Former President George W. Bush and his brother, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, held a fundraiser in Kennebunkport for Jonathan Bush, their cousin who is exploring a run for Maine governor in 2026, the Bangor Daily News reports.

Angus King III, the son of Sen. Angus King (I-ME), told Semafor that he’s running to succeed term-limited Gov. Janet Mills (D) in 2026.

“Unlike his independent father, King is running for the Democratic nomination — joining what should be a competitive primary in a state where Republicans (except Susan Collins) have struggled to win key races over the past eight years.”

A new Pan Atlantic poll in Maine finds Gov. Janet Mills (D) comfortably ahead of challenger Paul LePage (R), 49% to 39%.

Associated Press: “Now, as LePage is running for a third term after a brief retirement to Florida, he rarely talks about Trump in public, and his advisers say LePage’s hiatus from politics changed him. He’s eager to show he’s smoothed over some of his own rough edges, though flashes of his fiery personality broke through recently at an event at a riverfront boatyard in Yarmouth, where he pledged to take on Democratic ‘elitists.’”

As he makes a comeback bid, former Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) is pushing “to phase out Maine’s income tax. He argues that the change is needed to keep wealthy residents from moving to Florida for just long enough each year to take advantage of the Sunshine State’s tax breaks,” the New York Times reports.

But LePage, who has owned property in Florida for years, has “benefited from that state’s tax laws while living in the Maine governor’s mansion, and again as he campaigns to return to the job.”

A new Emerson College poll in Maine finds Gov. Janet Mills (D) with a 12-point lead in her re-election campaign against former Gov. Paul LePage (R), 53% to 41%.

Said pollster Spencer Kimball: “There is a significant gender divide in the gubernatorial election. Men break for LePage over Mills by two points, 48% to 46%, whereas women break for Mills by 20 points, 57% to 37%.”

Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R), who is seeking his hold job, threatened to “deck” a Maine Democratic Party staffer who was filming him, the Daily Beast reports.

Said LePage: “Six feet away, or I’m going to deck you. If you come into my space, you’re going down.”

Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) “often made headlines but not always for not the right reasons” during his eight years in office but told WCSH that the time away from office has changed him and that’s why he’s running for governor again.

Said LePage: “The big change in me has been the last four years watching what’s going on in the country. I am absolutely convinced that if we continue to hate each other, if we don’t find a path to at least like each other and respect each other, our country is in for doom. Our constitution will not survive. We need to find a path to have civil discourse so we can talk both sides of the argument.”

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) will endorse former Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) when he launches a campaign for his old job, the Portland Press Herald reports.

“To the delight of his loyal fans and dismay of his equally fierce critics, former two-term Republican Gov. Paul LePage will announce his bid to unseat Maine’s incumbent Gov. Janet Mills on Wednesday,” the Portland Press Herald reports.

A new SurveyUSA poll in Maine shows Gov. Janet Mills (D) leading former Gov. Paul LePage (R) in a possible 2022 race, 45% to 38%.

Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) told WGAN that’s he will run for governor again in 2022.

Said LePage: “If I’m breathing, I’m running.”

Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) told a conservative radio host that he will challenge incumbent Gov. Janet Mills (D) in 2022, the Portland Press Herald reports.

Said LePage: “Believe me, I will challenge her. Yes, I am going to challenge Janet Mills in 2022 because the state will be worse off than it was when I took over in 2010 and I do believe I have the skill set to fix it.”

Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R), “who is living in Florida, has appeared on several radio talk shows, speaking repeatedly about running against” current Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) “in four years if she does not keep government spending under control,” the Portland Press Herald reports.

“Maine Democrats have gained control of the state’s Legislature, growing their majority in the House of Representatives and recapturing a decisive majority in the state Senate,” the Portland Press Herald reports.

“The victories for Democrats Tuesday mark the first time in six years that one party has gained control of all three branches of state government, with the historic win by Janet Mills, who became the state’s first woman to be elected governor in a decisive victory over Republican businessman Shawn Moody.”