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Joe Bruno is a Maine businessman who served in the Maine House of Representatives from 1992-1994 and 1996-2004, including two terms as Republican leader of the Maine House. 

Maine is at a crossroads. Housing is out of reach for too many families, energy costs are skyrocketing and businesses are struggling with rising operating costs and finding the workers they need. About 40% of Maine households are struggling to afford the basics. Our schools have gone from the top in the nation to the bottom. Rural Mainers are losing access to healthcare.

These are stark challenges, affecting our friends and neighbors in communities throughout the state. 

I don’t envy Maine’s next governor, who will need to balance competing priorities and perspectives to bring people together to deliver results. Maine people deserve nothing less.

This is exactly why I am supporting Rick Bennett for governor. 

Some of my former colleagues may find this surprising. I was the House Republican leader in the early 2000s, while Rick was serving as president of the Maine Senate. We certainly did not agree on everything. But I got to know Rick as someone with integrity who understood that leadership is not about arguing the loudest. It is about finding a way forward. People should be tired of partisan fighting between the two parties. It is time for the middle to take back government and lead the way forward.

That approach is even more important today.

Maine does not need more partisan gridlock. We need a governor who will work with Democrats, Republicans and independents to solve problems. We need someone willing to listen, compromise when necessary and fight like hell when it matters.

Rick has demonstrated that approach throughout his career. 

He also brings something else Maine needs: substantial experience in the private sector. Rick has created jobs, led businesses and helped turn around struggling companies. He understands what it means to meet a payroll, build a team, manage limited resources, solve problems and make difficult decisions. That experience matters.

The next governor will have to manage a large organization, set priorities, demand accountability and make sure that the state government delivers for the people who pay for it. Rick understands those responsibilities from firsthand experience — and is well positioned to make government work faster, smarter and harder for us. 

We’ve seen Rick’s business experience shape his legislative work. In the late 1990s, Rick helped lead the effort to establish the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) and to fund advanced composites research at the University of Maine. Thirty years later, these efforts are an engine of economic growth and innovation in Maine. 

We need a governor who will once again think to the next generation — not just the next election cycle.

Rick has spent his career in service to Maine. In both the political and private sector, he has fought alongside Maine families for a better future. He has worked to lower property taxes, increase housing supply and grow our economy through innovative, forward-thinking approaches. He approaches our challenges with conviction, but also with compassion. 

As governor, Rick will build a better Maine.