Paul LePage

Paul Richard LePage (/ləˈpeɪdʒ/; born October 9, 1948) is American businessman and politician who served as the 74th governor of Maine from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the mayor of Waterville, Maine, from 2004 to 2011 and as a city councilor for Waterville from 1998 to 2002.

LePage was elected mayor of Waterville in 2003 and reelected in 2008. He ran for governor of Maine in the 2010 election, winning with 37 percent of the vote in a five-candidate race. He was re-elected with a stronger plurality, 48 percent of the vote, in a three-candidate election in 2014. During his tenure as governor, he made extensive use of his veto power, vetoing 652 bills as of July 2018, more than the total by all Maine governors over the previous 100 years combined. LePage was criticized for making controversial remarks regarding abortion, the LGBTQ community, racial minorities, the death penalty, voting rights, campaign financing, the government and the environment that sparked widespread national criticism, leading to some calling for his impeachment.

LePage was unable to seek a third consecutive term due to Maine's term limit laws and was succeeded by Democrat Janet Mills. After leaving office he announced his retirement from politics and would reestablish residency in Florida, but in 2021 he announced he would run for governor again. He faced no primary opposition but would lose to Mills by 13 percentage points in the 2022 general election. After his loss he returned to Florida.

Despite his plurality wins, LePage often ranked among the least popular governors in the country. In a 2016 ballot initiative, Maine voters changed their voting system from plurality voting to ranked-choice voting, although it is currently not applicable for gubernatorial elections.