And my response is 70,000 people in the state of Maine that paid income tax in 2011 will not be paying income tax in 2012.

A LePage spokesperson responded "He's got a directness about him that a lot of people find appealing". He has stated that curriculum should be determined by local school boards but that he does not object to teaching creationism in public schools. He has stated that the size of state government is likely too large and that he would probably seek to reduce the number of state employees.

He worked in the private sector as general manager of the 14-store discount chain Marden's Surplus and Salvage from 1996 until 2011. Paul Richard LePage (born October 9 1948) is an American businessman and politician; he is the 74th Governor of Maine serving since 2011.