Latest news with #MainePolitics
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Eyeing a sixth term, Collins is facing pressure from both sides
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) delivers election night remarks to supporters and staff on Nov. 3, 2020 in Bangor, Maine. () Editor's Note: This story is part of a series about U.S. Sen. Susan Collins' role during the second Trump presidency. The first time Biddeford resident Anthony Burgess could vote in 2014, he cast his ballot for Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins. A registered Democrat, he wanted to contribute to the Pine Tree State's reputation as independent, he said, and he thought Collins embodied that. But he never voted for her again. Several Mainers who regularly gather to protest the senior senator in the York County town similarly said that at some point during Collins' decades-long career, they too voted for her. For most, their view of her shifted during Donald Trump's first presidency and has solidified during his second. But Collins won in 2020 without the support of people like Burgess. Last time Collins was up for reelection, her Democratic opponent Sara Gideon, then the Speaker of the Maine House, focused her campaign on whether Collins had 'changed' since she was first elected to the Senate in 1996. 'She tried to make the election about Sen. Collins,' said state Sen. Rick Bennett, a moderate Republican representing Oxford, 'and it didn't work.' The November 2026 midterm election, when Collins will be up for re-election, will be something of a referendum on Trump, Bennett said. However, he added that it also matters who Collins' opponent is. A year and a half out from Election Day, some have already started to make themselves known. Collins told Maine Morning Star she intends to run for reelection in 2026 and highlighted her record of delivering for Maine, primarily financially, as why she feels she remains the best person to represent the state. That focus of hers has previously helped unify a winning coalition of supporters. However, with the increasing demands for loyalty to Trump, slim Republican majorities in Congress and Collins' race seen as an opportunity for Democrats to gain seats in the Senate, legal scholars, her critics on both sides of the aisle and polling signal the tightrope she has been walking is thinning. Collins will face at least two primary challengers: Carmen Calabrese of Kennebunkport and Daniel Smeriglio of Frenchville have filed to run as Republicans. Calabrese, who moved to Maine five years ago from Florida, is a driver for Walmart and former small business owner. Smeriglio runs the rightwing Voice of the People USA radio and activist group. An independent has also entered the race: Phillip Rench of Waterboro, who sits on the board for the Maine Space Corporation and owns Ossipee Hill Farm and Observatory. He was a former senior engineer at Elon Musk's SpaceX, though he said he has no association with Musk or the company now aside from stocks he was awarded as an employee. Two Democrats are also vying for Maine's U.S. Senate seat so far. Jordan Wood of Bristol, originally from Lewiston, spent about a decade working in politics in Washington, D.C., including as chief of staff to former Democratic U.S. Rep. Katie Porter of California. Natasha Alcala of Madawaska is currently a fashion designer who moved to Maine from California a little over four years ago. She has degrees in international relations and criminal justice and is a U.S. Navy veteran. Alcala previously filed to run against U.S. Sen. Angus King in 2024 but withdrew before the primary. Last election cycle, Collins' pitch to Mainers focused on her ability to secure federal funding for the state through her then-expected ascent to chair one of the chamber's most powerful committees, a position she now holds and emphasized when asked why she believes she's still best poised to represent Maine. Susan Collins has reached a pinnacle of authority. How will she use it? 'By climbing that ladder in the last three years I have been able to secure more than a billion dollars for hundreds of projects in communities across our state,' Collins said, 'That would not have happened without the seniority that I have.' Collins highlighted earmarks she's secured for investments throughout each of Maine's 16 counties as well as legislation that will impact Mainers more broadly, specifically co-authoring the Social Security Fairness Act, which was signed into law under former President Joe Biden earlier this year and restored full benefits for millions of public sector workers. Calabrese acknowledged that Collins' role as top appropriator is a strength. 'You can't argue with that,' he said, 'but I look at it as well, I thank you for bringing it, but you're also spending my money. It's my tax dollars.' And Calabrese thinks those tax dollars would go farther if Collins sided with Trump more often. 'If you agree more with some of the stances that he has, maybe you'll do better,' Calabrese said. Rench said he doesn't think Collins' continued pitch that she is best equipped to deliver financially for the state is a valid point. 'What we need to do as a state is become less dependent on federal dollars,' he said. Rench said he would do this by building a stronger economic foundation for Maine families, including by addressing what he sees as 'brain drain' in the state by overhauling the school system to have both college and trade school tracks. As someone who left the state after college to pursue opportunities in the space industry and then returned, he said he understands why young people leave and wants to change it. He is also proposing reinventing industries, such as creating a federal reserve of dimensional lumber, growing Maine's food production and processing capabilities to serve the country and positioning Maine as a leader in the space industry. Wood previously helped lead End Citizens United, a political action committee working to reverse the 2010 Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. Federal Election Campaign Act, which deregulated restrictions on independent political spending by corporations and unions. Some of his top priorities will be anti-corruption reform and getting big money out of politics. He said he plans to lead by example with his own campaign by not taking any money from corporate PACs or lobbyists. He is also committed to not becoming a lobbyist after serving in office, refuses to engage in selling individual stocks and will prohibit his family members and those of his staff from lobbying his office for issues. In light of Trump slashing federal funding, Alcala said she would propose Maine partner with other states that have large gross domestic products, such as California, to ensure federal funding inconsistency doesn't prevent people from having their basic needs met, such as by accessing low-income food assistance or making higher education free. 'With our combined GDP, we can definitely make it so that we can help those that need the extra funding,' Alcala said. Smeriglio did not respond to interview requests. Constituents who have reached out to Collins — including Cape Elizabeth resident Jerry Kaufman, an independent who said he emails Collins nearly every day, and Cokie Giles, a registered nurse at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor who regularly attends federal lobby days — argue they don't feel heard. A common critique these two Mainers and others have is that Collins hasn't hosted a town hall in at least 25 years. Collins deferred to her press secretary Blake Kernen when asked about constituent requests for town halls. 'She prefers smaller group meetings or Zooms, rather than holding town halls where very few people get to speak, and the level of civility is often not that high,' the spokesperson said. 'These forums were also difficult for people who were more reserved or less comfortable speaking in public.' Kernan also said Collins individually meets with thousands of Mainers every year in her office and during events across the state. These frustrations about accessibility are not unique to the Republican senator. Mainers have started to hold town halls to air their concerns, whether their current members of Congress agree to attend or not. In Maine, Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree is an outlier, as she held in-person town halls in early April, her first since 2017. In public events so far, some of Collins' opponents have deliberately focused on personal appeals to voters to set themselves apart. Wood has held two town halls since he launched his campaign over a month ago. He said he will hold a town hall in each of Maine's 16 counties during the race and, if elected, once a quarter. Wood also plans, if elected, to make his calendar public every month so his constituents can see who he is spending time with, he said. Rench opened up his observatory this spring to meet constituents and intends to travel around the state with his mobile telescope to continue one-on-one discussions. Alcala said she plans to start a YouTube channel to offer a more candid perspective into herself and her views for voters. Calabrese is starting with speaking at county Republican meetings and trying to engage with people at events such as upcoming county fairs. Some of those challenging Collins are actively trying not to make the mistakes they think Gideon made last election cycle. Rench made a list of criticisms he heard about Gideon, down to her wearing clothing from Patagonia, an L.L. Bean rival. But the one that is guiding him most is focusing on what he could bring to the Senate, not what he thinks Collins lacks. 'I don't think people want to hear critiques of Collins,' Rench said. 'They know who she is.' In Rench's view, neither of the major parties adequately represent the working class, which is why he chose to run as an independent. In particular, he said, 'I still think the Democratic Party is stuck in grief.' Nationally, Senate Democrats have previewed their campaign messaging, already targeting Collins in particular. The campaign arm of Senate Democrats began running digital ads in April against Collins and Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina that highlight the Trump administration's plans to cut phone services for Social Security, though the agency has not followed through on that plan. In response to this, Collins highlighted her work passing the Social Security Fairness Act. Wood, who is running as a Democrat, is bringing lessons learned from the presidential election, particularly his party's estrangement with working-class and young voters, into how he's shaping his campaign. 'It's our responsibility as candidates and as a political party to prove to that voter that we are the party that they should see as the side fighting for them,' Wood said. 'I will spend as much time as I can in these communities, telling them about my vision for the future and the policies that I'll champion to make their lives better.' The average age of Congress has been a concern raised in elections past. Collins is 72 years old and will be running for her sixth term as senator. Wood, Wrench and Alcala emphasized that they want to offer a younger perspective to Congress than Collins. Calabrese is more so focused on the length of time Collins has held office. He said he'd only serve up to two terms if elected. 'I think it's time for some people — I mean we're not Middle America but Middle America-thinking people — who understand what's going on boots on the ground to get involved,' he said. Both parties have grown more ideologically cohesive creating a political environment that's less hospitable for lawmakers who straddle the center — now a rarity in Congress. Collins became a more reliable vote for her party during Trump's last presidency compared to her track record before. In 2017, 87% of her votes were party-line. This was a shift, as Congressional Quarterly found between 1997 and 2016 that she voted with her party on party-line votes only 59% of the time. But last year, she bucked her party the most out of all senators. An analysis from Roll Call found Collins sided with Republicans 47.8% of the time in 2024, although largely because of her votes in favor of President Joe Biden's nominees. Her level of bipartisanship fluctuates depending on the measure, but she remains a rarity in the Trump era, neither endorsing the president nor fully turning her back on him. 'I don't want to say she's on the outside of her own party, but to a certain extent she is,' said Mark Brewer, chair of the political science department at the University of Maine. Fewer people are running, and succeeding, with bipartisan campaigns. However, the success of Collins, the only senator from her party representing a state Trump lost in 2024, and Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden in the second district — which also went for Trump — exemplifies that Maine is still holding onto that tradition, Brewer said. Bennett's career as a prominent bipartisan voice is another example, Brewer added. Those running against Collins have taken more pointed stances, both for and against Trump. Wood said he spent the January 6 attack barricaded in Porter's office, after which he co-founded democracyFIRST, a pro-democracy organization dedicated to combating growing threats to the free and fair elections. 'I think [Collins] had ample opportunity to be courageous to stand up to Donald Trump and her own party and she has failed to do so,' Wood said. Calling Trump a 'wanna-be dictator, authoritarian that is trying to centralize all power and authority in himself,' he said if Democrats are able to secure a Senate majority in the 2026 election that will provide a better opportunity to oppose the president during the remaining two years of his term. As Trump slashes federal spending, Collins' promise to deliver for Maine is tested Alcala is also pitching herself as a candidate who will stand up to Trump. 'We're in a coup d'etat by Trump and Elon Musk,' she said. 'The fact that Trump is taking money away from Mainers, whether they're Republican, liberal, what have you, the fact that he's doing that means that we can't rely on the current government that we have.' On the other hand, Calabrese said if elected he would help codify many of Trump's executive orders into law. He commended Trump's approach to immigration policy. 'All this illegal immigration that's one thing that I totally agree with him on,' he said. He also supports Trump's push to make the U.S. a global leader in Artificial Intelligence and the cuts made by his Department of Government Efficacy. Calabrese said, 'the President is not a king,' noting that he'd try to tow the line between helping the president follow through with his plans while still respecting the balance of power. However, Calabrese said, 'If he needs to take his executive orders to the Supreme Court, well that's the checks and balances.' When it comes to the Supreme Court, Rench was also motivated to run because of Collins' pivotal vote that helped seat Justice Brett Kavanaugh. 'I have a nine year old daughter and after Sen. Collins, in my opinion, enabled the reversal of Roe vs. Wade,' Rench said, 'I no longer trust her with my daughter's future.' Collins voted for Kavanaugh after she said he gave her private assurances he wasn't a threat to the landmark abortion ruling that he later voted to overturn. Early surveys show the senator with much lower favorability than ever before. A poll from Morning Consult found that since last quarter, Collins' net approval declined by 12 percentage points — more than that of any other senator. According to the poll, 51% of Maine voters disapprove of Collins, down from 47% at the end of last year. A big part of Collins' problem is that when it comes to Trump her approach is just antagonizing everyone. – Public Policy Polling Another poll commissioned by a top Democratic super PAC shows Collins is being pinched on both sides. 'A big part of Collins' problem is that when it comes to Trump her approach is just antagonizing everyone,' the pollster wrote in a memo. The survey of 569 registered Maine voters showed 81% of voters who supported Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris think the senator votes with Trump too often and 73% of Trump voters think she doesn't vote with Trump often enough. Only 10% think she's striking the right balance. But on Monday, Pan Atlantic Research released its latest independent Omnibus Poll capturing the opinions of 840 likely voters and found close to an even split between those who find Collins favorable or unfavorable, similar to its polling in September. 'A year and a half out from Election Day, it's far too early to poll right now,' Kernan, Collins' spokesperson, said. Pollsters have gotten Collins wrong before. The day before the election in 2020, Maine Senate polls showed Collins' Democratic opponent Gideon ahead by six points. Collins went on to win by almost 9%. Some speculate she appealed to undecided voters in the end and that pollsters underestimated that Mainers would split tickets. Wood noted that Collins voted against Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett right before the 2020 election. 'It was a reminder that she has a tendency to be independent sometimes and there was a hope that she could be a catalyst in some way for a post-Trump Republican Party, that was the Republican Party they grew up with,' Wood said of voters. 'That did not come to fruition. I think that voters now have a much clearer understanding of the threat in front of us.' But beyond this race, pollsters across the country failed in 2020, as well as in 2016, to accurately capture the zeitgeist, particularly for working class voters in rural areas. When it comes to Collins' continued independent, deliver-for-Maine pitch, Brewer said, 'I think it's going to be harder for her to do that, to run that kind of campaign. It doesn't mean that she can't pull it off.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Fox News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Rep. Jared Golden vows to stop Trump ally Paul LePage from entering Congress
Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine is passing on a potential statewide bid for governor or the Senate and instead will seek re-election in a key swing congressional district that Republicans are working to flip in the 2026 midterm elections. "I have decided the best way to continue serving the people of Maine is to do my part to restore balance in Congress by helping to win back the House of Representatives. My focus will remain on checking the extremes and putting working-class families first," Golden said Tuesday morning in a social media post, as he announced his re-election. Golden, a U.S. Marine veteran who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, is a moderate Democrat who often bucks his own party in Congress. He has held the seat in Maine's 2nd Congressional District, which is one of the most competitive in the nation, since first winning it in 2018. Golden won re-election by a razor-thin margin last year in the district, which is the second-most rural in the U.S. and the largest east of the Mississippi River. And President Donald Trump carried the district in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections by nine, seven and 10 points. "While the election is still 18 months away and I remain focused on my responsibilities to my constituents and my family, I also know the path to the GOP majority runs through Maine," said the 42-year-old Golden, who had been floated as a potential gubernatorial or Senate candidate. As Republicans aim to defend their razor-thin House majority in the midterms, Golden's district is in their crosshairs. National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Maureen O'Toole said that "we look forward to making out-of-touch Democrat Jared Golden wish he ran for governor." But the top Democrats in House leadership countered that "Jared's dedication to representing all of his constituents — no matter their party affiliation — makes him uniquely suited to once again win one of the toughest seats in the country for Democrats to hold." "He's also helping Democrats flip Republican seats in competitive districts throughout America," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05), Chairman Pete Aguilar (CA-33) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01) added in a joint statement. Challenging Golden is former two-term Republican Gov. Paul LePage, who is a major Trump supporter and ally. "I am going to do what it takes to make sure no one like Paul LePage blusters his way into Congress," Golden said in his announcement. LePage, in his first interview after announcing his candidacy earlier this month, told Fox News Digital, "I never, ever had any aspirations to go to Washington until now." "Donald Trump, I think, is doing what is necessary in addressing the debt this country is facing. And I think that's a big, big thing for me," LePage said as he was interviewed in Lewiston, the Maine city where he was born and raised. LePage — the brash and blunt politician who won over blue-collar workers struggling with economic woes, which helped the Republican businessman win election and re-election in the blue-leaning state — was one of the first major GOP elected officials to endorse Trump when the president first ran for the White House nearly a decade ago. "I have a friend in the White House right now. I know President Trump. I think I can have an audience of President Trump. I know several of his secretaries very well. And so I think this is a good time. It's a good time for me to go help," LePage told Fox News.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hannah Pingree to step down from Mills administration
May 15—Former Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree said Thursday that she is stepping down from her post in the Mills administration. Pingree has been mentioned as a possible candidate for governor, but told a reporter for the Maine Trust for Local News that she hasn't made any decisions. "I've loved this job," Pingree said after speaking at the Great Falls Forum in Lewiston. "Gov. Mills has given me a tremendous opportunity to work on issues that are important to Maine. Housing, climate, economic recovery. I am leaving the administration. I am exploring how to continue to focus on the future." Pingree's last day with the administration is Friday. Her early departure is certain to fuel speculation that she will soon join a growing field of candidates looking to succeed Gov. Janet Mills, who cannot seek reelection because of term limits. Also on Thursday, state Sen. James Libby, R-Standish, filed papers with the state to begin raising money as a Republican candidate. Libby has not yet issued a formal announcement. Pingree, the daughter of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, has served as the director of the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future since 2019. She has helped coordinate cross-agency initiatives for climate change, housing, children and aging. Prior to joining the Mills administration, the 48-year-old North Haven resident served four terms in the Maine House of Representatives, including stints as the speaker and majority leader. She also helps run a family farm and inn. Without an incumbent, the 2026 governor's race is expected to draw a large field of candidates. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows of Manchester and businessman and renewable energy entrepreneur Angus King III, of Portland, the son of independent U.S. Sen. and former Gov. Angus King, are seeking the Democratic nomination, while former Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, is also exploring a run. Bobby Charles, a Leeds resident and lawyer who served under President George W. Bush, announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination last month. Other candidates to file paperwork with the state are: Republicans Steven Shepherd of Bangor and Robert Wessels of Norway; Democrat Kenneth Pinette of South Portland; and Alexander Murchison, an unenrolled candidate from Dover-Foxcroft. Democrats have held a trifecta since Mills took office in 2019, maintaining majorities in both the House and Senate. But the party is facing historical headwinds in 2026. Since the 1950s, Mainers have not elected a candidate from the same political party as a departing governor — a trend that began after Maine had five consecutive Republican governors from 1937 through 1955. The decades of ping-ponging between parties in the Blaine House began when Democrat Ed Muskie was elected in 1954, ending Republicans' nearly two-decade hold on the governorship. This story will be updated. Sun Journal Staff Writer Andrew Rice contributed to this report. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why longtime Trump ally and former Republican Gov. Paul LePage is aiming for a political comeback
LEWISTON, MAINE - EXCLUSIVE - Former two-term Gov. Paul LePage of Maine says President Donald Trump is a major reason why he's coming out of political retirement at age 76 – and he's eyeing a campaign comeback. "I never, ever had any aspirations to go to Washington until now," LePage said this week in his first national interview after launching his bid for the House in Maine's Second Congressional District, which is a top swing seat the GOP aims to flip in the 2026 midterm elections. The contest will likely be one of the most closely watched House races in the country next year as the Republicans aim to hold their fragile majority in the chamber. "Donald Trump, I think, is doing what is necessary in addressing the debt this country is facing. And I think that's a big, big thing for me," LePage said as he was interviewed in the Maine city where he was born and raised. House Republican Campaign Chair Spells Out His Playbook To Hold The Congressional Majority LePage highlighted, "I have a friend in the White House right now. I know President Trump. I think I can have an audience of President Trump. I know several of his secretaries very well. And so I think this is a good time. It's a good time for me to go help." Read On The Fox News App LePage – the brash and blunt politician who won over blue-collar workers struggling with economic woes, which helped the Republican businessman win election and re-election in the blue-leaning state – was one of the first major GOP elected officials to endorse Trump when the president first ran for the White House nearly a decade ago. "I was Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular," LePage joked at the time, in a line that's since become famous. The conservative governor, who grabbed national attention with controversial comments made during his tenure, briefly moved with his wife, Ann, to Florida after finishing his second term in 2019. "I am done with politics. I have done my eight years. It's time for somebody else," he said at the time. Congressional Democrats Targeting These House Republicans In 2026 Midterm Battle But LePage re-established residency in Maine five years ago and challenged his successor as governor, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, in the 2022 election. LePage ended up losing his bid for a third term by 13 points to Mills, but he did carry the 2nd Congressional District in that race. Moderate Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, a U.S. Marine veteran who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and who often bucks his own party in Congress, has held the seat since first winning it in 2018. But Golden won re-election by a razor-thin margin last year in the district, which is the second-most rural in the U.S. and the largest east of the Mississippi River. And Trump, who carried the district in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections by nine, seven and 10 points, earned an electoral vote each time, as Maine and Nebraska, are the only two states in the union to allocate their electoral votes partially by congressional district. Maine's Golden Takes Aim At Fellow Democrats Over Policy Golden, in a statement after LePage announced his candidacy, said, "I thought Paul was doing his best work in retirement." But the 42-year-old Golden has yet to announce whether he'll seek re-election next year or instead run for either the state's Senate seat or the open governor's office. Meanwhile, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spotlighted LePage's tenure as governor. "Paul LePage's time in office was defined by his obsession with blocking Mainers' ability to receive quality health care, opposing Medicaid expansion at every possible opportunity," DCCC national press secretary Viet Shelton argued in a statement. "At a time when Republicans in Congress are pushing the largest cut to Medicaid in history, Mainers can't afford LePage's crusade to rip health care away from people." In his Fox News interview, LePage reiterated that the nation's debt is a top motivation for him to return to politics. As of May 8, the national debt was $36,212,886,111,158.26, according to Fox News' National Debt Tracker. "It's the spending and the debt that this country has, and I'm worried about my grandchildren, great-grandchildren. And I think we have a president now that's really willing to tackle it, and I'm willing to help," he said. But LePage added that "the other thing that is really big is what's happening in our country with the woke environment. I think I want to be there to help clean that up if we can. Having boys play in girls' sports is really sad." He also highlighted his Tuesday meeting—part of a three-day swing through the congressional district—with Maine student Cassidy Carlisle, whom he described as "the courageous young woman fighting unfair male competition in girls' sports." Maine's 2nd Congressional District shares a long border with Canada. When asked if he'll be spotlighting border security and immigration as major issues in his campaign, Lepage said, "Big time." But the controversial tariffs the president placed on nations across the globe last month has strained relations with Canada. "I'm all for the tariffs," LePage said. "The tariffs will fix our international trade and lower taxes." LePage acknowledged: "Is it going to hurt in the short term? Yeah, it's going to hurt a little bit in the short term, but I think it's necessary." And he predicted that "the tariffs are going to be a short-term problem. I think they're going to settle out." LePage spoke with Fox News at Lewiston's Franco Center, a performing arts center and historic site of Franco-American culture located in a former Gothic church built in 1907 for French Canadian immigrants in Maine, which is located alongside the city's historical mills and canals. The former governor, who survived a troubling and often brutal upbringing, gave Fox News a tour of the many dwellings within blocks of the Franco Center, where he spent his childhood. The eldest son of 18 children, LePage grew up speaking French in an impoverished home with an alcoholic and abusive father who was a mill worker. At age 11, he ran away from home after his father beat him and broke his nose. He lived on the streets of Lewiston and often crashed on friends' couches for a couple of years before earning a living shining shoes, washing dishes at a restaurant, and haling boxes for a local truck driver. "I had a very, very, rough upbringing as a youth. We were in welfare, we were in poverty," he said. LePage, speaking in the church where he was baptized and sought refuge during his family troubles, told Fox News, "It feels good coming in this building. This was a special building. A couple of nuns and priests were really helpful in my upbringing." He went on to graduate from high school, and with financial help from friends, attended and graduated from college. He later enjoyed success as a businessman, including greatly expanding Marden's Surplus and Salvage, a Maine-based discount store chain. Years later, he ventured into politics, winning election to the Waterville city council and later serving as the city's mayor before winning statewide office in 2010. The former governor says his rough childhood has influenced his political life in a way that not many other politicians can understand. And he lamented, "Unfortunately, the mentality in the current society is not to help people get out of poverty, but it's to keep them in poverty." "I want to help get them out of poverty," he said. "I think there are so many programs that we can institute that will elevate people in poverty, rather than keep them."Original article source: Why longtime Trump ally and former Republican Gov. Paul LePage is aiming for a political comeback
Fox News
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Why longtime Trump ally and former Republican Gov. Paul LePage is aiming for a political comeback
LEWISTON, MAINE - EXCLUSIVE - Former two-term Gov. Paul LePage of Maine says President Donald Trump is a major reason why he's coming out of political retirement at age 76 – and he's eyeing a campaign comeback. "I never, ever had any aspirations to go to Washington until now," LePage said this week in his first national interview after launching his bid for the House in Maine's Second Congressional District, which is a top swing seat the GOP aims to flip in the 2026 midterm elections. The contest will likely be one of the most closely watched House races in the country next year as the Republicans aim to hold their fragile majority in the chamber. "Donald Trump, I think, is doing what is necessary in addressing the debt this country is facing. And I think that's a big, big thing for me," LePage said as he was interviewed in the Maine city where he was born and raised. LePage highlighted, "I have a friend in the White House right now. I know President Trump. I think I can have an audience of President Trump. I know several of his secretaries very well. And so I think this is a good time. It's a good time for me to go help." LePage – the brash and blunt politician who won over blue-collar workers struggling with economic woes, which helped the Republican businessman win election and re-election in the blue-leaning state – was one of the first major GOP elected officials to endorse Trump when the president first ran for the White House nearly a decade ago. "I was Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular," LePage joked at the time, in a line that's since become famous. The conservative governor, who grabbed national attention with controversial comments made during his tenure, briefly moved with his wife, Ann, to Florida after finishing his second term in 2019. "I am done with politics. I have done my eight years. It's time for somebody else," he said at the time. But LePage re-established residency in Maine five years ago and challenged his successor as governor, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, in the 2022 election. LePage ended up losing his bid for a third term by 13 points to Mills, but he did carry the 2nd Congressional District in that race. Moderate Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, a U.S. Marine veteran who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and who often bucks his own party in Congress, has held the seat since first winning it in 2018. But Golden won re-election by a razor-thin margin last year in the district, which is the second-most rural in the U.S. and the largest east of the Mississippi River. And Trump, who carried the district in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections by nine, seven and 10 points, earned an electoral vote each time, as Maine and Nebraska, are the only two states in the union to allocate their electoral votes partially by congressional district. Golden, in a statement after LePage announced his candidacy, said, "I thought Paul was doing his best work in retirement." But the 42-year-old Golden has yet to announce whether he'll seek re-election next year or instead run for either the state's Senate seat or the open governor's office. In his Fox News interview, LePage reiterated that the nation's debt is a top motivation for him to return to politics. As of May 8, the national debt was $36,212,886,111,158.26, according to Fox News' National Debt Tracker. "It's the spending and the debt that this country has, and I'm worried about my grandchildren, great-grandchildren. And I think we have a president now that's really willing to tackle it, and I'm willing to help," he said. But LePage added that "the other thing that is really big is what's happening in our country with the woke environment. I think I want to be there to help clean that up if we can. Having boys play in girls' sports is really sad." He also highlighted his Tuesday meeting—part of a three-day swing through the congressional district—with Maine student Cassidy Carlisle, whom he described as "the courageous young woman fighting unfair male competition in girls' sports." Maine's 2nd Congressional District shares a long border with Canada. When asked if he'll be spotlighting border security and immigration as major issues in his campaign, Lepage said, "Big time." But the controversial tariffs the president placed on nations across the globe last month has strained relations with Canada. "I'm all for the tariffs," LePage said. "The tariffs will fix our international trade and lower taxes." LePage acknowledged: "Is it going to hurt in the short term? Yeah, it's going to hurt a little bit in the short term, but I think it's necessary." And he predicted that "the tariffs are going to be a short-term problem. I think they're going to settle out." LePage spoke with Fox News at Lewiston's Franco Center, a performing arts center and historic site of Franco-American culture located in a former Gothic church built in 1907 for French Canadian immigrants in Maine, which is located alongside the city's historical mills and canals. The former governor, who survived a troubling and often brutal upbringing, gave Fox News a tour of the many dwellings within blocks of the Franco Center, where he spent his childhood. The eldest son of 18 children, LePage grew up speaking French in an impoverished home with an alcoholic and abusive father who was a mill worker. At age 11, he ran away from home after his father beat him and broke his nose. He lived on the streets of Lewiston and often crashed on friends' couches for a couple of years before earning a living shining shoes, washing dishes at a restaurant, and haling boxes for a local truck driver. "I had a very, very, rough upbringing as a youth. We were in welfare, we were in poverty," he said. LePage, speaking in the church where he was baptized and sought refuge during his family troubles, told Fox News, "It feels good coming in this building. This was a special building. A couple of nuns and priests were really helpful in my upbringing." He went on to graduate from high school, and with financial help from friends, attended and graduated from college. He later enjoyed success as a businessman, including greatly expanding Marden's Surplus and Salvage, a Maine-based discount store chain. Years later, he ventured into politics, winning election to the Waterville city council and later serving as the city's mayor before winning statewide office in 2010. The former governor says his rough childhood has influenced his political life in a way that not many other politicians can understand. And he lamented, "Unfortunately, the mentality in the current society is not to help people get out of poverty, but it's to keep them in poverty." "I want to help get them out of poverty," he said. "I think there are so many programs that we can institute that will elevate people in poverty, rather than keep them."
