Augusta, Maine — In a sit-down interview with News Center Maine’s Phil Hirschkorn, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bobby Charles was asked about his plan to slash $4 billion from the state budget. Charles, who has faced repeated criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike over his budget agenda, tried to pivot away from his well-known proposal.
Hirschkorn, alongside many reporters in the Maine press corps, has covered Charles’ budget plan, begging the natural follow-up question from Hirsckorn: “Are you modifying your goal?”
Hirschkorn: “Earlier in the campaign, you talked about cutting as much as four billion dollars out of the budget. The last budget was only 12 billion, maybe the next one will be 14. That’s a third of state spending. Just now you said a billion dollars was something you could do right away. Are you modifying your goal in terms of cutting state spending?”
Charles: The goal is still to get the income tax as low as you can get it.
Statement from Maine Democratic Party Spokesperson Lauryn Fanguen:
“Bobby Charles’ sad attempt to walk back his extreme campaign positions because he knows they’re unpopular with Mainers won’t go unnoticed by reporters or voters. He repeatedly said and defended his plan to cut $4 billion from the state budget. Now that he’s being asked about what specific programs he’ll cut, he’s suddenly trying to walk it back. Mainers deserve better than someone who talks out of both sides of his mouth.”
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