Two of the four candidates running for Maine governor said Friday they would support an FBI investigation into allegations against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
“This is a lifelong appointment to the highest court in the land, with critical issues like women’s reproductive rights and health care hanging in the balance,” Maine Attorney General Janet Mills, the Democratic candidate in the race said in a prepared statement. “I was concerned by the tone and tenor of Judge Kavanaugh’s testimony yesterday, and I do not trust him to protect the right of women to access safe and legal abortion. I would not vote to confirm him, and I agree with the American Bar Association that the FBI should investigate the allegations before any vote is taken.”
Independent candidate Alan Caron urged Maine U.S. Sen. Susan Collins to vote against Kavanaugh’s nomination.
Maine’s other U.S. Senator, Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, has already said he will vote against confirming Kavanaugh.
“The allegations against Judge Kavanaugh are serious enough to warrant a full investigation,” Caron said. “There is a no reason to vote immediately except for partisan benefit. I urge Senator Collins to vote ‘no.’ That is the only way to ensure that a full investigation will happen.”
But independent candidate and State Treasurer Terry Hayes said the decision on Kavanaugh was up to King and Collins to make.
“Mainers have elected Senators Collins and King to represent them in this matter,” Hayes said. “I simply don’t have all of the facts that they do. I hope that they, along with the other members of the U.S. Senate, weigh all of the evidence, testimony, and background information before making up their minds. The nation is watching and we need thoughtful, nonpartisan leadership now more than ever.”
Lauren LePage, a spokeswoman for the campaign of Republican candidate Shawn Moody, also said the decision on Kavanaugh should be left to the U.S. Senate.
“We have different branches of government,” LePage said. “Shawn Moody is not running to be part of Washington, D.C. Maine has two duly elected United States senators, and it is their decision to make.”
At least four Republican governors have called for a deeper investigation into the allegations against Kavanaugh, including Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, Gov. Phil Scott of Vermont, Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire and Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland, which is Kavanaugh’s home state. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, also a Republican, has likewise called for a delay in the Senate vote on Kavanaugh pending an FBI investigation.
Scott Thistle can be contacted at 791-6330 or at:
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