As rift grows between LePage and Republican Senate president, so do prospects for primary challenge

[jpak]

http://www.centralmaine.com/2015/11/30/as-rift-grows-between-lepage-and-republican-senate-president-so-do-prospects-for-primary-challenge/

Gov. Paul LePage’s displeasure with Senate President Mike Thibodeau could escalate from the governor’s repeated public criticism of a longtime conservative ally to a challenge in next year’s Republican primary.

Thibodeau, of Winterport, said he has heard that former state Sen. Carol Weston is preparing to run against him in June. Weston said she “absolutely has no plans to run,” but declined to rule it out. Speculation has swirled about her candidacy among Republican activists and lawmakers. If she runs, a widely publicized rift between the governor and Republican legislators will take center stage in the Senate District 11 contest.

A primary contest between Thibodeau and Weston or another candidate would have ramifications for the direction of the Maine Republican Party, which has been torn by divisions between LePage loyalists and other lawmakers who disagree with him. A primary battle would also create distinct parallels between Maine and Kansas, where Republican Gov. Sam Brownback successfully purged legislators from his own party in 2012 after they opposed his efforts to slash the state’s income tax.

Thibodeau, who opposed LePage’s controversial tax overhaul this year, said he was focused on the upcoming legislative session and recruiting Republican Senate candidates to run in 2016.

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