PoliticsOur political journalists are based in the Maine State House and have deep source networks across the partisan spectrum in communities all over the state. Bobby Charles, the Republican running to become Maine’s next governor, is accusing his Democratic opponent, Hannah Pingree, of failing to reduce harmful carbon dioxide pollution in Maine. In a fact sheet called “Hannah Pingree is bad for the climate,” the Charles campaign alleges that Maine’s carbon emissions rose almost 19% between 2020 and 2024, at a time Pingree co-chaired the state’s climate council. “Their narrative is that Maine has become a national leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Pingree co-chaired the Maine Climate Council for six years and oversaw two iterations of the state’s climate action plan.