AUGUSTA, Maine — David Trahan is the executive director of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine, but he spent a lot of time this week indoors, at his desk, listening to his computer.
He searched for answers after former governor and current gubernatorial candidate Paul LePage posted on Twitter and Facebook on Monday, accusing the influential gun rights, hunting, and outdoor group of pressuring him to promise money toward a project in exchange for a favorable grade in the group's election guide.
"To be honest, I was shocked; I was hurt," Trahan said during a Thursday interview at SAM headquarters in Augusta. "I thought, at that point, the process had been very fair."
By Thursday morning, Trahan said he had listened back to pieces of a taped interview he and SAM board members from the alliance had with LePage on Aug. 15.
Trahan proposed the meeting after LePage, a Republican who served as Maine's governor from 2011 to 2019, filled out the group's questionnaire that they send to candidates in statewide races. LePage's opponent, incumbent Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, completed the 22-question prompt. U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, and Republican former Rep. Bruce Poliquin also turned in questionnaires.
Among a wide range of topics discussed during the hour-long interview: plans for a new fish hatchery. According to a copy of the questionnaire given to NEWS CENTER Maine by the LePage campaign, LePage had checked "undecided" on the questionnaire when asked about support for a new hatchery and providing state money for its funding. He explained his position in the interview.
"My point is, do I support it? Of course, I support the project," LePage said. "Can I tell you that in January, we're gonna go bond $40 million? No, I can't, because I've gotta look at what is there[and] what are the key priorities at the time in which we do it. That's all it is."
After the interview, Trahan offered LePage a chance to revise his questionnaire.
According to Trahan, within days of that offer, LePage himself called and told Trahan to withdraw his questionnaire. SAM published its 2022 election guide on Friday to its members throughout the state. Unlike the other candidates, there was no letter grade next to LePage's name. Instead, a note in bold letters read, "Candidate Paul LePage withdraws SAM-ILA questionnaire after interview — Grade: Incomplete."
LePage tweeted his accusation three days later on Monday.
When reached for comment on Thursday, the LePage campaign told NEWS CENTER Maine between the wording in the questionnaire, the interview, and SAM's second attempt at getting the questionnaire answered, LePage felt the group was trying to corner him into committing resources to the hatchery project.
Trahan, and Craig Poulin, treasurer of SAM's institute for legislative action, said they were merely laying out their policy goals with no expectation of promises.
"[He made] statements that, absolutely — I'll characterize them as inaccurate," Poulin said. "I'll be generous and say that they were inaccurate statements."
The pair said they feel they need to defend their integrity against an attack from the leader of a major party for fear the entire party might turn against them.
"He fired a torpedo at our ship," Trahan said.
"We're really at a loss as to why we're even having to have this discussion to try to straighten out something that we don't know where it came from or why," Poulin explained.
LePage believed his defiance to SAM is evidence he never makes promises in exchange for votes.
"I don't buy endorsements or support by making promises," he wrote at the end of his Sept. 26 Tweet thread.
Trahan believed the exchange was an unforced error by LePage, a fight that didn't need to happen.
"Our membership likely leans, a strong majority, in support of Gov. LePage," Trahan shrugged. "I believe we're part of his base as outdoors people, as gun owners. And, I can't understand why this has happened. Because it's sort of like fighting with your family members. It doesn't make a lot of sense to us, politically."
Despite the refusal of SAM's board to give a letter grade to LePage, their election guide featured an article outlining the former governor's positions on policy issues important to them and where he worked with their leadership while in office.
Meanwhile, the campaign said LePage "would be happy to work with anyone" if he takes office. He just won't commit to spending any money before he resides in the familiar Blaine House once more.