The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Amy Fried is professor emerita of political science at the University of Maine. She lives in Bangor. These views are her own and do not reflect those of the University of Maine.
In 2014, then running for reelection, Gov. Paul LePage debated his opponents: Democrat U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud and independent candidate Eliot Cutler. With Cutler and LePage joining forces to attack him, Michaud struggled to put in a strong performance, while LePage employed details in defending his record.
A dozen years later, the LePage of earlier times is a faded memory. When Paul LePage met Matt Dunlap on the debate stage on Oct. 1, the contrast between the two times and current candidates could not have been starker.
LePage looked like he had lost several steps. His breathing seemed labored and his voice raspier than ever. Rather than speaking directly to questioners and the audience, LePage frequently looked down, reading directly from notes. In contrast, Dunlap looked crisp, nimble, and focused. He answered questions cleanly, offered quick factual corrections, and clearly explained policy and constitutional matters.
When LePage praised federal healthcare cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill and touted a rural hospital fund, Dunlap quickly noted that Maine’s overall healthcare cut is far more than additional money from that fund. To make matters worse, LePage seemed to laugh, as if rural hospitals losing crucial funding and people losing coverage were just a joke.
Mainers across the 2nd District are hurting economically. Dunlap humanized that struggle with something he saw at an auto shop in Old Town, where a woman learned she had to buy expensive new tires while also facing a huge annual increase in heating oil costs.
Dunlap sympathized but went further, pointing to the underlying federal policies making life harder: tariffs, foreign conflict in Iran, and runaway healthcare costs.
LePage, on the other hand, seemed disconnected from daily life in the district. Perhaps that’s not surprising, given how much time he’s spent living in Florida, where he doesn’t have a Maine heating oil tank to fill anymore.
When asked about their top priorities, both candidates turned to healthcare. LePage mentioned expanding dental coverage for veterans. That’s a worthy goal, but one that targets a narrow slice of the population. Dunlap aimed broader, focusing on restoring Affordable Care Act subsidies. That would help tens of thousands of Mainers, particularly low-income elderly and rural residents, keep their health insurance.
As governor, LePage repeatedly blocked Medicaid expansion, vetoing legislation six times and defying a state court order after 59% of Maine voters backed a referendum to expand MaineCare. On stage last week, he defended that record, falsely claiming that hospitals are better off receiving zero reimbursement for uncompensated care rather than slightly lower Medicaid rates. In fact, data shows that expanding MaineCare measurably reduced uncompensated care costs for rural emergency rooms. Getting covered also removes a reason sick people don’t seek care.
When the discussion turned to the Iran war, LePage’s positions were wildly contradictory. He said he opposed the war but then endorsed military action in Iran to stop a nuclear bomb (which experts say the country wasn’t close to getting), and then declared he rejects ceasefires and wants Donald Trump to “go in and finish it.”
In contrast, Dunlap was clear, opposing the war and reminding viewers that Congress has the constitutional responsibility to declare war and conduct executive oversight.
Unlike LePage, Dunlap, in addition to having served as secretary of state and state auditor, has been a legislator and student of history. So perhaps that’s why Dunlap demonstrated a firm grasp of the House of Representative’s oversight, lawmaking, budgetary, and war powers. Still, it was striking that at times LePage seemed oddly confused about the job he’s seeking. For example, LePage suggested that he might personally negotiate trade agreements with Canada because he speaks French, and wrongly claimed war-making is a purely presidential power.
I think LePage lacked the energy, sharpness, and constructive ideas that Dunlap brought from start to finish. Voters in Maine’s 2nd District will soon decide who represents them in Washington, and the debate made the choice crystal clear.