Former Maine Governor Paul LePage has returned to the political scene, this time trying to help fellow Republican Demi Kouzounas oust independent Angus King from his seat in the U.S. Senate.
Former two-term Republican Governor Paul LePage speaks at Dysart’s rest stop in Hermon in November 2022. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer, File
LePage will host a fundraiser next week for Kouzounas, a former chairman of the Maine Republican Party, and will be joined by former U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, who also campaigned for former President Donald Trump.
“Angus King is out of touch with reality, he has no energy and no time,” LePage said in a fundraising email. “Maine deserves a senator with the energy, enthusiasm and dedication to represent our values in Washington. Angus King does not have that. Demi Kouzounas does.”
King, who is just finishing his second term, appears unconcerned about his re-election campaign and has sent fundraising emails to his Senate colleagues who face tougher presidential challenges in swing states, including Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) and Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania).
“Senator King believes, as always, in the fundamentals of our democracy: winning hard-fought elections and convincing his constituents that he is the right man for the job,” campaign spokeswoman Dana Youngentob said in a statement. “Senator King will remain focused on winning the continued support of the people of Maine, one step at a time, by focusing on what matters most: working from the middle to lower the cost of living, address the shortage of affordable housing and bring good-paying jobs to Maine.”
LePage has largely retreated from the public eye since losing his race for a third term as governor to Gov. Janet Mills in 2022. Mills defeated the former two-term Republican governor with 55% of the vote in a three-candidate race.
LePage, who returned to Florida after his 2022 defeat, resurfaced late last year to headline a fundraiser for victims of the Lewiston mass shooting.
King, who served two terms as governor in the late 1990s and early 2000s, faces three challengers for his Senate seat this fall.
In addition to Kouzounas, King is being challenged by Democrat David Costello of Brunswick and political newcomer Jason Cherry, an independent Unity candidate who is making the 80-year-old incumbent’s age a central issue in his campaign.
Recent polls show King comfortably in the lead more than two months before the election.
Senator Angus King, Maine. Joe Gromelski/Special to the Sun Journal, File
A poll released last week by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center showed King with a 10 percentage point lead over Kouzounas, 43% to 33%. According to the Pine Tree State poll, King received strong support from Democrats (70%) and independents (51%). Costello received 9% and Cherry 3%.
The poll also found King’s approval rating at 45 percent, compared to 10 percent for Kouzounas. However, 64 percent of respondents said they did not know enough about the Republican challenger to form an opinion.
Last week’s poll did not ask whether King’s age was a concern for voters, although challengers have focused on that issue. But a UNH poll this spring suggested voters are not worried: 65 percent of Maine voters said they were confident King is mentally and physically able to serve another six-year term.
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