Bobby Charles fined more than $22,000 for Maine gubernatorial campaign donation violations

Key Points:

• The Maine Ethics Commission fined Republican gubernatorial candidate Bobby Charles over $22,000 for accepting campaign contributions exceeding the state's $2,075 per-donor limit, totaling $45,315.98 from several donors.
• The over-limit donations were returned after the Maine Democratic Party filed a complaint and the commission notified Charles' campaign, but the commission called the violation a "significant error."
• The commission voted 4-1 to impose a penalty equal to 50% of the illegal donations, with some commissioners initially proposing a lesser fine or more time for the campaign to respond.
• The Maine Democratic Party condemned Charles for what it called a "blatant disregard for law and order," while Charles' campaign acknowledged an administrative error and said it cooperated in good faith.
• Charles, trailing Democrat Hannah Pingree by wide margins in polls and fundraising, has raised close to $2 million, compared to Pingree’s nearly $5 million and independent Rick Bennett’s nearly $1 million ahead of the upcoming election.