Brewer, Palmer speak with MPBN for report on LePage’s town halls

Mark Brewer, a political science professor at the University of Maine, and Kenneth Palmer, a professor emeritus of political science at UMaine, spoke with the Maine Public Broadcasting Network for the report, “LePage’s town halls: Helping or hurting his agenda?” Gov. Paul LePage has held more than 30 town hall meetings since winning re-election in 2014, according to the report. He touts the forums as his chance to take his message to the Maine people, and also is increasingly using the events to urge voters to select legislators more willing to endorse his agenda, the report states. Palmer said LePage is at his best in front of a crowd, but, “I don’t necessarily think that it means he’s going to be able to elect more Republicans in the 2016 election.” Brewer also questions whether the forums will help LePage achieve his goal, MPBN reported, but says the governor has a lot riding on the election and his legacy, and the forums could help mobilize his core supporters. “If the governor is inserting himself into this (election) cycle and you’re a LePage supporter, you might say, ‘Well, you know what, if this is important enough for the governor, then maybe it’s important enough for me to get involved, too,’” Brewer says. “So, I think it’s a smart move on his part.”