Can LePage Squeak Out Another Win In Maine ?

Back in 2010, Republican teabagger extremist Paul LePage was able to get elected governor of Maine, even though he only got about 38% of the total votes cast. That's because it was a three-way race -- with Democrat Libby Mitchell and popular Independent Eliot Cutler (who had once been an aide to Ed Muskie and Jimmy Carter) splitting the Democratic / Independent vote. Cutler finished second with 36%, and Mitchell came in third with about 19%.

LePage has not been a popular governor, and I think most Maine voters would like to see him go. The problem is that it is once again going to be a three-way race. The Democrat this time is Mike Michaud, and he is doing much better than his predecessor did in 2010. But Independent Cutler is again running, and while he isn't garnering the support he got in 2010, he is getting enough to make the race very close between Michaud and LePage.

The chart above was made from a recent Rasmussen Poll (taken of 830 likely Maine voters between April 23rd and 25th, with a 3 point margin of error). It shows LePage and Michaud in a dead heat with 40% of the vote each, with Cutler getting about 14%. I had hoped the voters of Maine had learned a hard lesson from 2010, and would unite to toss LePage out (who has been disastrous as governor). But it's starting to look like we may witness a replay of the 2010 election -- with LePage squeaking out a win as the other two much more moderate candidates split the non-Republican vote.

I hope I'm wrong, because LePage has been every bit as bad a governor as the teabaggers in Texas, Oklahoma, and Florida. The people of Maine deserve better.