Maine Republicans are nominating a candidate for state Attorney General, calling Robert Charles “the most qualified AG in Maine history.”

Charles earned degrees from Dartmouth, Oxford, and Columbia law school, has held a number of positions in Washington and was nominated for assistant U.S. secretary of state by Senator Susan Collins. He served under Secretary Colin Powell in the Bush administration.

In a news release, the Maine GOP stated, “The Maine Republican Party, aligned with incoming legislators and Maine voters, believes we face an unprecedented public safety crisis, violent drug-trafficking organizations saturating Maine towns, cities, schools, and public places. We have never seen this kind of crisis before.”

The news release makes note of Charles’ work with Democrats, including his work “hand-in-glove with Clinton appointees” while employed on Capitol Hill.

Charles has written two books, including “Eagles and Evergreens” in 2018, on growing up in Maine with WWII veterans. In 2024, he released another book featuring Mainers, “Cherish America: Stories of Courage, Character, and Kindness” which, according to the GOP news release, was endorsed by Senator George Mitchell, as well as People Magazine and Fox News. The release notes the books are also non-partisan.

The attorney general in Maine is elected by the state Legislature, which will be sworn in next week, Dec. 7. The majority party picks the nominees and Democrats currently still hold a slim majority in Augusta.

If the legislative vote follows along party lines, either current AG Aaron Frey or announced Democratic challenger Maeghan Maloney would be elected.

Maloney is the district attorney for Somerset and Kennebec Counties. It’s not clear if Frey is running for reelection.