Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage, the Republican gubernatorial candidate who is seeking a third term, threatened to “deck” a Democratic Party staffer for approaching him at an event on Sunday, The Daily Beast reported.
Video obtained by the outlet showed LePage, the man once dubbed “America’s Craziest Governor,” threatening the person as they approached him.
“Six feet away, or I’m going to deck you,” LePage said, pointing at the staffer who was filming the encounter. “If you come into my space, you’re going down. Enough is enough.”
Four years ago, LePage, a 73-year-old businessman who once described himself as “Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular,” said he was planning to retire and go to Florida. But last year, he launched a comeback bid to oust his Democratic successor. Since then, he’s tried to soften his image.
“I’ve been a bit controversial in the past,” LePage said at an event last year. “Hope to clean up my act this time.”
LePage’s campaign did not respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment. Drew Gattine, the chairman of the Maine Democratic Party, told the outlet that LePage “was, is, and always will be a bully.”
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