About the Candidate
I started in construction at age 17 and built a successful company. I own F.O. Bailey, a real estate brokerage firm, and have supported Republican causes for years.
Education
High school
Previous campaigns and elected office(s) held
In 2006, I ran for governor as a conservative independent candidate. I successfully qualified for the ballot but withdrew from the race prior to the general election. I ran because Peter Mills, Janet’s brother, was running, and I was confident that Mills would destroy Maine. After Peter lost the Republican primary, I dropped out.
Why are you running?
I’m running because I love Maine, raised my children here and now have 8 grandchildren. I’ve had a successful career in real estate, from building houses to high rises, to selling them, and it’s time to give back. Maine’s business climate is awful, and as an experienced businessman and CEO I am well poised to address the problems coming from Augusta. Cut the waste, cut the spending and give freedom back to the people of Maine to choose their own destiny.
Top three priorities
Affordable energy and our rights to private property and to raise our families are threatened every day by the Democrats. My top priorities as governor are to reduce the budget, increase the homestead exemption to $500k, eliminate property tax on primary residences and get the leftist insanity out of schools and government, including vaccine mandates and providing for immigrants over Mainers.
If you could change one thing about how Augusta functions, what would it be and why?
Augusta passes too many new laws. Maine is buckling under the weight of the Augusta bureaucracy. For every new law there is a fiscal requirement. Democrats passed thousands of new laws and every one costs the Maine taxpayer. Maine’s governor needs to take responsibility for the bloat in Augusta and cut regulations, cut taxes and reduce the size of government. As governor, I’ll create David’s Office of Government Efficiency, DOGE, to cut waste, fraud and taxes.
What is one policy area where you disagree with the consensus of most in your party?
I’m not looking at the government as a post-retirement career. I’m running for governor to lead as the top executive of the state, clean up the mess we’re in and improve the awful business and cultural climate the Democrats have created. The other candidates will be happy to take a well-paid post in the Jones administration and have said so, but this campaign has a singular goal: get elected and fix this state.
What is one issue on which you’d be willing to compromise with the other party’s leaders in Augusta?
It’s an election year and the Democrats running for governor, who all had a hand in destroying the state, are now talking about affordability and tax reform. Why didn’t they propose that over the past 7.5 years? I’m generally poised to disagree with the Democrats because they only have terrible ideas, but if they start talking about lowering taxes and will make choices that reduce every Mainer’s overall tax burden, I think we could agree to make that happen.