AUGUSTA — The Maine candidate who made the “go to hell” remark about President Barack Obama has accepted an invitation to attend a White House reception.

An adviser to the president called to extend congratulations to Maine’s Republican Gov.-elect Paul LePage and to invite him to a reception for new governors on Dec. 2 in Washington.

LePage said Friday: “Absolutely, I’ll be there.”

LePage made headlines after a Democratic aide videotaped his response to fishermen who were complaining at a forum that federal regulations threatened their livelihoods. LePage responded that “you’re going to be seeing a lot of me on the front page, saying ‘Governor LePage tells Obama to go to hell.'”