Augusta, Maine — Rick Bennett is expected to hold a press conference today on money in politics. There’s just one problem: his own super PAC is bankrolled by Paul LePage donors.
According to American Journal News, Gray and Sandra Bahre and Paul Coulombe have collectively poured $100,000 into Bennett’s super PAC, Maine Wins Together. Those same donors have also spent heavily backing Paul LePage and the Maine Republican Party.
This comes as no surprise, given Bennett’s outsized role in Paul LePage’s political operation. Bennett was chair of the Maine Republican Party during the LePage years. He campaigned with LePage in 2010 and served on LePage’s transition team after the election. It’s just one chapter in Bennett’s more than four decades as a Republican insider.
Statement from Maine Democratic Party Spokesperson Lauryn Fanguen:
“Rick Bennett wants to lecture Mainers about money in politics while benefiting from a super PAC funded by Paul LePage donors. If Bennett is serious about cleaning up politics, he should start by disavowing the Paul LePage PAC propping up his own campaign. Until then, his empty words are nothing more than political theater.”
Read more about Bennett’s long history with the Maine GOP here.
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