Eliot Cutler (at right)
Eliot Cutler, the independent candidate who finished second in 2010 as Paul LePage was elected governor of Maine with just 38 percent of the vote, held a press conference Wednesday morning to announce that he was not dropping out of the race. Cutler told his supporters to vote their conscience—which, if their consciences led them to another candidate could mean a significant boost for Democratic Rep. Mike Michaud, who is currently tied with LePage—but also said that despite trailing by up to 20 points in recent polls, he could still win. His message was more than a little muddled, in short. One group of Cutler supporters, though, held their own press conference directly after the candidate's to announce that they were endorsing Michaud.
Cutler's press conference may have been prompted by the fact that Tuesday, as it was becoming clear that he was drawing support much more from Michaud than from LePage, the Republican Governors Association unveiled an ad trying to sway potential Michaud voters to Cutler, seeking to win the race not by boosting LePage but by boosting Cutler.
Cutler had more or less stopped airing ads in recent weeks. But Maine's extended early voting period means that many Cutler supporters may have already voted. This isn't the first time Cutler had suggested that his supporters could consider his chances before voting:
In May, Cutler told Portland Press Herald columnist Bill Nemitz that he was prepared to tell supporters, “If on the day before the election, or the morning you have to go vote, if you don’t think I can win, vote for someone else.”
The moment when Cutler looked like he could win passed by some time ago—again, he's trailing by 20 points in recent polls. If his supporters' consciences want someone other than Paul LePage as governor, that means voting for Mike Michaud.
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Another four years of Paul LePage would be a disaster for Maine. It's time for a final all-out push to elect Mike Michaud.
1:25 PM PT: Michaud gets a strong statement of support from a top Maine independent:
.@SenAngusKing: "We still have a chance to elect a governor who will represent the majority of Maine people ... Mike Michaud."
— @burgessev