President Donald Trump renewed his endorsement of former Governor Paul LePage for governor on Monday, just one day ahead of the primary, and strangely predicted a Democratic primary victory from former state auditor Matt Dunlap, despite him polling behind frontrunner Sen. Joe Baldacci (D-Penobscot).
“Former Governor Paul LePage will be a tremendous Congressman for the amazing people of Maine’s 2nd Congressional District,” said Trump on Truth Social.
“A proven America First Fighter, Paul has been with us from the very beginning, helping us, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! In Congress, he will work hard to Grow our Economy, Strongly Advocate for Maine’s Great Lobstermen, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Safeguard our Elections, Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Strengthen our Military/Veterans, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment,” he added.
The endorsement comes just one day ahead of a primary in which LePage is already the presumptive nominee. He is the only Republican candidate for the Second Congressional District who will appear on the primary ballot.
Trump has previously endorsed LePage’s congressional campaign, and Vice President J.D. Vance endorsed his congressional bid when he visited Maine in May to discuss fraud problems plaguing the state.
Trump’s message also included harsh criticism of Dunlap, who previously presented himself as a moderate Democrat but who has seemingly become more radical since joining the congressional race.
“Paul will most likely be running against a Radical Left Democrat named Matt Dunlap, who loves High Taxes, High Interest Rates, Expensive and Unreliable Electricity, Open Borders, and Transgender for Everybody, among other CRAZY ideas, but the good news is that Paul LePage is a WINNER, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement. Election Day is Tuesday, June 9th,” said Trump.
Despite Trump’s statement, Dunlap is not favored to win the upcoming primary.
A late May through early June poll conducted by Fair Vote in collaboration with the Bangor Daily News found Sen. Baldacci polling at 27 percent first-place votes compared with Dunlap’s 22 percent. The poll also found that Baldacci would maintain his lead over Dunlap if the race goes into ranked choice voting.
A Pan Atlantic Research poll conducted in May placed Baldacci as the strong frontrunner in the race, with 39 percent support compared with runner-up Dunlap’s 17 percent.
Prediction betting markets, such as Kalshi and Polymarket, place Baldacci as the clear frontrunner; on Kalshi as of Monday afternoon, his odds of victory are 70 percent compared with Dunlap’s 9 percent; on Polymarket, Baldacci draws 76 percent odds compared with Dunlap’s 14 percent.
It is not clear why Trump or the staffers who may have written the post believe Dunlap to be the likely winner. The endorsement post was very similar to the endorsement he sent in December. It included a significant amount of the same language, but the new message was altered since then, and was not simply a repost of the earlier statement.
The Maine Wire reached out to Dunlap and Baldacci’s campaigns for comment.
“After a MAGA super PAC spent $500,000 to attack Joe Baldacci and boost Matt Dunlap, Donald Trump jumped in to make sure no one missed the message that they’d prefer that Paul LePage not face Joe,” said Jared Bornstein, Baldacci’s Chief Advisor, speaking with The Maine Wire.
Dunlap’s campaign did not respond.
