Republican Paul LePage Reelected Maine Governor
Republican incumbent Paul LePage has been reelected governor of Maine, beating out his Democratic challenger Mike Michaud, a six-term congressman.
The race remained close throughout 2014, with LePage and Michaud nearly tied and an independent candidate, Eliot Cutler, threatening to sway the decision.
LePage had been called one of the most vulnerable gubernatorial incumbents this year. Politico labeled him “America’s craziest governor,’’ citing his telling the NAACP “kiss my butt’’ on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He also told students, “If you want a good education, go to private schools. If you can’t afford it, tough luck. You can go to the public school.’’ More recently, he made a suicide joke about a critical columnist from the Portland Press Herald.
LePage’s comments didn’t get in the way of his 2010 campaign—when he said he’d tell President Obama to “go to hell’’—and it appears that the mild-mannered state of Maine hasn’t tired of its governor.
Governor LePage built his political career upon his experience as a businessman and was elected mayor of Waterville in 2003. He was sworn into his first term as governor on January 5, 2011.
Click here for election results, updated live.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com