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For Immediate Release:
June 16, 2010

Contact:
Mary Erin Casale
mecasale@mainedems.org
(207) 619-4336

ME GOP Vice Chair: LePage Too Extreme

 

WATERVILLE- Wednesday, the Republican Party held a press conference on the steps of Waterville City Hall endorsing the GOP nominee for governor, Paul LePage. This event took more than a week to coordinate and considerable internal politicking by a divided party.  

Despite this message of so-called "unity", not all Republicans are pleased with the nominee. Former Republican Party Vice-Chair Scott Kauffman expressed frustration with his Party's new direction and refused to stand with LePage. "I feel that party unity only exists if you toe the party line and give up your own personal beliefs. I for one am not able to do that; therefore I cannot and will not be giving my endorsement to Mr. LePage. The Tea Party, and to a larger extent the Maine Republican Party, has become too extreme."

Kauffman was a member of Maine Republican leadership from 2006 to 2008 and served as a delegate to the 2008 Republican National Convention as a McCain supporter. "I have been a proud member of the Republican Party for years, but they are the ones that have abandoned me and for that reason I will move on and let them destroy a proud heritage."

LePage holds questionable views on a number of issues, going so far as calling global warming a hoax and calling for the repeal of the Maine Human Rights Act. Key members of his staff were involved in crafting the Tea Party takeover of the Republican platform, and LePage himself has called for the dissolution of the Department of Education, the Environmental Protection Agency and even the Department of Energy.

"Republicans are divided because their Party chose a far right wing nominee," said Arden Manning, coordinated campaign manager for Victory 2010. Democrats held a unity press conference less than twenty four hours after Mitchell's nomination, where the three other candidates strongly endorsed her bid for governor. "It took Republicans more than a week to pull this show together because Paul LePage is so conservative that even Republicans will not back him. His views aren't in the mainstream, they are in the extreme. I think Maine Republicans will reject the divisive, extreme politics of Paul LePage and the Tea Party."

 

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