AUGUSTA, Maine - Gov. Paul LePage took another swipe at fellow Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, saying her refusal to endorse president-elect Donald Trump means she's "done" in Maine.
The governor, speaking on WGAN radio in Portland, responded to a question about whether he thought Collins would run for governor in 2018.
"I think Susan Collins is done in Maine," he said. "I think her decision to go against the wishes of the Maine Republicans really cooked her goose."
LePage also suggested that Collins' lack of support for Trump was driven by her desire to land a cabinet job in a Hillary Clinton administration. Annie Clark, Collins' spokeswoman, said in a statement that the assertion was untrue. Clark added, "Her goose not only hasn't been cooked, it hasn't even been plucked yet. In fact, her goose is alive and healthy and looking forward to many more years of service to Maine."
Clark also directly addressed the governor's claim that Collins wanted a job in a Clinton administration.
"Absolutely not. During the course of the raucous presidential campaign, Senator Collins repeatedly described Hillary as a flawed candidate and made it clear that she could not support her. Had she been seeking a cabinet position, she would have endorsed Secretary Clinton and voted for her-- which she obviously did not do."
Clark said Collins would not have accepted a position in either a Trump or Clinton administration if one was offered.
Speculation that Collins might run for governor began last year. She has said that she remains focused on her work in the U.S. Senate.
There is also talk among Republican activists that Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew is plotting a gubernatorial bid. Mayhew has aligned herself with LePage, who has won the favor of hard-line conservatives in the party, while Collins represents the moderate constituency.
Collins is also the most popular elected official in Maine. She draws support from independents, Republicans and Democrats. Her bipartisan appeal has sometimes angered the more conservative wing of the Maine Republican Party. That anger surfaced when she announced earlier this year that she didn't believe Trump is fit for the presidency and that she would not vote for him.
LePage joined the chorus of conservative outrage when he recently said that Collins wasn't his kind of Republican.
