Robert B. Charles, known as Bobby Charles, is a Maine lawyer and former U.S. Navy intelligence officer. He studied at Dartmouth, Oxford and Columbia Law School. He is the Republican nominee for governor in the 2026 election.
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Networked automated license-plate cameras can assemble searchable records of vehicle movements. Candidates and officials disagree over whether to ban the systems, keep them with limits, or defend them as investigative tools. This tracker separates outright bans from narrower restrictions.
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Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin says ICE would go to polling places only for a threat or a warrant, and DHS says ICE is not planning operations targeting them but arrests could follow a threat. Three lawsuits allege that position violates federal law.
Role at the time: Maine gubernatorial candidate
Statement summary
Charles opposed broad Flock deployment but said police should retain surveillance tools for serious investigations.
“I generally am against the broad use of Flock cameras. I'm also of the view that law enforcement needs tools to get the truly bad guys out of the state.”
He rejects broad use while allowing targeted law-enforcement use.
Role at the time: Republican nominee for governor of Maine
Statement summary
Maine's Republican nominee for governor, Bobby Charles, told supporters at an August 20 event that he would ask White House border czar Tom Homan to send federal agents to polling places. According to audio obtained by the Associated Press, he said, "I'm going to make an appeal for ICE and marshals to be at our voting booths".
“I’m going to make an appeal for ICE and marshals to be at our voting booths”
The fixed reference point is the administration's stated or threatened use of ICE at or near polling places. Charles called for ICE and U.S. marshals to be at voting booths, which argues for deploying federal agents at polling places. He holds no federal office, so this is recorded as a candidate's position rather than an administration position.
Statement dates: August 20, 2026
Statement dates: August 20, 2026
Statement dates: August 20, 2026
Statement dates: September 16, 2026
Statement dates: September 16, 2026
Statement dates: August 20, 2026
