AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Republican Gov. Paul LePage says Maine’s economy is back on track with 20,000 more private sector jobs.
His opponents are equally adamant that the state’s economic recovery is lagging under his leadership.
The truth is that Maine’s economy has shown a mix of successes and setbacks, giving candidates plenty to cheer — or complain about — in the state’s hotly contested three-way gubernatorial race
LePage’s campaign frequently highlights Maine’s declining unemployment rate, which has dropped more than 25 percent since he took over in January 2011.
But Maine has regained only about two-thirds of the roughly 30,000 jobs it shed during the Great Recession. The national economy, however, recently recovered all the nearly 9 million jobs lost in the downturn.
