Maine’s four candidates for governor faced off Sunday night at Maine Public’s Your Vote 2018 debate at the Gracie Theater at Husson University in Bangor. In one of the last major debates before the election, a major question looming over the race is whether independent Alan Caron will drop out, as he pledged last spring in a newspaper column that he would do if polls showed he couldn’t win.
When asked why he hasn’t fulfilled that pledge, Caron said he had written that any candidate who can’t win should remove themselves from the race. “I have been waiting patiently for many weeks for my three opponents to get out of this race. And I’ve calculated now that if only two of them get out, I’m going have a really good chance to win this thing,” Caron said to laughter from the crowd.
He finished his answer by saying he would have an announcement within the next few days. On Monday morning, Caron announced that he planned to hold a news conference at 10:30 at the Portland Public Library, though he did not specify the reason.
Many of the questions in the debate were specific to the candidates. When Republican Shawn Moody was asked how he would govern differently than current Republican Gov. Paul LePage, Moody cited the fact that his business is employee-owned, and said, “I’m a collaborator. I’ll get along as long as we’re getting ahead.”
Moody also pledged to find funding to expand Medicaid, even though he has placed the same restrictions on funding sources as Gov. LePage.
Democrat Janet Mills was asked to respond to her opponents’ characterization of her as a career politician. Mills said, “I like to think public service can be an honor and a privilege.” She said she was in the private sector for 14 years, and that as attorney general she has stood up for victims of crime in Maine and has taken on polluters and pharmaceutical companies.
As an independent, Terry Hayes is campaigning on a pledge that she will bridge the partisan divide in Augusta. When asked what major proposal she has to bring warring political factions together, Hayes said she first wants to meet with legislative leaders after the election.
“And then I want to meet with them as group. And I want to maintain that meeting schedule throughout my tenure so that we can work together putting what we want to do on the table and helping each other get those goals met,” Hayes said.
Hayes and Mills had a testy exchange when the candidates took turns asking each other questions. Mills asked Hayes who her second choice for governor would be if ranked-choice voting were available in the gubernatorial election. Hayes refused to answer, then said, “It’s interesting to me, though, Janet, that you pose it, because you’re the one, as attorney general who tried to stop it from being implemented in the first place, having written a number of arguments to propose we shouldn’t be having it.”
When ranked-choice voting appeared on the ballot in 2016, Mills did warn that the initiative could be unconstitutional in gubernatorial races. She reminded Hayes that the Maine Supreme Court confirmed her opinion. “If I become governor,” Mills said, “I’ll sit down and help write a constitutional amendment that will make ranked-choice voting available in this kind of election.”
In closing statements, Mills cast the decision before voters as a choice between turning back the clock or a future of hope. Moody emphasized his position as an outsider who would bring his business acumen to state government. Hayes reminded voters that, as state treasurer, she’s worked with a Republican administration and legislators from both parties. Caron said the election shouldn’t be about personality or political party, but about leadership that’s comfortable with change.
Maine Public will host debates for both the First Congressional District and U.S. Senate candidates on Tuesday at Bowdoin College in Brunswick. For a complete schedule of when the those will be broadcast, go to mainepublic.org.
Originally published Oct. 29, 2018 at 5:56 p.m. ET.
