Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Michaud is blaming political tactics for the blow up over a controversial video that appeared on the Bangor Daily News website this week.
"Neither my campaign nor I had anything to do with the production of that video and the Republicans know it." said Michaud at a Friday evening press conference in Portland. "I just left that kind of dirty and gutter politics in Washington D.C. It's outrageous."
The short video in question was produced by a Bangor Daily News blogger, Alex Steed, and focuses on Michaud as he runs for the Governor's seat. But in the video is a rap song called The King of Maine in which there's a line about Republican Senator Susan Collins "giving everyone brain." That's urban slang for oral sex. Michaud staffers say they didn't understand the true meaning of the reference when they chose to retweet the video on Thursday.
But reactions from the Maine Republican Party were immediate and strong. Maine Republican Party Spokesperson Deborah Sanderson, a state representative, decried the video as "appalling and completely inexcusable" and said in a statement that Michaud was responsible for the offensive production.
But Michaud says Republicans are trying to score political points by blaming him.
A spokesman for Collins' re-election campaign declined to comment.
