Jonathan Bush

Joining me now with a cup of coffee in his hand. I heard you were quitting that by the way. You're not low energy anything. I've been told. Jonathan Bush. Nice enough to join me this morning. Of course, Republican candidate in the primary for governor in 2026. Seeking your votes. I seek your votes. I look forward to earning your vote. Indeed to do. So we've got a lot of campaign now in the rearview mirror, but a little bit ahead of you. You said 50 days, right? Is what we got left? I think it's 50 days, 51 June 9th. Carry the one out of Saturday. Indeed. But it's it's it's every day is 20% more of a day than the day before. Yep. It's like exponential. It really is. Yeah, I mean, we were out there getting signatures in January. And you're running for what? When? Who are you again? Yeah. And now, you know, you can walk into a room and they're like, you know, caffeine, huh? You know, they know and they know basically what you're saying. And most importantly, they're there. You know, we had a couple of events yesterday and one in yesterday in West Gray, 150 people for a state rep who race. And the day before we had two events. Oh no, one in Cape yesterday, another 50, my house, Rockland, another event, 60. These are small numbers, but they're huge compared to the first six months of the campaign. Huge. Indeed. So tell me a little bit about where you stand today. Obviously, I covered a little bit of that straw poll that you did. But I've also been cautioning people as they look at those types of things that they're all meaningless because ultimately the end of the day, the voting on election days, the one that matters. There has been one poll that I know of that is an actual poll, not a opportunity to email a link to your team to get your team to click, which is a perfectly fine game to play in politics. I mean, nothing as long as you are clear what it is, was in February. You know, that was the last poll that I've seen that had a statistical sample. And the problem with that was, of course, that nobody, as the poll said, 70% of people hadn't made it. Yeah, and really met people considered them among the 30% of people who know what they're going to do in February and a primary in June. You know, you saw the ranks. Well, since then a lot of stuff's happened. I mean, you guys have started some higher profile debates. Yes. Yes. The commercials are being run. The meetings with the 50 people across the state, every, you know, one by one, the bar and storming. And you pick them up. Yeah, 50 at a time in Maine. You know, it's only 100,000 votes probably. So how do you feel about where you stand right now? I feel really good. I feel really good. Obviously with as a bush, there's a, you know, wait a minute, is this the lamb that's going to follow the lion? Some entitled little dweeb that, you know, comes from another era or is this, and then I start, I look, I'm a veteran. I'm an entrepreneur. I created five, nine hundred and 50 jobs in Maine. I've had my own path. And it's been a main path. And invariably when I get in front of people, or when I get my message in front of people, they go, oh, okay, that in fact, a lot of them say, Jesus, damn it. There's so many candidates. I was hoping to just write you off because you're a bush. And then you find out that you're actually a, you know, you're someone who sort of fits the day. And, and so I got to process you too. And that's been great because in the end, I do think voters in Maine right now do want an outsider. I don't think in this incestuous ball of Augusta noise, we need another lobbyist involved. And the other thing is I think a competency, when you've got that much bloat, you know, took our biennial budget from basically six billion to 12 billion. There's a major reengineering project necessary. And so somebody who hasn't done any corporate reengineering and is going to start thinking about it or planning it or seeking advisors to do it next January is a bad idea. Somebody who's already done it has it in muscle memory is what we need. You know, since last I spoke with you. And again, we're speaking with Jonathan Bush now. The end of the legislative session has happened. They did another budget. As if the last ones were bad enough. I didn't really think I would be hating the next budget this much. But here we are. The only thing you can say about this legislature and this budget is if you're a Republican trying to convince unenrolled manors that this is the time to vote against the Democrats. Yeah. This is the best. They are giving you ammunition. You can be like the fire truck on the 4th of July just throwing candy out taking us from the fifth highest tax load state in the country to the third beaten only by California, which has Silicon Valley and New York, which has Wall Street. Then Maine, which is the fifth poorest state in the country. Nobody chases the American dream away like the Democrats in Augusta. Just suffocating and while it's tragic, it's a great thing to have to point to at election time. Yeah, to run against. That's for sure. I mean, you know, the thing that was surprising to me about it, although I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised in retrospect. But the idea of actually raising taxes in an election year, it's not something you usually see. Oh my god. The only thing better than raising more more juicy and just crazy making than raising taxes, raising attacks and election here is raising it so that you can then give them out as checks with your signature on them as as Queen Janet has done here. This is I would have done. Well, isn't that one worse though because she's rating the rainy day fund for that part of it? It's astonishing. That's what I mean. I mean, it's it's it's it's a developing country. You know, it's the it's the hunter sends out refrigerators to the poor on election makes them all vote and then you know, takes the money and yeah, and runs. It's literally stuff you see in the developing world. And when we're acting that way in Maine, which is why I'm running for governor, I'm running for governor because I think we should stop accepting the conceit that we have to be a third world country in Maine. It's just it's just crap. You know, the pitch that they make on that tax is of course that it's only on the ridge. It's a millionaire's tax. So, you know, it's a it's something that's going to serve the little guy because it's 2564 people left that are so I'm told as they leave in droves Massachusetts did this. They lost 10 billion dollars of annual gross income from the state. They that 10 billion dollars euro marched out of the state. But you also have to remember it's not and so three things one million years can move. So don't laugh and run, you know, don't try to screw them too hard. They'll move the those that are left and remember how many tens of thousands of million years come here for 179 days already that we're not bringing in. They go back to Florida for enough days that their house in Maine doesn't count as their home because we tax the crap out of them. But more importantly, every business you see every single business you see, every landscaper, every plumber, every electrical electrician of the electrical, every single one of those people is hoping someday they sell their business. For 30 years of work, they sell it for maybe a million dollars, two million dollars, three million dollars. Those businesses all are going to get that tax right there casting it as all of the Elon Musk. So I'm like, we ain't got any Elon Musk's. We got 137,000 businesses in Maine, one for every eight people. It's us that they are we. There is no they in Maine. And so that idea that can see that I'm going to get you money from someone else who doesn't deserve it and give it to you is just. It's also a dangerous little genie to let out of the bottle. Oh, of course, if you go back in time, I saw in tax day three, three percent of all taxes paid by 50% of Americans, you know, well, beyond that though, I mean, I'm thinking back to several years ago when they did the three percent surcharge idea, which was at like, I think 200 or 250,000 dollars of income. Clearly they want it to be lower, right? There's getting the foot in the door with this million. And then it's going to be 750 and then it's going to be 500 and then it's going to be 250 and then goes down and down and down. Kind of a camel's nose in the tent syndrome that I see in democratic policies where they, you know, they expand Medicaid. So now they're price fixing that drives private practices out of business drives more and more money to a smaller number of people that they can then get a chokehold on and little by little they're creating socialized medicine. They've literally by suffocating the free market that would hold prices down by chasing the free market out of business. They're creating the need for them to come in. It's like Putin bombing the school and then coming in and declaring martial law, you know, they're declaring a need, they're making an emergency for them to step in and socialize medicine. Same thing with schools, you know, capping the charter schools, adding more and more to the mission, oh, you don't have your, you know, left handed autistic dyslexic program. You need to have that. You don't have enough holidays. You're adding and adding and adding so that nobody can possibly be a school except the state adding more and more money slowly crowding out of free market of education, free choice, free values. This is a program. It's a playbook to suffocate our freedom. It also happens to suffocate our economy. Jonathan Bush joining us and we appreciate him spending some time with us in studio here today. I wonder your perception of how connected in the voters minds, all of these things that are happening in Maine right now that are not so good, like the education results going down, the cost of energy going up, the healthcare situation, crumbling taxes, number of businesses decline. Exactly right. How much do you know, how much do they connect that to the Democrats being in total control. for eight years in the state, because what I'm thinking about here, just let me lay on the plane really quick, you have a midterm effect for Donald Trump being the president of the United States. He just won. It's always not great for Republicans when that happens. Obviously reverse if it's the Democrats, you know, if Connell Harris had won, you guys would be doing a layup right now, right? So, so you got to think you got to deal with that. And then here in Maine, though, you have this eight years of them being in control of everything with absolutely no one, right? Having any input other than the Democrats and J.M. Mills and everything is gone. A complicated, pretty poorly, a full stop to our economic growth. How much does that make sense to the voter? I think that's going to be the race. That's one of the reasons why I want Republicans to vote for me. I think you need to think about the general. You need somebody who's got real chops on economic growth, who's demonstrated the ability to grow. I mean, I brought 950 jobs to mid-Cost Main to what was the second poorest county in the state, Waldo. And then during those years, it grew at four times income in Waldo, grew at four times the rest of the state. That's the playbook that we need to show to the unenrolled and to the reasonable Democrats to win the general. We've got the unrest that we need. 51% of the leaders, but pulled or believe the state is on their old, the ancient Gallup question, right track, wrong direction, we're 51% wrong direction. Their mainers are ready for a change. What we've got to do is bring someone who's a credible economic turnaround person to the game. If they feel like they're going to lose on other things, they might hang in, though certainly the Democrats, but the unenrolled that we're sort of shooting for to win. We don't win without the unenrolled. And we probably don't win if we don't show up. Fellow Republicans, please show up. Indeed. What do you make of Janet Mills? I don't know, slow decline and failure here in this campaign. I wonder if it's not connected to everything you were just talking about, right? I mean, she's sitting there making the case. Please vote for me in this primary and even takes taxpayer dollars and give it to you. Yeah. And it's not working. And is that because everybody gets it? And they're like, I'm done with this. Yeah. I'm done with this. I don't know. Last night, the future of the Republican Party is bright. If you're a new Gloucester, Melissa Winslow, who's running for state rep had, I don't know, 150, 200 people at the Amvets there on the same night that the sitting governor in Scarborough attracted 13 for Lauren Solz to hear her. I mean, wow. Talking to a lot of empty chairs. Wow. That is, that is so bad. And well deserved. I mean, this was this is very much she is sitting in her own mess, a mess of her creation. She could have at least vetoed some of the nonsense. But apparently she lost sight of her pen there for the second term. And unless she's bill after bill of band into the sanity go through in sanity. She, she, I mean, I don't want to spend too much time on the budget and all this stuff. But I mean, the whole millionaire's tax idea was something she herself opposed. Yeah. Like three and a half minutes ago, she decided she cut a deal. She lost turquer pressure in her vessels. They just collapse into a puddle. And now she's saying, choose me to lead. Yeah. Anyway, let's not, let's not waste our time on the past, but she's definitely, but it's indicative though, I think of how voters are feeling about. And it's why you need to shake up Augusta right now. They, all of them are scared of each other. The Democrats in Augusta are scared of each other. I can't tell you when legislators have told me stories about a guy who, you know, agreed that a bill was crazy insane and would overbears, you know, downtown say, oh my God, I can't believe it. And then in committee or on the floor, vote for it. And you'd look at, they'd look over and you're like, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I had to, I had to this week little high pitched voice of a grown-ass man, unable to do what he absolutely said the night before was wrong. That is why we must shake up Augusta. We must get those three seats in the house. And we must get the blame house. We must. Yeah, you need more than three seats. Get 10, get 12. Oh, look, I mean, at least three. Yeah, twist my arm. We'll get sure. And enrollment in the Republican party is going up. And it has been for five years. Yeah. Yeah. No, faster than the Democrats. The future is very bright. I would say it's going to be a struggle this year in the election. But overall, if you're looking at the 10 year window review, it's looking pretty good. So we just got it. We've got to not scare them off. No red meat Republican, no, no rebel yells in the general. Stay on the economy. We win on the economy. And you know, here's some other things we win on, which we'll get to in a minute. We win on housing now. Like the idea of public socialist housing has been tried to unfairly well. And we've seen what it does. And everyone can look at it. And it's like, Oh, that doesn't work. Right now, the idea that somebody wanted to try Lyndon Johnson's war on poverty in 2020 blows my mind. But anyway, guess what? It still doesn't work. It still concentrates poverty. That's our issue now. Healthcare are issue for the first time. This is going to be a big election. If we mind our pees and cues and stay on that economy. So that gets to the question of you versus your opponent. I mean, it's a crowded field. And you're trying to break out. Obviously. And you've already sort of touched on a little bit about your difference with some of the other candidates. You don't have to name names or anything like that. But when you're looking around at the other options people have why? I know you believe you're the best one because that's why you're running. So why? Like what is the difference maker for you? Because you know, you make a pitch on like a CEO. There are other CEOs that you make a pitch on an outsider. Let's do two other outsiders. Tell me why you let's do. Let's do what type of player do we need? And then why are you the player? Yeah. I think the type of player we need is somebody who is an outsider to Augusta as we just described, even people who agree on things because of their, as Hayek would say their patron client networks their relationships. They're so sucked in. So it's got to be an outsider to Augusta. And then if you look at the bureaucratic bloat, the expansion, it's got to be a competent executive. It's got to be someone who runs large organizations well who cuts fat in their old brain. Not how would like reading up on YouTube. You know, how do you cut fat? It's got to be someone who does it instinctively. So that, you know, that takes the lobbyists and the, and the other lobbyists out. But then you're down to some CEOs. And then I think the next question is, uh, chops for the job. You know, first of all, have you created jobs in Maine? Do you know what's that's like? Do you know how to do that? Or will you be doing it for the first time? I'm the only candidate running that's created 900 jobs in Maine. One of the other candidates has created, you know, under 100, but, but a great effort so far. And I think that's another cut. If you have not actually grown in Maine's economy and you don't know what that's like and you haven't had the faith in Maine to do that in the past, I think that's a cut. So now you're down to how are you with bureaucracy? How are you with helping small businesses survive bureaucracy? What have you done? Well, my company, Athena Health, the vast majority of the surviving small businesses in healthcare today are on Athena net and they will tell you that that is why they survive. So I know what it's like to help small businesses survive. And finally, like, I have done restructuring. I have gone into messy organizations and cut fat. It will not be something I'm learning to do or planning to do. It is something I'll be executing on J one. And those things are only true of me right now on either side of the aisle. You know, we have a couple minutes left here. So not too much time. But one other thing that I definitely have for a priority for my vote, at least, is somebody who I definitely want your vote. Well, thank you. I want somebody who feels like they have the personality of somebody that wants to turn the tables over if that makes sense. Yeah. Are you mad enough? Are you? Are you? But also recognizes that that much changes. Yeah. Are you? Right. There was a word with I had I've been working on a, our, our, I guess Oxford County chairman and a key part of our campaign. Someone I really respect in main politics, Lisa Kine. You know, she was like, I, I can't believe with your CEO lifestyle. I took me a while to believe that you were ripped enough that you knew the pain that we were in, that to be able to act to lose friends over it. And I was thrilled when she came on board because I think it means that she sees it. And when I get in a room with people, I can make that case. But you're right. From a distance, somebody who hasn't, you know, had a hard scrap, I have not had a hard scrap of life. I've taken my life and made it useful with every ounce of my existence. But when I got a chance to get around main and see that bell fast was the only bell fast with only town of that size with all the store windows full, you know, I, I began to be first I was dismayed. And then as I studied it, I became angry. And I think you're right, you need someone. And that's why we need an outsider, by the way, because you need to be angry enough to keep going. You need to fire a lot of people in rapid succession. And if you haven't fired people before, you know, it ain't easy. But if you know deep enough in your DNA that it's necessary, necessary for the survival of others, but also necessary for those people who are living in wasteful jobs to get out and get into better ones, you can do it quickly and well. You mean the website right as we get out again? www.johnathanbush.org. Thanks for having me, man.