Gov. Paul LePage said Sunday that he is ready to administer the oath of office to state senator-elect Susan Deschambault, a Democrat from Biddeford.
LePage confirmed his intentions to WCSH-TV during a tour of Ireland Hill Farms in Swanville, the first store in Maine to sell “Homegrown by Heroes” products. The program supports military veterans who own and operate farms.
Last week, Deschambault defeated Republican challenger Stephen Martin for the right to represent Senate District 32 through the end of this year. She will fill the seat that became vacant in January when Democrat David Dutremble of Biddeford resigned for personal reasons.
When Deschambault arrived at the governor’s office on Friday with her family for her swearing-in ceremony, she was told it had been canceled. LePage spokeswoman Adrienne Bennett said her boss canceled the event in response to Democrats having voted against Steven Webster’s nomination to the Maine Unemployment Insurance Commission.
On Sunday, LePage told the Portland television station: “Yeah, she’s going to be sworn in. But it’s not on her schedule. My schedule is a little busier than hers.”
WCSH-TV reported that LePage said Deschambault “will be sworn in according to the laws of the Constitution of the state of Maine.”
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