Former Gov. Paul LePage plans rally to announce he's running to get his old job back

[brooklynite]

Source: Portland Press Herald

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 during a rally at the Augusta Civic Center.

LePage’s longtime campaign media consultant, Brent Littlefield, has pitched a kinder, gentler LePage and says the former governor in recent months has been on a statewide listening tour, meeting with small groups and hearing them out, largely in private settings or in visits to fairs and festivals over the summer.

But LePage is likely to have a hard time keeping the door closed on his political past. During his eight years in Blaine House, LePage became one of Maine’s most colorful and controversial governors. He and Mills, who served as the state’s attorney general during his tenure, were frequently at sharp odds – even to the point of LePage hiring private attorneys to represent his office in lawsuits against the federal government when Mills refused to do so.

Mark Brewer, professor and political science department chair at the University of Maine, said LePage may try to offer a new persona but most Mainers will remember his litany of controversial statements.

Read more: https://www.pressherald.com/2021/09/21/former-firebrand-gov-paul-lepage-is-back/

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Probably got every Rethuglican registered to vote 8 times or he'd know his time came - and went

[Budi]

2. LOL..

Is he fundraising yet?
🙄 $$$$$$$

[keithbvadu2]

3. LePage says he's 'done with politics' and headed to Florida for retirement - and maybe teaching

LePage says he’s ‘done with politics’ and headed to Florida for retirement – and maybe teaching

The two-term governor says he prefers the low taxes of the Sunshine State but plans to live in Maine from April through September.

November 5, 2018

https://www.pressherald.com/2018/11/05/lepage-says-hes-moving-to-florida-and-may-take-a-teaching-job/

[GPV]

4. No thanks!

[AZLD4Candidate]

5. Gov. Plurality is a power addict.

[Vinca]

6. OMG - poor Maine. This idiot is as dumb as they come without a shred of decency.

[Evolve Dammit]

7. He misses inflicting pain on POC and libruls. Claimed to be "Trump before Trump was Trump."

And that was a very good thing for his tea party supporters. A rabid group. They are everywhere in rural America. Magats.

[malthaussen]

8. Because old assholes never die. n/t

[Grins]

9. "...most Mainers will remember his litany of controversial statements."

I still remember them and I live in Virginia!

[brooklynite]

10. UPDATE: Sen. Collins to endorse LePage as he launches campaign for governor

Portland Press Herald

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, will endorse former Republican Gov. Paul LePage Wednesday in a pre-recorded video as LePage kicks off his campaign to challenge Democratic Gov. Janet Mills in 2022.

Collins, who is serving her fifth consecutive term in the Senate, won reelection in 2020 with 51 percent of vote.

“As Maine recovers from the pandemic, Paul is the best candidate to grow our economy,” Collins says in the minute long video, which was released exclusively to the Press Herald on Wednesday afternoon.

“Paul and I believe that Maine’s small businesses our the backbone of our economy,” Collins says. “We must support our job creators and Maine’s hard-working families. Paul is a job creator, that’s his background, he’s done it before and he will do it again.”

[moose65]

12. OMG

Collins is a complete idiot. Name one positive thing that he did for the people of Maine, please!

Does Maine’s instant runoff voting apply to the governor’s race too? I sure hope so.

[SouthBayDem]

11. I hope he runs

He never won with a majority of votes the first two times, and he was quite unpopular in his second term. So he has to be quite toxic like Larry Elder was in this year's California recall circus.