Republican Gov. Paul LePage, Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud and independent Eliot Cutler squared off Wednesday in the first of five debates in Portland.

Here are a few highlights from the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce debate, held Wednesday at the Holiday Inn by the Bay.

OPENING SALVO:
“If the governor needs help leaving, we’ll help him.” – Michaud, after LePage said he couldn’t attend a chamber event the day after the election because he was planning to leave without saying where he was going.

BUDGET CUTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MAINE:

“We have two of this and two of that. We need to do a better job. It’s not Noah’s Ark.” – Cutler, after proposing to consolidate the community college and university systems.

“We need the trades. They’re focused a little too much on the liberal arts.” – LePage on community colleges.

VERSO MILL IN BUCKSPORT:

“I’m still not convinced it’s going to close.” – LePage

KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 12TH GRADE EDUCATION:

“The difference between you and me is I have figured out a way to pay for it and you haven’t.” – Cutler after agreeing with Michaud about funding public education at 55 percent and protecting revenue sharing.

“If the Maine people would take the opposite of what you just heard from these two opponents, you’d be close to the truth.” – LePage responding to claims that his tax cuts were made outside the budget process and to attacks on his effort to reduce revenue sharing,

MEDICAID EXPANSION:

“He’s giving it in one way and taking it back in the other way.” – Michaud criticizing LePage for bragging about paying off hospital debt, while vetoing Medicaid expansion, which would decrease hospital debt.

MINIMUM WAGE:

“As governor, I will be proposing raising the minimum wage to $9 an hour over a three-year time frame.” – Michaud

“First of all, Portland should read the Maine Constitution. They can’t do what they’re thinking they’re going to do. I’ve already checked it.” – LePage on Portland’s effort to raise the minimum wage.

“I am so tired of hearing minimum wage. How about optimum wage? How about living wages? … That’s the jobs I’m going after. Minimum wage – I’ll leave that up to my opponents.” – LePage

“Mike, you’ve worked across a lot of aisles, that I acknowledge, but you haven’t created a job and you’ve never managed a business.” – Cutler

“You’re that old?” – LePage joked after Cutler said he graduated college in 1968. After the banter, they high-fived.

MAINE AS THE OLDEST STATE

“My staff, which is a very young staff, is really contributing to the future of the median age of the state of Maine. This year, I think eight kids have been born on my staff and I only have 19 people. I mean, one young lady gave twins, she’s really working overtime.” – LePage

LEADERSHIP:

“There’s one person holding us back and that is Gov. LePage. He has no plan – he never had a plan – on how to move forward.” – Michaud

“It’s very clear this election. You don’t have three choices, you have two choices. You have a liberal mentality and you have a conservative mentality.” – LePage

“We can close the book on policies that don’t work,” – Cutler, asking voters to reject LePage and Michaud.

ON ATTACK ADS:

“Even a Frenchman can be taught to cool down.” – LePage, noting that most of his gaffes featured in attack ads occurred in his first two years.

Randy Billings can be contacted at 791-6346 or at:
rbillings@pressherald.com
Twitter: @randybillings