Paul LePage (R)

Governor of Maine (since January 2011)

(Renee Trust Photos)

Why He Matters

With an infamous temper that fits right into the political times, LePage left home at age 11 to escape an abusive father. After living on the streets with a rudimentary knowledge of English as a teen, he ultimately earned a business degree and in 2010 was elected governor of Maine in a narrow three-way race. He is the first popularly elected governor of Franco-American heritage, which a substantial minority of Maine's population identifies with.

A fiscal and social conservative, LePage wants to reduce personal income taxes to a flat five percent. He supports nuclear energy and isn't convinced that humans contribute significantly to global warming. He is against abortion rights and same-sex marriage.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: Waterville Mayor (2003-2011), Marden's Surplus and Salvage general manager (1996-2011); Waterville City Councilor; LePage and Kasevich counsulting (1983-1996)
Birthday: October 9, 1948
Hometown: Lewiston, Maine
Alma Mater: Husson College, B.S.; University of Maine, M.B.A.
Spouse: Ann LePage

Religion: Roman Catholic
State/District Office: 185 Main Street
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Path To Power

The second-oldest of eighteen children, LePage grew up in a French-speaking home and left at age 11 to escape an abusive father. He lived on the streets for many years as a teen, working as a shoe shine boy, at rubber and meat-packing plants, and as short-order cook to survive.

Originally denied acceptance to Bangor's Husson College due to his poor English skills, he was later allowed to take the admission exam in French thanks to lobbying on the part of Sen. Olympia Snowe's (R-Maine) first husband, Peter.

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After enrolling at Husson, LePage learned English and became editor of the college newspaper. During his senior year, he got his first taste of politics as the student government president. He later earned his MBA at the University of Maine,though he lived in New Brunswick, Canada, beginning in 1972 and was briefly married to a Canadian woman before returning to the United States in 1979.

LePage did private consulting work in business, law and government through his company, LePage and Kasevich, which he founded in 1983 and ran until 1996. Since 1996, LePage has been the general manager of Marden's Surplus and Salvage, a furniture and flooring store with several Maine locations. Since 2003, after a short stint on the city council, he has also served as the mayor of Waterville.

Though he has run a campaign that has been called a "coup" by some, LePage became a popular gubernatorial candidate even before he announced his candidacy.

Encouraged to run by grassroots constutionalists, conservative activists and the tea party, LePage has been championed as the kind of deeply conservative outsider who could easily ride the wave of political dissatisfaction to capture the governor's seat in 2010. Some even credited LePage's candidacy with firing up the latent conservative movement in traditionally-liberal Maine.

2010 Gubernatorial Campaign

LePage beat six other Republican candidates in the 2010 gubernatorial primary, despite being outspent by more than ten-to-one. Though not an official tea-party candidate, LePage has attended tea party events and has been supported by both tea party volunteers and fundraisers.

In the hopes of claiming the seat John Baldacci (D) will give up at the end of his second term in January 2011, LePage is running against Libby Mitchell (D) and three independent candidates.

Campaign Controversy

During his 2010 gubernatorial campaign, LePage confessed that he and his wife Ann had received permanent-resident tax exemptions on homes in both Maine and Florida, allegedly breaking state law in both places. He has since been cleared of the charges in Florida. LePage also doesn't register his car in Maine and drives a company car from Marden's.

On the campaign trail, LePage's temper often got the better of him. During an interview, he swore at a reporter, and he stormed out of a news conference on a different occasion. He also threatened to punch another reporter, though he later said he never had any violent intentions.

Furthermore, he made controversial statements about President Obama when he told a group of fishermen, "As your governor, you're going to be seeing a lot of me on the front page saying: 'Governor LePage Tells Obama To Go To Hell.'" He has since apologized for the remark.

Of his notorious temper, LePage has said, "I'm like a dog. I bark more than I bite and I've never bitten anyone yet."

The Issues

LePage is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment.

LePage supports the creation of an Maine East-West highway, saying it would expand business opportunities and tourism, including significant traffic from Canada.

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Government Transparency and Partnerships

LePage believes in government transparency. As governor, he will require state agencies to post their budgets and spending records online in a way that is fully accessible to taxpayers. He has pledged to fight for a timelier Freedom of Access Law. He wants to establish a state version of C-SPAN so that Maine citizens can monitor state legislative proceedings and hearings.

LePage has stated repeatedly that he believes the government should partner more closely with the private sector, or what he calls the "jobs creator."

Energy

LePage opposes emissions trading. He supports other types of alternative energy sources, including nuclear, solar, and biomass. as well as wind or tidal and hydro-energy production. But during the 2010 gubernatorial campaign, he declared that he wasn't eager to implement new energy initiatives.

Though as mayor he supported efforts to curb greenhouse gases, as a gubernatorial candidate, LePage has argued that he is not convinced of the relationship between greenhouse gases and climate change. Accordingly, he has said that he is more concerned about spending less money on energy than reducing carbon emissions.

During the 2010 campaign, he called global warming a "scam" and believes it is a tactic to make people more reliant on big government. He has also stated, "I don't know if global warming is a myth or not, but I will say this: I do not believe in the Al Gore science."

If natural gas was found in New England, he would support drilling in shallow waters, where the technology has been proven more effective and safer than deep water drilling, he believes.

Welfare Reform

Seeking to model Maine welfare reform on the Wisconsin system, LePage wants to stop penalizing people who make enough money to stop needing full welfare benefits. He favors less strict tiers than currently exist so that families that begin making more than the welfare limit will not lose all of their benefits at once.

LePage believes in order to confirm residency requirements to receive welfare benefits, there should be a short waiting period. He does favor overall limits on welfare benefits so that eventually, people are forced to become self-sufficient.

Same-sex Marriage

LePage is against legalizing same-sex marriage, though domestic partnerships remain legal in Maine. Same-sex marriage was signed into Maine law in 2009 but later overturned in a referendum.

LePage explains his opposition this way: "Because I'm a man and I love women." He has also said: "Being a French Catholic, I just firmly believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. I think that...there are a number of measures that can be made...to protect civil rights, and I don't think that they need to have the term 'marriage.'"

Health Care

LePage believes the Obama administration's 2010 health-care reform bill is unconstitutional and seeks to repeal it.

Having lived in Canada for a few years, LePage has said "that system is not what it's cracked up to be." He claims the Canadian system rations care and benefits, which he strongly opposes.

Taxes

As governor, LePage has pledged to cut taxes. He favors a five percent flat tax on families making more than $30,000 a year.

He also favors a five percent corporate flat tax on businesses earning between $30,000 and $500,000 a year. He doesn't specify a desired tax rate for companies that make in excess of $500,000 annually. LePage also wants to abolish fees on startup businesses.

LePage wants to reduce automobile excise taxes to reflect purchase price rather than MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) and cut the excise tax rate by 20 percent.

The Network

During his 2010 gubernatorial campaign, LePage was endorsed by RGA Chair and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour.

Additional Resources