Paul LePage

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Paul LePage (2015)

Paul LePage (* 9. October 1948 in Lewiston , Maine ) is an American politician of the Republican Party . He was governor of the state of Maine from January 2011 to January 2019 .

Life

Career

Paul LePage grew up in an extended family; he is the oldest of 18 siblings and half siblings. LePage, whose parents immigrated to the United States from French Canada , spoke only French in his parents' home and did not learn English until college . As a child he was often beaten by his strict father, so that he ran away from home at the age of eleven and then lived for about two years as a homeless person on the streets of his hometown Lewiston. He initially earned his living as a shoe cleaner, later as a dishwasher in a café and also cleaned trucks for a transport company. More odd jobs at a meat processing factory when cook and bartender followed.

LePage applied for a place at Husson University in Bangor, Maine , after high school , but was turned down due to his lack of English. It was thanks to the intervention of Peter Snowe, the first husband of the future US Senator Olympia Snowe , that LePage was allowed to write the entrance exam in French. LePage learned English at Husson University, wrote for the student newspaper and later became its editor-in-chief. He graduated with a degree in business administration and then moved to the University of Maine , where he obtained a Master of Business Administration .

In 1996, LePage became managing director of Marden's Surplus and Salvage , a supermarket chain. With the money he saved, he founded LePage and Kasevich , a management consultancy for companies and banks.

He is married to Ann LePage.

Political career

After serving two terms on the city council, LePage successfully ran for mayor of the 15,000-inhabitant town of Waterville , Maine, in 2003 . As mayor, he lowered taxes, was responsible for extensive administrative reform and was able to increase the city's capital from one million dollars to around ten million dollars.

In September 2009, LePage announced that it was running for governor of Maine. He was able to beat nine Republican candidates , including Peter Mills , the 2006 Republican candidate , in the party primary . In the actual election on November 2, 2010 , LePage won it with around 38 percent of the vote. This was enough, since three independent candidates ran alongside Democrat Libby Mitchell . Eliot Cutler, a competitor independent of LePages, took second place with a deficit of almost 8,000 votes and a share of 36.7 percent; Mitchell finished third. On January 5, 2011, LePage was introduced to succeed John Baldacci . Kevin Raye , President of the State Senate , acts as his deputy , since there is no lieutenant governor in Maine. In the gubernatorial election on November 5, 2014 , LePage was re-elected and took up another term in January 2015.

LePage spoke during the Republican primary for the presidential election in 2016 for his governor colleagues from New Jersey , Chris Christie , out. After he retired from the race in February 2016, both LePage and Christie announced their support for the later victorious Donald Trump . After thinking about running for the 2018 US Senate and challenging Angus King , he decided in May 2017 to stay in governorship.

LePage's tenure as governor ended in early 2019. He planned to retire from politics and move to Florida, where he and his wife have a vacation home, and teach at a university there.

Positions

As a Republican and a supporter of the Tea Party movement , LePage traditionally represents conservative values, is against same-sex marriage , is against abortion and is against more influence from Washington, DC

Paul LePage is known for controversial statements and provocative sayings. In January 2016, he accused African-Americans and Hispanics traveling from New York City or Connecticut to be to blame for his state's heroin problem. On August 27, 2016, he referred to these population groups as "enemies" and indirectly suggested that they should be shot. He demanded in October 2016 that Donald Trump as president "authoritarian power" ( Authoritarian Power should exercise).

Web links

Commons : Paul LePage  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Maine Gov. Paul LePage endorses Trump for president. In: CNN.com , February 27, 2016.
  2. ↑ Dennis Hoey: LePage won't seek King's US Senate seat in 2018, adviser says. In: Portland Press Herald , May 10, 2017.
  3. ↑ Kevin Miller: LePage says he's 'done with politics' and headed to Florida for retirement - and maybe teaching. In: The Portland Press Herald , November 5, 2018.
  4. ↑ Jess Bidgood: How Controversial Is Gov. Paul LePage of Maine? Here's a partial list. In: The New York Times , August 29, 2016.
  5. ^ Maine Governor Paul LePage criticized for 'racist' remarks. BBC News, August 27, 2016, accessed September 16, 2018 .
  6. ↑ Huffington Post.
personal data
SURNAME LePage, Paul
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician (Republican Party)
DATE OF BIRTH October 9, 1948
PLACE OF BIRTH Lewiston , Maine