Owen McCarthy

Owen McCarthy (Republican Party) ran for election for Governor of Maine. He lost in the Republican primary on June 9, 2026.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m a proud native of Patten, Maine, a town of fewer than 1,000 people in the shadow of Mount Katahdin. I grew up in a trailer on my grandfather’s land, the son of a third-generation logger and a second-generation school lunch lady.

I was the first in my family to attend college, earning an engineering degree from the University of Maine on the Pulp and Paper Scholarship. Drawn to solving real problems, I began my career working directly with Maine’s paper mills, visiting nearly every mill in the state.

At my core, I’m an engineer and an entrepreneur. I approach challenges by thinking outside the box, asking hard questions, and focusing on practical solutions. I co-founded MedRhythms, a company that uses neuroscience and technology to help people regain mobility after stroke and Parkinson’s disease. I’m a husband and the father of two young sons, Oliver and Theo.

I’m running for governor because I believe Maine’s best days can still be ahead, but only if we are willing to lead differently. I’m not running for the title. I’m running to bring a problem-solver’s mindset to state government, to challenge the status quo, and to build a Maine defined by opportunity for the next generation, affordability for working families, and the discipline to make government work as hard as the people it serves.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

When I look around Maine today, it has become totally unaffordable for working people like the family I grew up in. After six years of one-party control in Augusta, we have out of control spending, higher taxes, unaffordable housing, failing schools and an addiction crisis. We need to restore hope and opportunity to Maine, and as an engineer, entrepreneur, and political outsider, I’ll bring the fresh-thinking and new perspective we need to change direction and give regular people the fighting chance they deserve.I’m running for governor because I believe in a Maine that invests in our greatest resource: our people. To move forward, we must harness our competitive strengths, cultivating an economy driven by innovation, talent, and local determination. It’s time to ignite a virtuous cycle of talent and opportunity, ensuring Maine families aren’t left behind in the ongoing technological revolution.

We must reimagine our state as more than just a vacationland for the wealthy. Maine should be a place where our people can live, work, and prosper.As an engineer and entrepreneur, I learned how to build things that matter. I co-founded MedRhythms, a health technology company that used advanced neuroscience and AI to help people walk again after a stroke or Parkinson’s. We raised more than $60 million, earned FDA clearance, completed clinical trials, and created good-paying jobs, not in Silicon Valley, but right here in Maine, because I believed Maine could compete in the industries of the future. I moved the company home to Maine for a reason: I knew what our people were capable of. And as governor, I will help countless others do the same.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My career has been dedicated to tackling significant challenges in healthcare and education, turning scientific breakthroughs into real-world solutions, creating high-quality jobs, and expanding opportunities for rural youth. As governor, I’ll be laser focused on revitalizing our state economy by playing to our strengths, improving our broken education system, and creating a better future for the next generation of Mainers from every corner of the state.