AUGUSTA (NEWS CENTER Maine) — Although Paul LePage's days as Governor are numbered, he isn't letting that stop him from continuing to make headlines with brash statements.
On WVOM Tuesday morning, LePage said he will be watching Governor-elect Janet Mills and may run again in 2022 if he does not like what he sees.
"I am gonna monitor this governor's performance, and if she [Mills] does what I think she is going to do, which is return to the days of the Baldacci 2010 era, I will run again in 2022."
Despite his strong statements, LePage says he wants to see the next administration succeed and he expects a smooth transition.
"I love this state, I just don't like the snow in the winter," LePage remarked.
"I fully intend to cooperate, and I fully intend to leave the Blaine House in perfect shape...We want to continue to see the state prosper."
LePage also used one of his last chats with conservative radio hosts to cite a 1922 KKK rally in Maine as the reason why New England is "so blue."
All but one federal political position in New England is being run by a Democrat. When asked about the political shift in Maine, LePage says he believes French Canadians coming into the U.S. were negatively influenced after seeing "a whole lot of Republicans with red hoods" attending a 1922 KKK rally in Brownville.
"Growing up, if you said the word 'Republican,' man, you couldn't find a job, and it has been that way for a long, long time," LePage said.
As he nears the end of his eight-year tenure, LePage laughed about a recent court ruling to roll out the Medicaid expansion that was approved by Maine voters but that LePage vehemently blocked.
A Superior Court Justice gave the state until Feb. 1 to roll out the expansion for eligible Mainers, which is expected to add coverage for at least 70,000 low-income Mainers.
LePage also commented on his recent back surgery saying he could "hardly walk" when he went in for surgery at the beginning of December and walked out of the hospital doing much better.
"I should have done this a long time ago."