AUBURN — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson called former Gov. Paul LePage “the quintessential all-American story” and urged Mainers to support his bid for Congress during a Monday campaign stop at Auburn Concrete.
The Louisiana Republican said Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat is one the Republicans need to flip to expand their House majority in November.
With workers in hard hats behind him, Johnson touted LePage’s difficult childhood of abuse, his post-graduate degree, his business background and his two terms as governor.
“There are a lot of people running for Congress this cycle,” Johnson said. “There is no one who is as qualified as this gentleman is.”
LePage faces Democratic State Auditor Matt Dunlap in the Nov. 3 election. In response to Johnson’s Monday visit, Dunlap’s Campaign Manager Harry Burke said national Republicans are “sending reinforcements” because LePage is not doing well in the polls.
“Paul LePage will vote in lockstep with the Medicaid cuts and the tariffs that Mike Johnson keeps pushing,” Burke said. “DC Republicans rolled Paul LePage out of his Florida retirement and realized he’s not up to the job so they’re sending reinforcements.”
A July poll released by the Dunlap campaign shows a close race, with Dunlap at 49%, LePage at 48% and 3% of voters undecided.
Two years ago, Johnson came to Auburn to stump for Republican Austin Theriault, who was running against Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden for the seat. At that time, Johnson called the race “one of the top five contests in America.”
Golden went on to a narrow victory in that race, but just a year later, announced he would not seek reelection.
This year, Johnson said the GOP will have to “defy history” to pick up seats in the House during the midterm election in which the president’s party typically loses ground.
“This is a contrast election,” he said. “The American people see that. It is a contrast between common sense and crazy.”
In his remarks, LePage talked about his view of limited government and said he wants to lower taxes and create jobs for Mainers.
“Government’s role is very simple,” LePage said. “Provide us with the infrastructure, help those who are truly vulnerable and then get the hell out of the way.”
When asked how many terms he would like to serve in Congress, LePage, who is 77, drew a chuckle from Johnson with his answer.
“I’m going to run for Congress as long as my health and sanity holds up because they tell me that Washington, the sanity might go first,” he said.
