WOOLWICH, Maine – A large pro-Trump sign that stood for years on a ledge overlooking Route 1 in Woolwich has been replaced with a new political message: DavidJones for Governor.
The sign, visible to thousands of motorists traveling through the Midcoast community, had become a familiar landmark along the heavily traveled road. According to the Jones campaign, the Trump sign was repeatedly vandalized over the years, only to be repaired or replaced each time it was damaged.
Jones, a Falmouth businessman running in Maine’s Republican gubernatorial primary, said he had long noticed the sign while driving Route 1 toward Wiscasset. He said its history struck a personal chord because he has displayed a similar 4-by-8-foot Trump sign at his Falmouth home since 2015 and has also experienced repeated vandalism.
“It became symbolic,” Jones said in a campaign statement. “Two people who had never met, both refusing to back down because of intimidation or political hatred. No matter how many times the signs were vandalized, they went back up.”
Now, the Woolwich property owner and Jones have aligned behind the gubernatorial candidate’s campaign, with a Jones sign taking the place once occupied by the prominent Trump display.
Jones is among the Republican candidates seeking the party’s nomination for governor in the June 9 primary election. He has promoted himself as a businessman and political outsider seeking to succeed Gov. Janet Mills, who is barred by term limits from seeking a third consecutive term.
The Jones campaign said the new sign is intended to represent more than a roadside endorsement, portraying it as a symbol of political persistence among Trump supporters who believe they have faced hostility for publicly displaying their views.
Jones’ campaign said he has supported President Donald Trump since 2015 and described him as the only candidate in the governor’s race to have maintained that support from the beginning. That assertion was made by the campaign.
The campaign also condemned political vandalism and intimidation, saying private property should not be damaged because of political disagreements.
“No matter how many times people tried to tear those signs down, they kept coming back stronger each time,” Jones said. “That’s the spirit of the people I’m fighting for. We don’t back down. We fight like hell for what we believe in.”
The appearance of the Jones sign in Woolwich comes as Republican candidates are making their final appeals to primary voters ahead of the June 9 election, with the winner advancing to the November race for governor.
Maine will lose if republicans lose .
It’s simple to understand
Maine will need o be smart, not only a Republican Governor but we need the State House to be truly in power. No control of the State House the Governor is powerless.
s
I dreamed once about staking out that sign one dark night and shooting the vandals who kept defacing it .
I had a dream .