LEWISTON Maine (Reuters) - Maine Republican Governor Paul LePage was re-elected in a tight race over Democratic challenger Mike Michaud on Tuesday, promising supporters he would improve Maine’s business climate and fight harder against welfare fraud.
LePage, 66, is an outspoken Tea Party-backed conservative who was considered one of the most vulnerable governors in the country when the campaign began. He took 47.5 percent of the vote with 56 percent of precincts reporting by early Wednesday morning, while Michaud had 44.1 percent and centre-bit independent Eliott Cutler had 8.4 percent.