Midterm results: Janet Mills beats Paul LePage in Maine gubernatorial election
Asher Notheis
Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills fended off former Gov. Paul LePage Tuesday night to secure a second term as the state’s governor.
Mills’s victory means she will serve as the state’s governor through 2027, as she was elected governor in 2018 and is permitted to only serve up to two consecutive terms, according to the state.
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LePage has a history of making controversial remarks and endorsed then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016. In his return to politics, however, he toned down his stance and attempted to distance himself from former President Trump. In launching his 2022 bid against Mills, LePage focused on the economy and rising crime while trying to avoid controversy around social issues like abortion.
Mills, the first female governor of Maine, was predicted to be the victor of the state’s election, with the incumbent having a 12-point lead of 53% compared to LePage’s 41%. The poll, conducted from Sept. 19-20, surveyed 1,164 very likely voters and had a margin of error of 2.79%, according to Emerson College Polling.
The economy was the top concern for 39% of the participants in the survey, while threats to democracy were the second most important at 19%, and abortion access followed at 16%.
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A total of 58% of participants in the survey had a favorable view of Mills, while 41% had an unfavorable view of her. LePage, on the other hand, had a mostly unfavorable view from the participants at 53%, with only 45% of participants having a favorable view of him.