The news out of the state of Maine has been relatively quiet in recent years and that's no coincidence. The state used to dominate headlines for very bad reasons as former Governor Paul LePage regularly embarrassed the state and anyone seen even standing in close proximity to him, but LePage was kicked out of office in 2019.
LePage moved to Florida following his defeat in 2019, but his self-imposed exiled recently ended when he moved back to Maine with the intent of running for governor again.
LePage held his first campaign rally last night where he played a few familiar notes about immigrants.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Paul LePage, the former two-term governor of Maine, who left office less than three years ago, launched his campaign to win his old job back with a rally at the Augusta Civic Center on Wednesday night. [...]
LePage attacked his successor, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills on a variety of issues, including her welcoming asylum seekers from Africa to Maine.
"Inviting a number of non-citizens coming across Maine's border with free housing, free food, and free medical care paid out of your pockets,” LePage said, to which the crowd responded with loud booing.
State Republicans are reportedly worried that LePage will simply make them look bad and have nothing to show for it by failing to win.
That seems like a well founded fear because while LePage did not openly fantasizing about killing people of color or tell a tale about black drug dealers from New York impregnating Maine's white women, last night was just his opening act.
A single gubernatorial contest in the state of Maine may or may not necessarily be a bellwether for the enduring value of Trumpism, but it will probably be covered that way by the press. And maybe it should be. Democrats can actually run against LePage in the name of keeping the state wholesome.
LePage embarrassed the state and the nation long before Trump even ran for office, but if Trump is now the standard for the entire party we may see many more LePages in the coming years.