Republican Candidates in Maine “Racing” to Prove Fealty to Trump in Messy Gov Primary

Republican Candidates in Maine "Racing" to Prove Fealty to Trump in Messy Gov Primary

New reporting from the Bangor Daily News looks at how Maine's Republican candidates for governor are "racing" to win Donald Trump's endorsement - even as the Trump administration is taking away health care and raising costs for Mainers.

As Republicans compete in Maine's messy Republican primary, the leading candidates are all seeking Trump's nod and "publicly embracing" his agenda. Trump's budget bill - which the candidates have praised - has caused health care premiums to "double, triple or even quadruple" for more than 50,000 Mainers and forced thousands of ACA enrollees in Maine to cancel their plans because of skyrocketing costs.

But the Republican candidates want to go even further. Jonathan Bush has publicly called for stripping thousands of working Mainers of their health care, saying "people with jobs rolling along on [MaineCare] destroys us," while Bobby Charles praised the GOP budget law that has jacked up health care costs for over 60,000 Mainers and Garrett Mason worked for years as a legislator to block MaineCare expansion.

"Bobby Charles, Garrett Mason, and Jonathan Bush are all running to bring DC Republicans' agenda of gutting health care and raising costs to Augusta - and they couldn't be more out of touch with Mainers," said DGA spokesperson Kevin Donohoe.

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