Vice President JD Vance blamed widespread fraud in Maine on Democratic congressional candidate and state auditor Matt Dunlap on Monday, accusing him of failing to protect taxpayer dollars as he campaigned for Republican former Gov. Paul LePage.
Vance, appearing alongside LePage in Brewer, Maine, also mocked Dunlap for previously having to step down as state auditor after failing to meet the position’s certification requirements.
“How did Maine become one of the main capitals of defrauding the American taxpayer?” Vance prompted. “And the answer turns out, is, well, I’ve heard a lot of answers. All of those are right, but look, one of the answers is somehow you guys hired an auditor who is not actually an auditor and failed the auditor exam.
“If you want somebody managing your money, maybe they ought to actually meet the constitutional requirements to do the job,” the vice president said. “For Matt Dunlap, if you’ve got a guy who cannot protect your tax dollars from fraudsters, who has turned your state into one of the fraud capitals of the United States of America, maybe you should be saying to Matt Dunlap, ‘You’re fired, not promoted to the United States Congress.’”
Dunlap previously served in the role from January to October 2021 before he had to resign after failing two of the three exams required to become a certified public accountant. He was reappointed in November 2022 after passing the exams.
Vance also used his platform to make a positive case for LePage, who himself has been criticized for his past sexist and racist comments, in addition to calling Maine Democratic state Rep. Drew Gattine in 2016 a “socialist c***sucker.”
“This guy is so much fun to be around, and his love for Maine is infectious,” Vance said on Monday. “This is not a politician who punches the card. … He is not a go along to get along politician. He is an independent-minded guy, but he is independent for you. There’s one thing I know that Paul cares about, and that’s fighting hard for his people, every single day. We got to send Paul LePage to Congress.”
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A July poll conducted by Tulchin Research had LePage and Dunlap in a statistical tie, with Dunlap’s support at 49% and LePage’s at 48%.
The Cook Political Report, however, describes their race as a likely Republican pick-up opportunity after incumbent Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) announced he was stepping down from Congress last November.