Former Republican Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason announced Wednesday he is running for governor, adding his name to a crowded field of two dozen candidates vying to replace Gov. Janet Mills.

Mason, 40, of Lisbon Falls, made his announcement in a 40-minute YouTube video discussing his candidacy.

“Other candidates may agree with you and tell you what you want to hear,” Mason said, “but I am the only one in this field that can deliver.”

Mason served in the Maine Senate from 2010 to 2018, representing districts in Androscoggin County, and was Senate majority leader from 2014 to 2018. He ran in the Republican primary for governor in 2018, finishing a distant second to Gorham businessman Shawn Moody.

Mason is one of 10 Republicans in the governor’s race, which includes close to two dozen candidates overall. Mills, a Democrat, is term limited and is running for U.S. Senate.

In his announcement Wednesday, Mason said his experience in the Legislature and as a business owner sets him up as the best candidate. Most of the other Republicans running do not have any experience holding elected office, while Democrats have several high-profile candidates.

“We have to have somebody who’s already been there and knows exactly what to do,” Mason said.

Mason, who also serves as a county commissioner in Androscoggin County, said in the video that he is not yet releasing a “full-blown policy picture,” but touched on some issues that are important to him. For example, Mason said he plans to “use the bully pulpit to go after school boards” to make changes in education.

In general, Mason said he agrees with most tenets of today’s Republican party. If elected, he said he would seek to address crime and the “incredible abuse of the social safety net program.” He also said Maine has “massive over-taxation” that needs to be addressed.

“You have to fix these programs,” Mason said. “You have to fix all these problems. But you also have to give people a reason to hope for the future, and I am endlessly optimistic about Maine.”

Mason also took aim at the other Republicans in the race, criticizing them for trying to be “Trump impersonators,” though he did not name any other candidates by name.

“I will not be a Trump impersonator,” Mason said. “My value is knowing exactly how to work with Donald Trump, not to try to be him. We’ve seen a lot about that on the campaign trail. It’s ineffective, it’s unserious, and quite frankly, it looks ridiculous.”

Other Republicans in the field 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; Ben Midgley, a former fitness franchise executive; and Jonathan Bush, a businessman and entrepreneur.

State Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, who had been expected by many political observers to enter the race as a top candidate, announced in November that she wouldn’t be seeking office in 2026. Instead, she is launching a network of organizations to mobilize conservatives.

Democratic candidates include Secretary of State Shenna Bellows; former Senate President Troy Jackson; former House Speaker Hannah Pingree; former Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah; and Angus King III, a renewable energy entrepreneur and businessman.

State Sen. Rick Bennett, I-Oxford, a longtime Republican who recently unenrolled from the party, is also running, as is Rep. Ed Crockett, I-Portland, a former Democratic lawmaker.

Party primaries will be held on June 9. Candidates for governor must gather between 2,000 and 2,500 signatures from registered voters by March 16 in order to qualify for the ballot.