Maine Governor Race Entangled in Past Political Scandals
The campaign for Maine’s gubernatorial seat is being overshadowed by historical controversies involving prominent Republican figures, specifically Dennis Hastert and Mark Foley. These past events have resurfaced, casting a shadow over the candidacy of Bobby Charles, a Republican contender.
An op-ed published by the Portland Press Herald on September 9 has intensified the situation. Anita, Bobby Charles’ sister, criticized her brother for his past association with Hastert and endorsed his Democratic rival, Hannah Pingree.
In the op-ed, Anita highlighted her brother’s relationship with Hastert during the late 1990s, stating, “Bobby was a close friend and colleague of former House Speaker Dennis Hastert from 1995 to 1999.” She pointed out that Hastert later confessed to sexually abusing minors and was convicted for illegally paying hush money. Anita expressed disapproval that her brother never publicly distanced himself from Hastert.
Further revelations have surfaced about Charles defending Hastert’s management of the Mark Foley scandal. Foley resigned from Congress in 2006 after it was discovered he had sent explicit emails to underage male pages, a scandal that rocked the political landscape.
Charles, Hastert, and Foley’s professional paths intersected during their political careers. Charles worked as a congressional staffer while Hastert held significant leadership roles. Charles later served as Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, during Hastert’s tenure as Speaker. Foley joined Congress in 1994.
After Foley’s resignation, the House Ethics Committee investigated the Republican leadership’s handling of the situation. The investigation found that Hastert’s office was aware of the allegations but failed to take action. Hastert denied any misconduct. Ohio Rep. John Boehner informed the Washington Post that he had reported Foley’s actions to Hastert, who assured him of addressing it, though nothing was done until the media exposed the scandal.
As pressure mounted on Hastert to resign, Charles authored an op-ed for the Washington Times defending him, citing Hastert’s contributions to education and drug prevention. “His wife is a teacher, his brother is a teacher and he has devoted more time to saving kids and families from the scourge of illegal drugs than any member of Congress,” Charles wrote, also referencing Hastert’s past as a teacher and coach.
In a press conference following his sister’s op-ed, Charles emotionally denied any knowledge of Hastert’s misconduct, condemning child sex offenders, “I think it’s monstrous, and I think people against whom these charges are proven need to go to prison and stay there forever.” A spokesperson for Charles echoed these sentiments but did not address the Foley scandal or the Washington Times op-ed.
“Bobby has previously said publicly that he was never aware of any wrongdoing regarding Hastert and he stands by what he’s said that his conduct was monstrous,” stated campaign manager Dale Crafts, Jr.
There is no evidence of any connection between Charles and Hastert after 2014, with Hastert’s misconduct revealing itself in 2015. According to a recent YouGov poll, Pingree is leading Charles by 11 percentage points.
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