OLD ORCHARD BEACH — On Saturday, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and others talked about their hope to elect more Republicans, both in-state and nationally.
This goal went over well with the dozens of local Republicans attending the fifth annual Lincoln Day Breakfast at the Captain’s Galley restaurant in Old Orchard Beach, sponsored by the Saco Republican Committee.
Those gathered were celebrating Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican president and the nation’s “greatest president,” said Collins. The breakfast was also used as a way to rally the troops and motivate them to work to elect Republicans in the Maine legislature, Congress, and re-elect Gov. Paul LePage.
“All elections are important,” said Collins, and “the coming one is crucial.”
Electing Republicans to keep them in the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and to get a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate is vital, said Collins, as a way to counter President Obama’s use of his executive power to circumvent Congress to push his agenda forward.
Within the state, electing a majority of Republicans in both chambers of the Maine Legislature and re-electing LePage is also important, she said. LePage has done a lot to improve the business culture in Maine, to lower unemployment and create jobs, Collins said, and re-electing him will continue the momentum of his policies.
LePage’s Chief of Staff John McGough also talked about the governor’s accomplishments, some of which he said included “the largest tax cut in Maine’s history,” lowering the highest tax rate of 8.5 percent to 7.95 percent; reducing unemployment; limiting the amount of time people can collect Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, or TANF, benefits; and paying off state debt to Maine hospitals.
In the governor’s race, LePage is “facing an uphill battle,” said McGough, and the Republicans gathered at the Captain’s Galley were needed to work for his campaign against challengers U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud, D-Maine, independent Eliot Cutler and others.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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