Former Maine Gov. LePage Announces Congressional Bid in GOP Stronghold Held by Democrat

The bid sets a challenge to the incumbent of Democrats, primarily rural districts, who supported President Donald Trump in each of his three elections.

Former Maine Governor Paul Lepage announced Monday that he is running to represent the state’s second legislative district to send Democratic incumbents at GOP’s base.

Republican LePage confirmed the Congressional bid in a social media post Monday.

“I don’t need jobs. I run to protect Maine’s jobs. I run to serve the people of Maine and help the president fix Washington,” LePage wrote in a Facebook post. “We’ve had Washington, DC for many years and have been trying to control people. It’s time to put people in front of politics.”

LePage, 76, served two terms as governor from 2011 to 2019. When he was re-elected in 2014, LePage received more votes than the governor of Maine received over the past 30 years. He previously served as Waterville city council member from 1998 to 2002 and was the 50th mayor of Waterville from 2004 to 2011.

The former governor said there is a need for more voices to defend the president and those working towards his agenda.

“The entrenched profits are fighting President (Donald) Trump on every turn while working to solve the problem,” LePage added in his statement. “We need more straight talk to get Washington back. We need a more realistic business experience from people who know how to create jobs. We need people to understand what it’s like to struggle and why inflation hurts.

LePage’s Congressional bid set a challenge against incumbent Sen. Jared Golden, a Democratic incumbent from a largely rural district who had a great support for Trump in each of his three elections.

Golden, 42, said on Monday in a statement to the Associated Press that Lepage thought he was “doing his best job during his retirement.”

LePage, an early Trump supporter, left the governor’s office in 2019 and later reestablished his Maine residency before moving to Florida.

Additionally, a Golden spokesman said lawmakers are not focusing on reelection, but are working to protect the state’s fishing communities, reduce healthcare and secure jobs at ironworking facilities shipyards.

Golden won reelection to Congress through Maine’s optional voting system. He won by a narrow margin, but Republican Austin Celia defeated him by under 1% last year, according to political race tracker Ballotpedia.

Golden said in his re-election bid he was an independent voice and campaigned about his willingness to work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

“I was one of the most independent and most bipartisan members of Congress,” Golden said during an October discussion. Golden said he voted against President Joe Biden more than any other family Democrat.

Democrats also promoted advocacy for the lobster industry. This is a major part of the region’s economy known for lobster fishing and logging.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has issued a statement in response to Lepage’s bid to challenge the Golden at its GOP base.

“Jared (Golden) Rubber is engraved on the radical left transgender agenda, as 90% of donors are out-of-state liberals,” he said in the statement. “It’s no wonder his records aren’t fully in contact with Maine.”

NTD, sister media to the Epoch Times, contacted the Maine office to confirm the claim and did not receive a response by the time of publication.

LePage’s Congressional bid represents the second attempt at a political comeback after his retirement after losing to Gov. Janet Mills in 2022. He condemned the loss of the election for the focus of the governor’s contest on abortion rights. Lepage said in the debate that he would reject a bill that would ban abortions in 15 weeks.

With Republicans already having a slim majority in the lower rooms, Maine’s Second Congressional District will become one of the most viewed house races in the country.

The medium-term elections will be held in November 2026. A total of 468 seats will be gloved, including Senate seats and all 435 home seats.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From NTD News