Peter Vigue Sounds Increasingly Like A Candidate

On the same day that Senate President Elizabeth Mitchell (D-Vassalboro) shocked the state by declaring her candidacy for Governor, Cianbro CEO Peter Vigue gave a speech in Waterville that outlined his plan for Maine's economy.

The (presumed) Republican was in the backyard of likely primary opponent (and Republican Punk's favored son) Paul LePage, talking about his long-desired East-West highway, extending I95 up to the Canadian border, increased rail use, improved energy infrastructure, a $300 million "revolving capital loan" to attract business, and turning Maine into the "food basket" of the east due to Maine's proximity (one day's drive) to 2/3 of the U.S. population.

While his plans seem to be a little convuluted at times, he is a very intelligent man, strong leader, and has the business acumen and fiscal and regulatory conservatism that Maine needs. It seems unlikely that he'd be on this (decidedly non-Cianbro related) tour if he didn't have something up his sleeve. We'll keep our eyes out.

WTF, Peter Mills?

What is Peter Mills, a Republican state senator and candidate for Governor of Maine in 2010, doing speaking at an Obamacare rally. He starts by stating that he is "offering a different perspective" and he didn't say anything that directly relates to the House very liberal plan, but he also didn't say anything remotely close to Conservative reforms (portability, moving tax benefits to individuals instead of tying them to jobs, entitlement reform, pooling, etc. al.) While it is nice to see someone standing up for what they believe in even if it opposes their party, he adds "bipartisan" legitimacy to a very partisan process thusfar (with a quick shoutout to Max Baucus in the Senate, who is trying against all odds to make it bi-partisan). Mr. Mills, while a very smart and honorable man, faces quite a challange explaining things like this to primary voters, especially if either an electable conservative (Paul LePage, mayor of Waterville, for example) or a more popular-with-conservatives moderate (Peter Vigue, CEO of Cianbro, for another example) runs.



Hat Tip: As Maine Goes