BANGOR – Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage says any elimination of the Electoral College would hurt white people.

LePage told WVOM radio that allowing the popular vote to choose the president would give minorities more power and that “white people will not have anything to say.”

Proposals to eliminate the Electoral College are sometimes floated but fail to gain traction. A Maine legislative committee plans to discuss a proposal this week.

LePage said cutting the Electoral College would mean there is never another presidential candidate from small states like “Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Wyoming, Montana, Rhode Island.”

While governor, LePage sometimes made statements about race that stirred controversy and accusations of racism, such as blaming out-of-state, minority dealers for bringing drugs into Maine and saying that they often impregnated “young, white” girls while in Maine.