PORTLAND — Independent candidate Eliot Cutler on Friday appeared with GOP business owners who bucked their party to throw their support behind him in this year’s gubernatorial election.

The business owners said Cutler’s experience in international commerce as well as government, his dedication to building and expanding “the Maine brand,” and his pledge to keep workers’ compensation costs down made him perfectly suited to help the state’s economy prosper.

The event was held at DiMillo’s restaurant in Portland. Its owner, Steve DiMillo, was one of the businessmen endorsing Cutler.

“I believe he’s the best person for the job, in terms of experience, temperament and ideas,” DiMillo said. “He gets it. He’s a successful businessman and entrepreneur. He has created and grown companies and helped open new markets for Maine products, like lobster. … He’s also worked in government, managing multimillion-dollar budgets and making tough decisions. He knows the difference between helping and getting in the way.”

The other business owners who spoke in favor of Cutler for governor were Tom Moser of Moser Cabinetmakers; Bob Hews of Hews Company, a truck body manufacturer and distributor; and Bri Warner, a former U.S. diplomat turned wholesale pie baker. Jolene Lovejoy, a former GOP lawmaker from Rumford, also endorsed Cutler at the event.

Cutler is running against incumbent Republican Gov. Paul LePage and U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, a Democrat. In nearly every poll, he has trailed his partisan opponents by wide margins.

Cutler said Friday that the endorsement of Republicans was just one sign of building momentum for his campaign. His campaign announced Thursday that it had raised more than $400,000 from contributors in the last reporting period, and Cutler said Friday that Monday and Tuesday had been his largest 48-hour fundraising period to date.

The independent candidate also referenced recent high-profile appearances by former Democratic U.S. President Bill Clinton and 2016 presidential hopeful Gov. Chris Christie. R-New Jersey, who each stopped in Maine to stump for their party’s Blaine House candidate.

Cutler said the parties could keep their national figures.

“I wouldn’t trade a boatload of ex-presidents or governors with presidential ambitions for the endorsements that I’ve received this morning,” he said. “Unlike Bill Clinton and Chris Christie, these five people actually have a stake in Maine’s future. They’re employing people, they’re paying taxes, they’re investing in our state.”

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