A new Pan Atlantic poll in Maine finds Gov. Janet Mills (D) comfortably ahead of challenger Paul LePage (R), 49% to 39%.
Paul LePage Stumbles on Abortion in Maine Debate
“Republicans’ struggles to find an effective abortion message this campaign season manifested themselves on Tuesday on a debate stage in the Maine governor’s race, as former Gov. Paul LePage (R) repeatedly stumbled over a question about how he would handle the issue if voters returned him to office,” the New York Times reports.
“The issue has been an advantage for Democrats, whose base has been energized after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade while Republicans face a dilemma over how to reassure swing voters without alienating their conservative base. Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat seeking a second four-year term, seemed to sense her opportunity while seated a few feet from Mr. LePage, a Republican who left office in 2019 because of Maine’s prohibition on serving a third consecutive term.”
Washington Post: “LePage’s awkward performance Tuesday highlights the position many antiabortion Republicans are in.”
Paul LePage Shying Away from Trump in Maine
Associated Press: “Now, as LePage is running for a third term after a brief retirement to Florida, he rarely talks about Trump in public, and his advisers say LePage’s hiatus from politics changed him. He’s eager to show he’s smoothed over some of his own rough edges, though flashes of his fiery personality broke through recently at an event at a riverfront boatyard in Yarmouth, where he pledged to take on Democratic ‘elitists.’”
How Paul LePage Benefits from Florida Tax Breaks
As he makes a comeback bid, former Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) is pushing “to phase out Maine’s income tax. He argues that the change is needed to keep wealthy residents from moving to Florida for just long enough each year to take advantage of the Sunshine State’s tax breaks,” the New York Times reports.
But LePage, who has owned property in Florida for years, has “benefited from that state’s tax laws while living in the Maine governor’s mansion, and again as he campaigns to return to the job.”
Janet Mills Holds Big Lead Over Paul LePage
A new Emerson College poll in Maine finds Gov. Janet Mills (D) with a 12-point lead in her re-election campaign against former Gov. Paul LePage (R), 53% to 41%.
Said pollster Spencer Kimball: “There is a significant gender divide in the gubernatorial election. Men break for LePage over Mills by two points, 48% to 46%, whereas women break for Mills by 20 points, 57% to 37%.”
Paul LePage Threatens Democratic Staffer
Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R), who is seeking his hold job, threatened to “deck” a Maine Democratic Party staffer who was filming him, the Daily Beast reports.
Said LePage: “Six feet away, or I’m going to deck you. If you come into my space, you’re going down.”
Paul LePage Claims He’s Changed
Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) “often made headlines but not always for not the right reasons” during his eight years in office but told WCSH that the time away from office has changed him and that’s why he’s running for governor again.
Said LePage: “The big change in me has been the last four years watching what’s going on in the country. I am absolutely convinced that if we continue to hate each other, if we don’t find a path to at least like each other and respect each other, our country is in for doom. Our constitution will not survive. We need to find a path to have civil discourse so we can talk both sides of the argument.”
Susan Collins to Endorse Paul LePage
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) will endorse former Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) when he launches a campaign for his old job, the Portland Press Herald reports.
Paul LePage Will Announce Bid for Maine Governor
“To the delight of his loyal fans and dismay of his equally fierce critics, former two-term Republican Gov. Paul LePage will announce his bid to unseat Maine’s incumbent Gov. Janet Mills on Wednesday,” the Portland Press Herald reports.
LePage to Run for Governor Again
Former Gov. Paul LePage (R) formally registered as a candidate for Maine governor Thursday, confirming long-held expectations that he would challenge Gov. Janet Mills (D) in 2022, the Portland Press Herald reports.
Janet Mills Tops Paul LePage In Possible Maine Race
A new SurveyUSA poll in Maine shows Gov. Janet Mills (D) leading former Gov. Paul LePage (R) in a possible 2022 race, 45% to 38%.
LePage Says He’s Running for Governor Again
Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) told WGAN that’s he will run for governor again in 2022.
Said LePage: “If I’m breathing, I’m running.”
Paul LePage Says He’ll Run for Governor Again
Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) told a conservative radio host that he will challenge incumbent Gov. Janet Mills (D) in 2022, the Portland Press Herald reports.
Said LePage: “Believe me, I will challenge her. Yes, I am going to challenge Janet Mills in 2022 because the state will be worse off than it was when I took over in 2010 and I do believe I have the skill set to fix it.”
LePage Floats Running for Governor Again
Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R), “who is living in Florida, has appeared on several radio talk shows, speaking repeatedly about running against” current Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) “in four years if she does not keep government spending under control,” the Portland Press Herald reports.
Democrats Take Control of Maine Government
“Maine Democrats have gained control of the state’s Legislature, growing their majority in the House of Representatives and recapturing a decisive majority in the state Senate,” the Portland Press Herald reports.
“The victories for Democrats Tuesday mark the first time in six years that one party has gained control of all three branches of state government, with the historic win by Janet Mills, who became the state’s first woman to be elected governor in a decisive victory over Republican businessman Shawn Moody.”
Collins Will Not Run for Governor of Maine
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) “ended more than two years of political speculation Friday and announced she would not run for governor in 2018, a decision that opens up the race for the Blaine House and keeps Collins’ moderate voice in the thick of national politics,” the Portland Press Herald reports.
Will Collins Leave the Senate?
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) “will announce at a local Chamber of Commerce event on Friday whether she will run for governor — a decision that remains shrouded in secrecy and could upend the Senate political landscape,” Politico reports.
“The influential moderate plans to make the announcement during a speech she’s giving on health care in Rockport, Maine… The speech is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m.”
[alert type=”general” dismiss=”no”]Making the announcement at a preexisting and relatively small event would suggest she’s not launching a new campaign. [/alert]
Collins Will Announce Plans on Running for Governor
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) will announce Friday morning whether she will run for governor of Maine in 2018, CNN reports.
“Collins, among the most moderate GOP senators, has been a thorn in President Donald Trump’s side… But were she elected, her departure from the Senate would be a sharp blow to Republicans because without Collins, the seat would become much more difficult to keep out of Democratic hands in 2020.”
