Overview

• Bush announced his candidacy at athenahealth’s Belfast office, where his brother Billy Bush introduced him to a large crowd.
• He pledged to declare an economic growth emergency, pursue a $1 billion income tax cut, audit state spending, expand natural gas access, and make homebuilding easier.
• The Republican newcomer joins a crowded 2026 field seeking to replace term-limited Gov. Janet Mills, with multiple contenders from both major parties and several independents.
• His campaign leans on the Bush family’s Maine ties and an August fundraiser at Walker’s Point in Kennebunkport, and he benefited from exploratory-committee fundraising that delays early disclosure.
• Bush co-founded and led athenahealth before his 2018 departure following an activist investor campaign, and his past includes reported physical altercations with his ex-wife that the campaign says the two have since resolved as co-parents with her public support.