AUGUSTA – Adam Cote, a renewable energy entrepreneur and veteran, has filed paperwork to run for governor on the Democratic ticket.

Cote, of Sanford, is among the first of what is expected to be a crowded field of Democrats seeking the party’s nomination in 2018.

Last week, Maine Treasurer Terry Hayes of Buckfield, an independent, filed to run for governor, joining three other official candidates: Patrick Eisenhart of Augusta, a Democrat; Richard Light of Liberty, a Libertarian; and Deril Stubenrod of Clinton, a Republican.

Many more Democrats and Republicans are expected to run for their respective party primaries to succeed Republican Gov. Paul LePage, who is serving his second and final term.

Cote is a 44-year-old attorney who focuses on energy and utility issues and is co-founder and CEO of the company Thermal Energy Storage of Maine. He has served 20 years in the Maine National Guard – with deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia – is a recipient of the Bronze Star and in 2014 was named by President Obama one of 10 veterans nationwide as a “Champion of Change” for his work on clean energy and energy security.

The father of five finished second behind Chellie Pingree in the 2008 Democratic primary for Maine’s 1st Congressional District.

Cote registered as a candidate Wednesday with the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices. In a statement, Cote said he wants to “turn the page from the dead-end politics of division.”