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Robert Wessells · Newsradio WGAN

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  We're back, it's inside Maine. We're spending the day talking
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  to candidates for governor. You know, Jeremy, usually this
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  time I've had maybe one guest. So far, I've had two.
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  We're going to do 2 more this segment, another the next.
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  It's a lot. It's a lot.
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  But that's what we do here inside Maine.
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  That's how we stay at the forefront of political
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  consciousness. One programming note, Hannah
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  Pingree wasn't able to confirm for today.
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  So you can catch her on. Next week when Sean Moody is the
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  host, he'll speak to Hannah Pingree.
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  So she was the one candidate we couldn't schedule during the
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  times I was hosting. But you can catch her with Sean.
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  Sean sent me text to thank me for booking him a guest with
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  whom he vehemently disagrees. So very pleased, though to be
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  able to bring the guest that did have time for today, including
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  our next guest. He's probably been running the
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  longest For this office, it is Robert Wessels.
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  Robert, welcome back to INSIDE Maine.
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  Hey, thank you for having me. Really appreciate being on
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  Inside Main Aaron. So like I said, you've been at
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  this the longest of any of the candidates in the field starting
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  a couple of years ago. We're now at the point where
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  people are all paying attention. It's the it's the final stretch.
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  What is your closing argument, number one?
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  And then give us a sense of how you're going to breakthrough and
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  actually win this nomination. Yeah, so I have been
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  campaigning. We are pushing three years.
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  We officially went public in July of 2023 and Oh my, things
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  have changed over the last three years, you know, from really, as
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  you said it, you know, people weren't paying attention too
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  much specifically to the governor's race, obviously the
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  way back then. But really in general, the
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  conversations that I've been having have changed things that
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  that people wouldn't talk about 3 years ago.
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  We're having really good lively conversations around the state
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  on it. And so my closing arguments as
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  we wrap into the last, you know, 3 1/2 weeks, ultimately, I'm
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  going to say, you know, the state of Maine is hurting right
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  now. Even my Democrat counterparts
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  admit to that when we're in discussions and forums together,
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  whether you're talking about energy, property taxes, housing,
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  cost of living. The problem is, is they double
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  down and say, hey, we just need more money.
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  And that's what they're doing is they're out of control.
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  I think it's interesting to also call out that Angus King is the
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  only Democrat candidate that hasn't been directly involved in
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  creating this mess. And so I would urge any of your
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  independence that are listening unenrolled, that are listening
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  to, you know, if they're struggling, if they're looking
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  at this economy, don't vote Democrat in November.
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  Take a look at the Republican side.
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  We have some amazing candidates or we will have one amazing
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  candidate in November. I hope to make that be me.
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  But we really need a governor who brings business sense and
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  common sense to the Blaine House.
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  I would also make the argument that as I've been talking to
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  thousands of people around the state, that really the people of
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  Maine are feeling like our government is really, really out
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  of touch with us, the everyday people and with reality.
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  And so we need, we need a governor that is, you know, from
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  among the people. I am an everyday business guy,
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  which is why I started three years ago because I was smart
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  enough to realize it. Nobody knows Robert Wessel is
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  outside of Oxford Hills and I don't have a ton of money.
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  And so I, I did have time at that point.
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  And I will say that was a great campaign move.
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  It's worked well and, and my name is out there now.
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  So for those who don't know, I've been in retail management
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  for the last 20 years and we do own a small family farm here in,
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  in South Paris. But I would also make the
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  argument that, you know, when I, when my electricity bill goes
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  from $168 to 353 like it has in the last couple years, I feel
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  that and that impacts the way I would run things in Augusta and
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  the decisions that I realize need to be made.
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  So I would also lastly just make the make the argument that we
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  need an outsider in Augusta, somebody who's not wrapped up in
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  the way it has always been, but is willing to, who's willing to
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  look outside the box and say, OK, like it, you know, maybe by
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  its own is the best way. Perfectly fine with that.
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  But let's look outside that box for those solutions and and
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  let's consider things that we haven't considered before
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  because clearly what we're doing and what we have been doing,
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  especially in the last eight years hasn't been working.
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  Now, our last guest that was on on the program made the same
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  argument. It was Jonathan Bush, it was
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  here in studio and he said we need an outsider.
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  This is an election for an outsider.
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  You made news in the last couple weeks where you, I, and maybe
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  you can clear up for me what it is that you did or didn't do
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  because you accepted a role in the Jonathan Bush for governor
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  campaign, but you're still running against him, but you're
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  not endorsing him. But you do like what?
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  Clear it up for me. Happy to clear that up.
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  Thank you for mentioning it and giving me that opportunity.
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  So, yeah, I'll be honest. When Jonathan Bush launched his
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  campaign, you know, as far as frank choice voting goes, he was
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  at the bottom of mine. I was like, no, no, not a Bush.
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  And over time, you know, as I've rubbed shoulders with all of
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  these guys on, you know, from my son and he's just slowly
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  climbed, climbed in my opinion, he is a small government guy.
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  And I really agree. He and I see eye to eye with
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  really the path forward economically, business wise and
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  government wise. They're both small government
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  guys. There are many things that we
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  disagree on, you know, and you know, some of those are your
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  your social issues and things like that.
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  And so I was faced with the decision because, as you know,
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  anybody would know not polling well.
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  And so ultimately I I was faced with the decision.
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  Do you get out? Do you jump onto somebody else's
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  campaign? Do you?
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  And I said, no, I'm a different enough candidate and I have a
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  lot of things that, you know, only I have and, and people are
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  looking for. And so I'm going to stay in.
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  However, if if I don't get in, I want another small government
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  guy. And so I basically I came out in
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  the public and said I will be giving my second, my rank choice
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  voting second vote to Jonathan Bush.
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  And so yes, that did make news That is not normal.
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  But I guess that's what happens when you have non politicians
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  running for governor. So what do you think is the most
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  important thing for people to know?
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  What really sets you apart? You said you're an outsider,
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  you're a normal guy or a business guy.
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  But like, what would you do differently as governor than any
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  of these other candidates you're running against?
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  Again, I would make the argument that as the outsider, as the
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  everyday guy with common sense, I'm going to be just like I do
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  in the business world, right? Looking at the problems with a
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  different lens, a different perspective and being willing to
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  try some outside the box solutions, right?
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  No matter what. It is the other thing that I
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  think I, the other thing that I think really matters is again,
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  just that that approach and that willingness to be able to, to,
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  to look at it and do things differently at my campaign, you
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  know, and I think you would agree for sure hasn't, has not
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  been your traditional campaign. And, and I'm perfectly happy
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  with that. I, I'm OK and my governorship
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  would be the same thing again. We continue to build and create
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  bureaucracy. Every time I hear a solution,
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  people are like, oh, well, we need to add this committee.
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  We need to add this. Yeah.
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  And no, like, clearly, you know, a big government is just, it's
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  not efficient and it's costly and it's not effective and it's
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  not working. So we have to do something
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  different. So final question for you,
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  Robert, thinking about where we are in this race, there started
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  to be a lot of negative attack ads and attacks going on between
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  the top candidates, right? I had Bobby Charles and Jonathan
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  Bush on before you. Ben Midgley's in the mix there.
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  You, you see the attacks flowing.
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  I'm, I'm sure Garrett too, right?
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  So with, with them, they're attacked.
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  How do Republicans unite after the primaries over the ballots
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  are counted or ranked or run off or whatever happens when a
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  winner emerges? How will Republicans, how should
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  Republicans unite to then win the governorship in November?
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  My personal opinion is we pick a gubernatorial candidate who
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  hasn't been doing all of that stuff and who is gets along well
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  with all of the candidates and would very easily be able to
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  unite us. And that would be me.
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  Obviously, I haven't gotten into the weeds.
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  And to me, we need as a party, we need to focus on the other
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  side and the solutions that we offer.
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  That being said, no matter and, and I know there's some with a
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  couple debates ago, there was some Flack for, for this, but
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  the reality is, you know, no matter who wins the primary, I
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  am on board. Let's go.
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  All seven Republican candidates are far and away better for
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  Maine than the five Democratic candidates on the other side.
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  And I, you have my commitment. If I'm not chosen as a
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  gubernatorial candidate, I will offer my services to the person
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  who is because Maine, it's all about Maine.
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  It's not about me. Never has been, and Maine needs
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  a Republican governor in November.
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  Well, I think that's a good sentiment.
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  I think it's the right argument. Robert Wessels, Republican
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  candidate for governor. If people want to learn more
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  about your candidacy and your campaign, where can they go?
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  Yeah, go to voterobertwhistles.com.
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  That is my website and also Facebook X Instagram kind of all
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  the socials. And you were cutting out a
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  little bit for a second. So say that website one more
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  time. I want to make sure people get
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  it. Yeah, thank you.
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  Vote robertwessels.com. Voterobertwessels.com Robert
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  Wessels, candidate for Covenant. Thank you so much for being back
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  with us on Inside Main. Good luck as you race toward the
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  finish line. Thank you.
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  We're sprinting towards the end. Have a good.
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  Day, Have a great rest of your day.
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  You're listening to INSIDE Main. I'm your host, Aaron Chadbourne.
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  We are spending this Saturday, just like we did last week,
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  talking to gubernatorial candidates.
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  So far today, we've had three of the Republicans and now is kind
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  of where we're going to reset and talk to some people on the
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  other side of the aisle. So let me talk to you about what
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  we have planned coming up to fill out the rest of this
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  segment. We're awaiting a call from Maine
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  Secretary of State Shanna Bellows.
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  She, of course, is a Democrat who is running for the Democrat
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  nomination to be governor after Secretary Bellows will have a
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  doctor, Nirav Shah in studio. So we'll get to speak with
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  Doctor Shaw. For those of you who've been
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  listening to me all year, you'll know that he's the only
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  candidate, the only major candidate that I have not spoken
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  to yet. So he will complete my New
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  Year's resolution that I sat with Jeremy.
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  And then in the 12:00 hour, we'll talk first with State
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  Senator Rick Bennett, who will be joining us.
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  He's an independent running for governor.
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  And we'll close the show in the 12:30 segment with former State
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  Senator Troy Jackson. He's a Democrat.
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  He's a social. They just announced that Bernie
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  Sanders is coming to town to stump with him and Graham
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  Plattner once again. So that's going to be how we
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  spend the rest of our show. We have those, you know, 3 down,
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  4 to go in terms of how many candidates we've gone through
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  today. And I think it's great.
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  And for those of you who've been texting in your questions, just
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  know I am reading them as I have my computer up, as I'm having
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  the conversations. So if you have questions that
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  you would like me to get in front of the candidates as they
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  come on, please text them in. It's 207-879-9426 is the text
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  line.