Angus King III speaks to members of the media in Portland April 28, 2026 (Michael Livingston/Maine Public)
Angus King the third unveiled an ambitious housing plan in Portland Tuesday that involves building 10,000 housing units annually by the end of his first term if elected Maine’s next governor.
The son of the current Maine senator said he brings experience in affordable housing development over his opponents. King used to be a project developer at the Portland-based Wishcamper Group before launching his company Peaks Renewables which operates an anaerobic digester in the town of Clinton.
He says his housing plan will focus on easing local zoning ordinances and building up the construction workforce to make building units easier.
“I think we’re in a moment where very few people can afford [a home], certainly young people can’t afford it,” King III said. “That’s one of the big worries for me on this campaign, is the number of people who feel like they’ve just lost faith in the American Dream.”
A 2023 study commissioned by MaineHousing, the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future and the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development showed Maine needs over 80,000 new housing units by 2030 to meet rising demand.
Read the story at Maine Public.