BANGOR, Maine — Election day is less than four weeks away, and some candidates for office are trying to make some lasting impressions.
Former Gov. Paul LePage and former GOP U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin sat down with voters in Bangor on Thursday morning.
They addressed some of Maine's most pressing issues, such as inflation, shortage of healthcare workers, unemployment, and homelessness.
Inflation is driving up prices for everything from food to heating oil, leaving many Mainers questioning what can be done to ease the prices.
"Inflation has taken hold around the world now," LePage said.
Prices rose 8.2% in the last year, according to the Consumer Price Index. One voter asked what could be done to help inflation as winter approaches.
If elected, Poliquin said he would push to stop what he considers "excessive spending" by the federal government.
"We need to stop spending money willy nilly that we don't have and that we don't need to spend because that money is borrowed or printed," Poliquin said.
Meanwhile, LePage said he has numerous plans of action to reduce inflation.
The former governor said he would give fuel tax holidays during the winter months to give relief on heating fuel prices, help convert homes from needing to rely on heating oil to pellets and wood, suspend turnpike tolls for food trucks carrying food into the state, and suspend certain taxes, like the tax on pet food, until the inflation rate decreases.
"Any increase in fees has to be suspended until we get back down to 2% inflation," LePage said.
However, Democratic Maine state Rep. Joe Perry doesn't think LePage's plan would create much change in prices. Perry is also a small business owner.
"I'm in the store business, and I can tell you taking away tolls or anything else on my suppliers isn't going to trickle down to any reductions to customers," he said.
"Putting money in the consumers' hands, allowing them to spend it as they see fit is the way to go," Perry said. "This is the second round of direct money the Mills administration has put out to people. [It was] $280 a couple years ago, [and] $850 now."
In addition to inflation, voters said they are concerned with the shortage of healthcare workers in the state.
LePage said he's already thinking about opportunities to give more Mainers the chance to study medicine and practice in the state.
"The University of New England right now has a medical school, has a dental school. I am working with him to try to figure out how we can get more of Maine kids into the school and stay in Maine," LePage said.
"Unless we make the change with the people making these decisions, these problems will all get worse," Poliquin said.
Poliquin adding one of his top priorities if elected is to secure the border.
"This open border is hurting our families. Not only with a few million people have come into this country we need to care for, but also this flood of fentanyl is killing our kids," Poliquin said.
"These people that they love to make pawns out of are asylum seekers coming from very dangerous situations," Perry said. "So the people who are pitching the border wall as a reason to be elected are the ones who are not offering any solutions."
Mainers will head to the polls on Nov. 8. Meanwhile, early voting has already begun in many towns across the state.