan Collins’ repeated victories, may, nonetheless, play to his benefit.
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Jonathan Bush has not formally declared his candidacy however is predicted to decide within the coming months. Within the meantime, Maine for Retains is constant to launch coverage papers and podcast episodes.
A gubernatorial run would check what the Bush household title nonetheless means to voters within the Trump period.
The George W. Bush Presidential Heart, Former Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Susan Collins didn’t instantly reply to Fox Information Digital’s request for remark. Jonathan Bush’s nonprofit Maine for Retains couldn’t be reached for remark.
