Yahoo News – by Maxwell Tani, Business Insider
In an impassioned handwritten letter to a constituent, Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) rejected a request to resign and insulted about half of his state in the process.
According to the Maine Beacon, after resident Louise Sullivan sent a letter to LePage asking him to resign, she received a personal reply back from the governor that dismissed southern Maine residents and called them corrupt.
Here’s the text of the letter:
Louise,
I bet you would like to see me resign.
You live in the south who exploit those who are not so fortunate, or understand the level of corruption that southern Mainers ignore and welcome!
Regards,
Governor Paul R. LePage
P.S. Not going to happen!
This isn’t the first time LePage’s letters have sparked controversy.
Earlier this summer, the governor wrote a handwritten apology to a high school student after LePage said that he wished he could shoot the student’s father, who is a cartoonist at the Bangor Daily News.
Elected as part of the Tea Party wave of the 2010 midterms and re-elected last year, LePage has cultivated a reputation for bullish political tactics and occasionally inflammatory gaffes.
During his state of the state speech earlier this year, LePage deviated from his prepared remarks about the state’s budget priorities in order to talk about allegations that immigrants living in the US without permission are bringing HIV and tuberculosis into the state.
LePage, who is highly unpopular with the state’s legislature, has faced a series of challenges that threaten to overshadow his priorities. As Politico notes, he’s currently facing calls for impeachment, an abuse-of-power investigation, and a lawsuit involving allegations that he blackmailed another lawmaker.
LePage’s office did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment on the letter.
Homosexuals don’t like the Maine Governor.