Waterville mayor LePage, a tea party favorite, wins seven-way Maine GOP primary for governor

LePage wins Maine GOP primary for governor

AUGUSTA, Maine — Waterville mayor Paul LePage, a favorite of many in the conservative tea party movement, has been nominated by Maine Republicans to be their candidate for governor.

LePage, a career businessman, says he’s shocked by the overwhelming backing as he handily defeated six other candidates. He says it indicates Mainers want smaller government and more fiscal responsibility.

While some of the GOP candidates distanced themselves from tea party-inspired planks in the state’s Republican platform, LePage courted the movement’s activists.

LePage will face the winner of a four-way Democratic race and three nonparty independent candidates in November in the race to succeed term-limited Gov. John Baldacci (bahl-DAH’-chee).