Peter Mills, June 16, 2010.
“I think it’s Paul LePage’s burden to persuade people otherwise this summer. I think that Democrats were able to define Chandler Woodcock in an adverse way during the summer months, and I think it behooves Paul to come out, by taking an affirmative stance on some positive issues that resonate with independent, moderate voters and the Democrats.
I think he needs to say that’s not the primary task of a governor. The governor shouldn’t be elected on the basis that he’s there to perform some social mission. His job is to administer the biggest enterprise in the state of Maine, which is state government.
There was a good grassroots campaign. They effectively organized through volunteers, and he’s tapping into a sentiment that’s very widespread. People look at him as someone a lot like themselves, only more successful maybe, and they empathize with him.
This was not a tea party election. It was an election that, in his case, appealed to a much broader spectrum of the population.”
Paul LePage, June 16, 2010
“Well, creation. You know, quite frankly, it’s a learning tool for our kids. I think we should teach them everything possible and let them make their own minds up on how they want to live their lives. Gay marriage. The Maine people have decided. They have voted. I will uphold the law. As far as pro-life, coming from 18 kids, if I was for pro-choice I might not be here, so.
If we concentrate on social issues as the No. 1 issue this fall, the state of Maine is doomed. We have to concentrate on jobs, fiscal responsibility, accountability, and have common sense regulations in the state of Maine. And that’s what it’s all about. You want to talk about something else you’re going to have politics as usual. If you want politics as usual, I’m not your guy. If you want the state to prosper, I’m your guy.
On fed-up voters:
I’d say the results of the election speak for themselves.
How to win:
The same way we did it in the primary. We went to the voters, we went to their homes, and we spoke one-on-one with people, and that’s what they wanted.
I am going to run Waterville until the latter part of the summer, and then we’ll see how things look.
Bill Beardsley:
This race has been like rival football teams, or sporting teams from different high schools, and we fight tooth and nail with each other. But the season’s over, we’re all going to college — Paul LePage, I will add, went to Husson and I’m very proud of that. Paul’s captaining the team and we’re all behind him 100 percent of the way. And one of the big athletes on this team who’s going to be working with us all the way through November and victory for Paul is Steve Abbott.
Steve Abbott:
I got all my best campaign advice from my 5-year-old son, Henry. You’ve heard me tell this story. Right after the convention, we were sitting, having breakfast, on Sunday morning, and Henry said, “Daddy, all that stuff everybody’s talking about, doesn’t matter. Just talk about business. That’s what I need in Maine.” So Wednesday morning after the election I’m having breakfast, and Henry’s there, and he goes, “Daddy, you forgot my message.” So Paul, my one piece of free advice for you: Don’t forget Henry’s message.
Peter Mills:
My support for this nominee [ 3 seconds] is [6 seconds] I need to see. And I think I speak for many people in this party. We need to see in this party this summer a gathering together of positive affirmative ideas to give the people of Maine some idea of what we will do when we ascend to power in the governorship, in the state Senate and perhaps in the House.
I came into public service in 1994, on the tide of the contract with America. I came into the majority in the Senate. We tried to rule, we tried to govern, but we got into some squabbles we didn’t need to, we divided along lines where we didn’t need to divide. And we failed to deliver to Maine people a clear conception of the affirmative, positive things we need to do, we wanted to do, in order to make this state a better place. And we lost the next election.
So I have lived through these tides. I’ve experienced them. It is important that we as a party begin to set aside some of the social issues that divide us, some of the stuff that we get into squabbles about within the party and begin to focus on business … and specifically on the business of managing and running state government. It is a mess. And I am a ringside witness to that mess and I stand ready to help in guiding this candidate and I think I speak for all of us, we stand ready to guide him in developing policies that will reach out to the voters who must elect us in November, and who must support the governor through the four years of management. Because politics doesn’t end on Nov. 3. You have to have public support all the way through. And if we are going to overhaul these complex systems of state government — the 13,500 people who work in state government, the 7,000 contractual relationships the state government enters into — this Republican Party is going to need constant, daily support from people all over Maine. Paul LePage is going to need that support. And I’m here to give it to him today. But we all need to be there. One of the reasons is because I think if we start to ask state government some of the same questions you have to ask about managing Mardens — and that’s where I think his management skills come to the fore. Because Mardens has grown — it’s tripled in size since he came to the company. It’s one of the most popular places for anybody to go shopping. He has created an appeal to the Maine customer. Well, guess what? That’s what state government is all about. It is a service organization, it is the largest organization in Maine, it is the largest business in Maine and it has to appeal to its customers. And let’s put somebody in charge who knows how to do that.
Paul LePage:
I’ll take a word from Calvin Coolidge: The business in Maine is going to be business come November.
“She has had a quarter of a century of time and she has driven our state backwards. This election and this campaign is going to be about putting Maine in the right direction.”
Jobs, lower taxes, reform regulatory environment.
