Idiot of the Week: Former candidate for Maine governor Ben Midgley penalized by Kalshi for betting on his campaign

If you know you're an idiot and you don't stand a chance of being elected, it's not a good idea to bet on it, because you'll get found out. That's what this week's idiot did. He joins idiot ex-Congressman and felon, George Santos (R), North Carolina congressional candidate Laurie Buckhout (R) and California's Stephen Cloobeck (R) that were also banned from the same platform for doing similar things. If you think this post is partisan, it isn't. it's just fact. But I don't understand betting against yourself. That's not healthy. 

Former candidate for Maine governor Ben Midgley penalized by Kalshi for betting on his campaign after 2 others

Ben Midgley, who finished second in the Republican gubernatorial primary, has been banned from the online prediction market platform for three years

WMTW-TV, Aug 31, 2026, Russ Reed

PORTLAND, Maine — Kalshi has banned Ben Midgley, a former candidate for Maine governor, from the online prediction platform for three years after he bet on himself.

Midgley, who finished second in the Republican gubernatorial primary after a ranked choice voting tabulation, bet less than $1,000 on his campaign.

In a statement shared with The Associated Press, Midgley said that he was not aware candidates could not support themselves on Kalshi when he used the platform he viewed as "a novelty and entertainment source."

"The moment I became aware the site preferred not to have candidates supporting themselves, I suspended any involvement," Midgley said in his statement to the AP. "I mean it is hard to take a site seriously which allows bets on virtually anything. Obviously, the novelty has worn off. I had no winnings and made a donation to charity in accordance with Kalshi’s policies."

Midgley was once the president of Planet Fitness before he became a founding partner of Crunch Franchising, LLC.

News of Midgley's three-year ban from Kalshi came on the same day the platform announced that former U.S. Rep. George Santos was permanently banned after its Compliance Department found reasonable cause to believe the former Republican congressman engaged in insider trading, contributing to speculation over whether he would attend the State of the Union address before turning a $17,839 profit on his trading activity when he did not.

Kalshi also levied a three-year ban and a $2,589 fine against North Carolina congressional candidate Laurie Buckhout after the Republican admitted placing bets of less than $1,000 on her campaign.

Stephen Cloobeck, a timeshare mogul who briefly ran for California governor, describing himself as a "Libertarian Republican," was banned for three years after Kalshi said he bought $10,000 worth of contracts on his candidacy.