Former President George W. Bush and his family want back in at the top of the Republican Party.
Jonathan Bush, nephew of former President George H.W. Bush and cousin of Dubya, has entered the 2026 race for Maine governor.
It’s an ambitious return of the Bush family after recent setbacks for the political dynasty. Since the 2016 election, President Donald Trump and the “Make America Great Again” movement as shifted power dramatically from the Bush’s neocon wing of the Republican Party to the “America First” wing.
Jonathan Bush, a 56-year-old healthcare technology entrepreneur, formally launched his campaign on October 9 and told supporters he would declare an “economic growth emergency” on his first day in office.
“Maine is going to be the easiest place in America to start a company,” Bush said. “Whether you are a mom wanting to start your own business at home or whether you are a giant company trying to decide where to build your drone ship, every single employee of the state of Maine’s government will believe it their job to help you succeed.”
Bush said he brought 1,000 jobs to the state after he moved his healthcare company to Belfast in 2007. He described himself as a “disruptor, a job creator and a fanatic Maine optimist.”
In recent years, there has been significant political losses for the Bush family. George P. Bush, the nephew of George W. Bush and son of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, lost the Texas Attorney General race in 2022.
Bush’s gubernatorial bid also follows the failed 2016 presidential campaign of his cousin Jeb Bush, who was easily defeated in the Republican primary by Trump. Trump regularly mocked the Bush family during the campaign as out of touch with the Republican base.
“I’m running for governor to slam the brakes on the defeatist notion that somehow Maine can’t do better,” Bush said in his announcement. “I’m a disruptor, a job creator and a fanatic Maine optimist and when I’m governor this age of pessimism will end.”
When asked about Trump, Bush said he has had some “colorful comments” about the president but acknowledged changes Trump has brought.
“But at the same time, there are changes to our society that were needed and that I cannot say I would have imagined a mainstream politician accomplishing,” he said.
Maine Democratic Party Chairman Charlie Dingman issued a statement calling Bush “out of step with Maine people.”
“We don’t need a governor who thinks that taking care of business is more important than taking care of families or making sure that the economy and the government both treat ordinary people fairly and protect their dignity and freedom,” Dingman said.
Bush joins a crowded Republican primary that includes state Sen. Jim Libby, lawyer Bobby Charles, entrepreneur Owen McCarthy, and real estate executive David Jones. The Republican primary will be held in June 2026.