Why longtime Trump ally and former Republican Gov. Paul LePage is aiming for a political comeback

LEWISTON, MAINE - EXCLUSIVE - Former two-term Gov. Paul LePage of Maine says President Donald Trump is a large crushed wherefore he's coming retired of governmental status astatine property 76 – and he's eyeing a run comeback.

"I never, ever had immoderate aspirations to spell to Washington until now," LePage said this week successful his archetypal nationalist interrogation aft launching his bid for the House successful Maine's Second Congressional District, which is simply a apical plaything spot the GOP aims to flip successful the 2026 midterm elections.

The contention volition apt beryllium 1 of the astir intimately watched House races successful the state adjacent twelvemonth arsenic the Republicans purpose to clasp their fragile bulk successful the chamber.

"Donald Trump, I think, is doing what is indispensable successful addressing the indebtedness this state is facing. And I deliberation that's a big, large happening for me," LePage said arsenic helium was interviewed successful the Maine metropolis wherever helium was calved and raised.

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Former Republican Gov. Paul LePage, who is moving for the House successful 2026 successful Maine's 2nd Congressional District, speaks with Fox News Digital successful Lewiston, Maine, connected May 7, 2025, successful his archetypal interrogation aft announcing his candidacy.  (Fox News - Paul Steinhauser)

LePage highlighted, "I person a person successful the White House close now. I cognize President Trump. I deliberation I tin person an assemblage of President Trump. I cognize respective of his secretaries precise well. And truthful I deliberation this is simply a bully time. It's a bully clip for maine to spell help."

LePage – the brash and blunt person who won implicit blue-collar workers struggling with economical woes, which helped the Republican businessman triumph predetermination and re-election successful the blue-leaning authorities – was 1 of the archetypal large GOP elected officials to endorse Trump erstwhile the president archetypal ran for the White House astir a decennary ago.

"I was Donald Trump earlier Donald Trump became popular," LePage joked astatine the time, successful a enactment that's since go famous.

The blimpish governor, who grabbed nationalist attraction with arguable comments made during his tenure, concisely moved with his wife, Ann, to Florida aft finishing his 2nd word successful 2019.

"I americium done with politics. I person done my 8 years. It’s clip for idiosyncratic else," helium said astatine the time.

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But LePage re-established residency successful Maine 5 years agone and challenged his successor arsenic governor, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, successful the 2022 election.

LePage ended up losing his bid for a 3rd word by 13 points to Mills, but helium did transportation the 2nd Congressional District successful that race.

Moderate Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, a U.S. Marine seasoned who deployed to the wars successful Afghanistan and Iraq, and who often bucks his ain enactment successful Congress, has held the spot since archetypal winning it successful 2018.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, astatine a quality league successful the U.S. Capitol connected Wednesday, March 6, 2024, has represented Maine's 2nd Congressional District since archetypal winning the spot successful 2018. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

But Golden won re-election by a razor-thin borderline past twelvemonth successful the district, which is the second-most agrarian successful the U.S. and the largest eastbound of the Mississippi River.

And Trump, who carried the territory successful the 2016, 2020 and 2024 statesmanlike elections by nine, 7 and 10 points, earned an electoral ballot each time, arsenic Maine and Nebraska, are the lone 2 states successful the national to allocate their electoral votes partially by legislature district.

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Golden, successful a connection aft LePage announced his candidacy, said, "I thought Paul was doing his champion enactment successful retirement."

But the 42-year-old Golden has yet to denote whether he'll question re-election adjacent twelvemonth oregon alternatively tally for either the state's Senate spot oregon the unfastened governor's office.

In his Fox News interview, LePage reiterated that the nation's indebtedness is simply a apical information for him to instrumentality to politics. As of May 8, the nationalist indebtedness was $36,212,886,111,158.26, according to Fox News' National Debt Tracker. 

"It's the spending and the indebtedness that this state has, and I'm disquieted astir my grandchildren, great-grandchildren. And I deliberation we person a president present that's truly consenting to tackle it, and I’m consenting to help," helium said.

But LePage added that "the different happening that is truly large is what's happening successful our state with the woke environment. I deliberation I privation to beryllium determination to assistance cleanable that up if we can. Having boys play successful girls' sports is truly sad."

He besides highlighted his Tuesday meeting—part of a three-day plaything done the legislature district—with Maine pupil Cassidy Carlisle, whom helium described arsenic "the courageous young pistillate warring unfair antheral contention successful girls’ sports."

Maine's 2nd Congressional District shares a agelong borderline with Canada.

When asked if he'll beryllium spotlighting borderline information and migration arsenic large issues successful his campaign, Lepage said, "Big time."

But the arguable tariffs the president placed connected nations crossed the globe past period has strained relations with Canada.

Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage, who's moving a Republican run for Congress successful 2026, speaks to a elector astatine a weapon store and indoor firing range, connected May 7, 2025, successful Poland, Maine. (Fox News - Paul Steinhauser)

"I'm each for the tariffs," LePage said. "The tariffs volition hole our planetary commercialized and little taxes."

LePage acknowledged: "Is it going to wounded successful the abbreviated term? Yeah, it's going to wounded a small spot successful the abbreviated term, but I deliberation it's necessary."

And helium predicted that "the tariffs are going to beryllium a short-term problem. I deliberation they're going to settee out."

LePage spoke with Fox News astatine Lewiston's Franco Center, a performing arts halfway and historical tract of Franco-American civilization located successful a erstwhile Gothic religion built successful 1907 for French Canadian immigrants successful Maine, which is located alongside the city's humanities mills and canals. 

Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage, who's moving a 2026 Republican run for Congress, tours the Franco Center, a performing arts halfway and historical tract of Franco-American civilization located successful a erstwhile Gothic religion successful the metropolis of Lewiston, connected May 7, 2025. Lepage was baptized arsenic a kid successful the church. (Fox News - Paul Steinhauser)

The erstwhile governor, who survived a troubling and often brutal upbringing, gave Fox News a circuit of the galore dwellings wrong blocks of the Franco Center, wherever helium spent his childhood.

The eldest lad of 18 children, LePage grew up speaking French successful an impoverished location with an alcoholic and abusive begetter who was a mill worker.

At property 11, helium ran distant from location aft his begetter bushed him and broke his nose. He lived connected the streets of Lewiston and often crashed connected friends' couches for a mates of years earlier earning a surviving shining shoes, washing dishes astatine a restaurant, and haling boxes for a section motortruck driver. 

"I had a very, very, unsmooth upbringing arsenic a youth. We were successful welfare, we were successful poverty," helium said.

Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage points successful the determination of a gathering wherever helium lived during his childhood, successful Lewiston, Maine, connected May 7, 2025. (Fox News - Paul Steinhauser)

LePage, speaking successful the religion wherever helium was baptized and sought refuge during his household troubles, told Fox News, "It feels bully coming successful this building. This was a peculiar building. A mates of nuns and priests were truly adjuvant successful my upbringing."

He went connected to postgraduate from precocious school, and with fiscal assistance from friends, attended and graduated from college.

He aboriginal enjoyed occurrence arsenic a businessman, including greatly expanding Marden's Surplus and Salvage, a Maine-based discount store chain.

Years later, helium ventured into politics, winning predetermination to the Waterville metropolis assembly and aboriginal serving arsenic the city's politician earlier winning statewide bureau successful 2010.

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The erstwhile politician says his unsmooth puerility has influenced his governmental beingness successful a mode that not galore different politicians tin understand.

And helium lamented, "Unfortunately, the mentality successful the existent nine is not to assistance radical get retired of poverty, but it's to support them successful poverty."

"I privation to assistance get them retired of poverty," helium said. "I deliberation determination are truthful galore programs that we tin institute that volition elevate radical successful poverty, alternatively than support them."