Bobby Charles
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”
Associated Press report, carried by NBC News, based on audio it obtained of an Aug. 20 event with a Maine Young Republicans chapter. The Bangor Daily News first reported the audio. The report includes Charles's Aug. 26 explanation and a DHS statement.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
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.