Republican Jonathan Bush, a businessman and entrepreneur, and cousin of former President George W. Bush, announced Wednesday that he is running to be Maine’s next governor.

Bush has been exploring a run for governor since July, and his campaign had teased the news last week saying he was expected to make a “major announcement.”

“I’ve had a great experience with the American dream, and Maine is not having that,” Bush said in an interview. “Maine is in an economic growth crisis. It seems clear to me we need an economic growth governor. … I’m committed to seeing it happen.”

Bush joins a crowded field of more than a dozen candidates already vying to replace Democratic Gov. Janet Mills in 2026. The field includes four high-profile Democrats and a well-known state senator running as an independent, though the Republican field has been slower to take shape. None of the Republican candidates is well-known, and several have not held elected office.

Bush’s entry into the race is likely to have an impact on the Republican primary, said Mark Brewer, chair of the political science department and a professor at the University of Maine, but he added that he would be surprised if it settles the field.

While Bush brings plenty of name recognition and connections with influential donors, he lacks political experience and it remains to be seen how he will be received by supporters of President Donald Trump, who has notably clashed with other members of the Bush family.

“He’s not the kind of candidate, at least in my opinion, that by putting his hat in there, other potential candidates who are thinking about this would say, ‘All right. I’m out at this point,'” Brewer said.

Bush, 56, kicked off his campaign Wednesday in Belfast at the operations center for athenahealth, the health care technology company he founded in 1997. About 1,000 people work at the Belfast center.

He grew up in New York and summered in Maine before buying a home in Cape Elizabeth in 2021. While he has not held elected office before, Bush framed his candidacy Wednesday as that of a “disruptor” who is poised to shake up the status quo.

If elected, he said economic growth is his top priority. His campaign also released a list of top five first initiatives that include an immediate income tax reduction; a thorough audit of state government; and a reduction in energy costs by doubling the availability of natural gas. The other two initiatives would be focused on making it easier to start and run a company and on making it easier to build more homes in Maine.

Bush also pledged to “clean up” Portland, saying in a written statement that the city is “suffocating all of us with their petty unjust childishness masquerading as social justice.”

“I’m not humiliating the police any more by forbidding them from making legitimate arrests,” Bush said. “I’m not tolerating jails that turn away arrested people. Portland should be livable for its residents, but it is also the economic gateway for the rest of our state.”

Asked about whether he supports Trump, his party’s controversial standard bearer, Bush said Wednesday that he has had some “colorful comments” about Trump.

“But at the same time, there are changes to our society that were needed and that I cannot say I would have imagined a mainstream politician accomplishing,” he said.

He said he foresees the Trump administration being able to help with the vision he has for Maine, citing for example grants that he’d like to see for telehealth and paramedicine in rural parts of the state.

In 2018, Bush resigned as CEO of athenahealth, after allegations of misconduct toward women, including an assault on his former wife, and around the same time as the company was facing pressure to accept a takeover deal from an activist hedge fund. Bush said Wednesday he stands behind “every word I said and everything I ever did” as CEO of athenahealth.

He apologized in 2018 after the U.K.’s Daily Mail reported that he had struck his ex-wife and given her a black eye more than a decade earlier. Bush said his divorce was difficult for both of them and the two have since apologized to each other and gone on to successfully co-parent the five children they have together.

Other Republicans who have announced runs for governor include Bobby Charles, a lawyer who served as an assistant secretary of state under George W. Bush; Owen McCarthy, a medical technology entrepreneur; real estate broker David Jones; state Sen. Jim Libby; and Ben Midgley, a former fitness franchise executive.

State Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, has said she is considering entering the race and would likely be a front-runner. Libby is a prolific fundraiser who has been in the spotlight recently for her criticism of Maine’s policy of allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports.

Asked about the race Wednesday, Libby said she is currently focused on the campaign for Question 1, a referendum that would have Maine implement photo identification requirements for voting and make changes to absentee voting, and which Libby is a lead organizer on. Voters will be considering the question next month.

“Following Nov. 4, I will be switching gears to the future, and advancing my plans for 2026 and beyond,” Libby said. “I am committed to working to ensure a more free and prosperous future for Maine.”

On the Democratic side, candidates include Secretary of State Shenna Bellows; former Senate President Troy Jackson; former House Speaker Hannah Pingree, who is also the daughter of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree; and Angus King III, a renewable energy entrepreneur and businessman who is the son of U.S. Sen. Angus King.

State Sen. Rick Bennett, I-Oxford, a longtime Republican who recently unenrolled from the party, is also running.