AUGUSTA, Maine - Gov. Paul LePage added to his criticism of U.S. Sen. Angus King when he told Portland radio station WGAN that the Maine people had given the former governor "a free ride."
LePage has been a frequent critic of King and has repeatedly suggested that me might challenge him for his senate seat in 2018. On Thursday, LePage repeated his desire to take on King.
"The only reason I would run against Angus King is I believe he's had a free ride with the people of the state of Maine, despite the fact that he's really not a Mainer, he's from Virginia," LePage said. "There are several things that he's done that I don't think the Maine people know."
The governor did not explain what he think King has done wrong. He also said there was a rumor that King might run for governor. King's office denied the rumor, saying King is running for reelection to the Senate.
Scott Ogden, King's spokesman, responded the governor's remarks with a written statement.
"I think if you asked most people in Maine, they’d say three successful statewide elections isn’t a free pass, and while Senator King has only been in Maine for 47 years, he has long said he would have preferred to be born in the state, but unfortunately he didn’t have much say in the matter and he loves his mother too much to cast blame," Ogden wrote. "Senator King will run for reelection to the Senate in 2018, but for now, he is focused on working with President-elect Trump and his colleagues in Congress to improve the lives of Mainers and strengthen the country."
