AUGUSTA – A group of Maine Republicans is calling on Democratic House Speaker Mark Eves to stop promoting the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act and to recuse himself from voting on it because of a possible conflict of interest.

Republican Reps. Larry Lockman and Deborah Sanderson and others said Wednesday that Eves’ job as director of business development at Sweetser, a mental health care provider they say would benefit from more Medicaid patients, raises questions of a conflict of interest.

Democrats called it a distraction, emphasizing that many lawmakers have jobs that could be seen as a conflict of interest. Eves says his background in health care has shown him what the lack of coverage means for families and he won’t stop fighting to get people access to care.