Maine Ethics Commission Fines Bobby Charles Campaign About $22,000

The Maine Ethics Commission voted on the morning of October 26, 2026, to fine the campaign of gubernatorial candidate Bobby Charles about $22,000 for exceeding state limits on campaign contributions, WGME reported.

Maine caps contributions to candidates for governor at $2,075 per donor. The Charles campaign accepted roughly $45,000 above that limit, according to the report.

The complaint that led to the case was filed by the Maine Democratic Party. Katherine Knox, counsel for the party, described the conduct as "among the most serious of violations I have seen," saying such an outcome was simple to avoid.

An attorney for the Charles campaign did not dispute that the contributions were accepted but contended that all of the money had been returned and that the campaign's finance reports had been amended, WGME reported. The campaign issued a statement on the decision the same day.

This story was first reported by fox23maine.com.