Health care entrepreneur Jonathan Bush, cousin of former President George W. Bush, announced his campaign for governor of Maine in Belfast last night.
Speaking to a group of supporters, Bush said he’ll run his campaign on promises of economic development and cutting wasteful state programs.
He blasted Gov. Janet Mills for being too soft on violent crime and substance abuse.
“All of these laws fit into a culture of defeat, a culture where leaders think their charge is to equitably divide means shrinking economic pie. These people have just assumed the economic pie cannot get any bigger,” he said.
Bush launched his campaign at the athenahealth operations center in Belfast — the health care tech company he founded — but stepped down as CEO in 2018 after allegations emerged that he assaulted his ex-wife.
One of his promises was to “audit Augusta” and remove regulations around housing and business development.
“Nobody's double checking. Nobody's starting from zero and saying, 'Why was this originally created a can we use this money in some other place?' It doesn't happen. It blows my mind. I cannot wait to dig in and reverse that curse,” he said.
Over a dozen Republicans, Democrats and independents have already entered the crowded race.
Bush says he stands apart from other candidates by creating jobs in Belfast at athenahealth.
