Yesterday, after Governor Janet Mills officially launched her re-election campaign, the Maine GOP and Paul LePage’s campaign doubled down on the only strategy they know: blatantly lying about Governor Mills’ record. Here are some of the most egregious lies from yesterday:

GAS TAX LIES:

Governor Mills does not support raising the gas tax. The false claim used by Paul LePage yesterday at a press conference and echoed in statements by the Republican Governors’ Association and the Maine Republican Party mischaracterizes a report about how Maine’s transportation sector can reduce carbon emissions. Governor Mills does not support raising the gas tax.

HEALTH CARE ACCESS LIES:

The Maine Republican Party accused Governor Mills of reducing “access to health care in our rural and urban areas.” This is blatantly false. Governor Mills has expanded access to health care to nearly 90,000 Maine people, many of whom were unable to access health care under Paul LePage because he repeatedly blocked voter-approved MaineCare expansion.

GROCERY TAX LIES:

Despite what the Republican Governors Association tried to claim, Governor Mills has never signed a grocery tax into law. The RGA is mischaracterizing LD 1541, legislation co-sponsored by Republican State Senator Rick Bennett and Republican State Reps. Jeffery Hanley and Thomas Skolfield, that would shift the cost of recycling from consumers to producers. The bill does not contain a grocery tax.

INFLATION LIES:

The Maine GOP also accused Governor Mills of supporting increasing costs for Mainers during this time of inflation. In fact, Governor Mills has proposed sending $750 inflation relief checks to Maine taxpayers, an idea originally proposed by Republicans. At his press conference, LePage laughed at the idea of providing direct relief to Mainers.

LIES ABOUT LEPAGE’S RECORD:

Republican lies weren’t limited to Mills’ record—they also made up an entire fantasy world about LePage’s tenure in office, pretending he didn’t completely fail Maine’s children, rural areas, and economy. LePage’s favorite DC-based consultant even tried to wildly exaggerate the crowd size at LePage’s campaign launch.

“Paul LePage and his campaign know that if this election ends up being about an honest comparison of his record of failure and Governor Mills’ record of success, they don’t stand a chance,” said Drew Gattine, Chair of the Maine Democratic Party. “Their solution? Lie as often and as shamelessly as possible. We can’t let them get away with it and drag Maine backward.”

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