Maine governor candidates make final Brunswick push before primary

Brunswick gave Sagadahoc County voters a final look at the Democratic governor’s race as the campaign sprinted toward the June 9 primary and the November 3 general election. At the Maine Gun Safety Coalition’s annual EverOrange, or Wear Orange, rally, Troy Jackson, Shenna Bellows and Nirav Shah spoke in a town that has become a regular civic crossroads for Midcoast politics.

Gov. Janet Mills is term-limited and cannot seek a third consecutive term, leaving Maine with an open governor’s seat under the state’s two-term limit. The Democratic field also includes Angus King III and Hannah Pingree, who appeared at a related rally in Portland. Jackson, Bellows and Pingree also formed a ranked-choice alliance before the primary, saying they would rank one another first.

For voters trying to sort out what would change in Brunswick, Bath and the rest of Sagadahoc County, the clearest divide in Brunswick was not on personalities but on governing priorities. Jackson leaned hardest into change, working-class people and health care, arguing that Maine needs new ideas and that the status quo has held the state back. Bellows centered her message on standing up to Donald Trump, protecting democracy and making life more affordable. Shah struck a different tone, saying the state can improve if people work together around shared priorities.

None of the Brunswick remarks delivered a detailed blueprint for Bath Iron Works jobs or school funding, but the stage did show where each candidate wanted to be heard. Jackson’s worker-first message was the most direct appeal to voters who see wages, health care access and labor strength as tied together. Bellows put affordability at the center of her pitch. Shah offered the least confrontational case, one built around cooperation rather than confrontation.

The rally itself underscored why gun policy remains part of the statewide conversation. It honored survivors and family members affected by gun violence, and organizers said free handgun lock boxes and gun-safety materials were available. The event was co-hosted with the Maine Pediatricians Association, Maine Providers for Gun Safety, Brunswick Area Indivisible, Harpswell Indivisible and Moms Demand Action.

The political urgency is sharpened by Maine’s recent gun-safety law changes. After voters approved Question 2 in 2024, the state’s Extreme Risk Protection Order system went into effect. At the same time, the Maine CDC reported 171 firearm deaths in 2024, down from 195 in 2023, but advocates say the long-term trend remains alarming and that most firearm deaths in Maine are suicides.

That left Brunswick as more than a campaign stop. It was one of the last places where the Democratic candidates could connect a statewide race to the public-safety, affordability and health care concerns that will shape how Sagadahoc County votes in an open governor’s race without an incumbent on the ballot.