This election season in Maine has been dominated by a self-proclaimed outsider, the Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, who points to his lack of political connections. But elsewhere on the ballot, candidates hail from some of the state’s best-known political families.
Angus King III, a son of Senator Angus King, is running for governor as a Democrat. Hannah Pingree, another Democrat in the governor’s race, is the daughter of Representative Chellie Pingree. And Jonathan Bush, one of seven Republican contenders for governor, is the nephew of former President George H.W. Bush and cousin of former President George W. Bush.
In Maine’s Second Congressional District, Joe Baldacci, the brother of former Gov. John Baldacci, is among the Democrats vying to replace Jared Golden, who is not seeking re-election.
Polls suggest that a having familiar name has not offered much advantage in the governor’s race. In the crowded, competitive Democratic field, Mr. King has struggled to gain traction. Ms. Pingree, a former state House speaker, has run in the middle of the pack. Mr. Bush, a health care executive, has not come within striking distance of the Republican front-runner, Bobby Charles.
Mr. Baldacci, a lawyer and longtime city councilman in Bangor, may be the exception. A poll by the University of New Hampshire in late May showed him holding his own in a close race with Jordan Wood and Matthew Dunlap, the state auditor.
The candidates from political families have walked a careful line, crediting their relatives who have held office for valuable lessons while stressing that they are running on their own merits. “We’re proud of each other, but we’re each doing our own thing,” Hannah Pingree has said of her relationship with her mother.
Michael Franz, a professor of government at Bowdoin College, said a famous name could be an obstacle with an electorate that appears to be in the mood for change.
“With Angus King III, people might say, ‘Beyond the name, what gives you the right to run?’” he said. “It doesn’t help him.”
Karen DenBleyker, 75, a Democratic voter in Waterville, said she would be willing to support a name-brand candidate if he or she could prove they are “not just running on the name.” She put Ms. Pingree in that category.
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