Data Center Record.

Maine Governor 2026: where the candidates stand on data centers

3 candidates on the November 3, 2026 ballot, from the Maine Secretary of State's list (opens in a new tab). The officeholder comes first, then the Republican and Democratic nominees together by last name, then everyone else by last name; in each group a candidate with a statement or vote on the record comes first (how the order works). Each has the same space. The list: 2026 General Election Candidates List (FINAL), Maine Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions (Spreadsheet titled FINAL, last modified September 9, 2026 (file metadata); linked from maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/upcoming. Withdrawals and replacements listing as of September 22, 2026; declared write in list dated 8/25/26).

Checked · How the record reads leaders · Report a change · Corrections

The candidates

  1. Hannah M. Pingree

    Democratic

    Hannah Pingree stated in the second gubernatorial debate that she supports the temporary moratorium on data centers passed by the Maine Legislature.

    Their newest statement on the record, October 8, 2026, Maine Morning Star (opens in a new tab).

    What they said

    3 statements on the record

    What they did

    No vote on a data center measure on the record.

    3 statements · 0 votes on the record

    Hannah M. Pingree's page · In their own words

  2. Robert B. Charles

    Republican

    No sourced statement on the record as of October 20, 2026. No vote on a data center measure either. Silence is not a position.

    0 statements · 0 votes on the record

    Robert B. Charles's page · In their own words

  3. Rick Bennett

    Independent

    No sourced statement on the record as of October 20, 2026. No vote on a data center measure either. Silence is not a position.

    0 statements · 0 votes on the record

    Rick Bennett's page · In their own words

Certified write in candidates 2

These candidates are not printed on the November 3 ballot. A voter writes in the name, and the votes count because an official election list certifies the candidacy: the state's own, or a county election board's where the state publishes none. Each line names the list that certifies it; what each has said about data centers stays on their own page.

Labels are applied by the record's published rules: two readings of each statement, and a third that reads its source where the two differ. Every label sits beside its statement and its source, and any label can be challenged through Report a change, with the correction logged on the corrections page.

In their own words

Where does Hannah M. Pingree stand on data centers?

Hannah M. Pingree has 3 statements on data centers on the record.

Statements 3 statements
  1. · paraphrased

    Hannah Pingree stated in the second gubernatorial debate that she supports the temporary moratorium on data centers passed by the Maine Legislature.

    Maine second gubernatorial debate · Maine Morning Star (opens in a new tab) · Full quote, context and sources

  2. · quoted

    I’m calling for a moratorium on AI data center construction in Maine until we have strong protections and guardrails in place.

    Campaign statement · The Maine Wire (opens in a new tab) · Full quote, context and sources

  3. · quoted

    We’ve seen what’s happened in Virginia and Texas, where people are paying way more for electricity because of AI data centers.

    Candidate survey · Portland Press Herald (opens in a new tab) · Full quote, context and sources

Votes 0 votes

No vote on a data center measure on the record.

Where does Robert B. Charles stand on data centers?

No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Robert B. Charles.

Statements 0 statements

No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Robert B. Charles.

Votes 0 votes

No vote on a data center measure on the record.

Where does Rick Bennett stand on data centers?

No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Rick Bennett.

Statements 0 statements

No public statement on data centers is on the record yet for Rick Bennett.

Votes 0 votes

No vote on a data center measure on the record.

Candidates and their order come from the Maine Secretary of State's list (opens in a new tab), verified October 9, 2026. Every candidate, by state · How the record reads leaders.

Are you a candidate in this race or on the campaign? Ask for a correction or send a statement, or email corrections@datacenterrecord.org.

Every race in Maine, and where each candidate stands

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