While the debates in Maine’s Governor’s race have been relatively low key, even congenial, the final televised debate on Portland station WGMEThursday evening was anything but. The tense exchanges among candidates were focused on TV attack ads that have aired in recent days.
For most of this election season, the TV ads coming from the candidates for governor had matched the tone of the campaign itself: emphasizing issues and trying to sell viewers on the experience of the candidates. But early in the week the Republican party started running an ad claiming that Democrat Janet Mills had agreed to a plea bargain that allowed a deputy sheriff, who had been charged with sexual abuse of a minor, to avoid jail time. Mills said a jury acquitted the deputy, and that the judge had made it clear that her office could not retry the case.
Mills also responded with an ad attacking Republican Shawn Moody for flip-flopping on abortion.
In Thursday's debate, Mills defended the ad, saying “Eight years ago he said he was pro choice, now he is saying he is not pro choice. It’s fair game to point out that somebody inconsistent on issues as important as that.”
In an ad she also brought up a legal complaint from an employeealleging employment discrimination by Moody.
Moody responded, “If Janet Mills is going to attack one of the most reputable fathers, family figures, community members, business people in the state of Maine; if she is going to attack me, what do you think she is going to do to you running the state government?”
Moody went on to demand an apology from Mills for the ad, which he said is slanderous and untrue. Mills responded by pointing to the Republican Party ad aimed at her.
“I don’t know why you don’t call on your friends in the Republican party, Jason Savage and folks like that, to take that ad down you know it is untruthful so why not ask them to take it down,” Mills said.
Independent Terry Hayes decried the use of negative ads and repeated her pledge to work with both parties to solve the state’s problems.
“To date, as of this afternoon, combined more than a quarter-of-a-million dollars has been spent by both campaigns to in negative attacks on me,” said Hayes. “I figure you folks are smart enough to see through that stuff. I am not going to respond to the details. I have never run a negative ad and I never will.”
There have been no apologies over the ads that provoked the sharp exchanges, and both are still on the air.
Independent Alan Caron did not participate in the debate, having withdrawn his candidacy on Monday, when he also endorsed Mills. His name will still be on the ballot.
