Two names long associated with American political prowess no longer guarantee votes, at least in Maine, where two high-profile candidates in the state’s “ranked-choice” gubernatorial primaries failed to make the grade earlier this month.
Republican Jonathan Bush, the nephew of former President George H. W. Bush and a cousin of former President George W. Bush, was eliminated following the sixth round of tabulation.
On the Democratic side, Angus King III, the son and namesake of Sen. Angus King (D-ME), was eliminated following the first round.
In a ranked choice election voters have the option to rank candidates in order of preference: first, second, third, and so forth. If the first doesn’t have a chance to win, the ballot counts for the next choice, requiring multiple rounds of tabulation.
When the counting was over, Democrat Hannah Pingree, the former speaker of the Maine House of Representatives and the daughter of Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME), and Republican Bobby Charles were elected to face each other in the general election this fall, the Maine Secretary of State’s Office confirmed Friday.
The winner will replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Janet Mills.
Candidate Bush is the founder of Athenahealth, a healthcare software company that he left in 2018 after an aggressive investor purchased shares of the company.
In the election, Bush was hampered by allegations that surfaced during the shareholder bid that he had assaulted his ex-wife and been caught on camera making nasty remarks to a female colleague, the New York Post reported.
Bush is also the brother of former “Access Hollywood” and “Extra” anchor Billy Bush, who was featured in the notorious leaked audio tape where then-2016 presidential candidate Donald Trump bragged about the access wealthy men had to beautiful women.
The Bush name took what was its biggest loss when Trump consistently targeted former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in the 2016 presidential primary and quickly eliminated him as a contender.
“Despite being a member of a political dynasty, Bush portrayed himself as an outsider who would reverse Maine’s liberal policies,” the Post reported. “His loss means that the most recent Bush to hold political office was George P. Bush, who departed the Texas land commissioner post in 2023.”
On the Democratic side, King III’s father Angus has been a popular choice with Maine voters. He served as governor from 1995 through 2003 and was elected to the Senate in 2012. The elder King, a registered independent who caucuses with Democrats.
The younger King found energy firm Peaks Renewables when he returned to his home state after working in the Clinton White House.
Maine has had ranked choice voting since a 2016 referendum.
Under the system, if no candidate breaks 50 percent of the popular vote, the bottom finisher is eliminated, and the second choices of voters who supported that candidate are then counted.
The tabulations continue until a candidate achieves a majority of the total votes.
Breitbart contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
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