Republican Gov. Paul Le- Page on Tuesday night formally announced his re-election campaign to hundreds of enthusiastic supporters.

LePage, speaking at the Buker Community Center in Augusta, touted his record of lowering taxes, paying down debt, shrinking Maine’s welfare rolls and working to invigorate the state’s economy during his first term as governor, and pledged to continue along the path forged in his first three years.

The incumbent governor emerged as a dark horse from a crowded GOP primary in 2010, and rode the conservative wave into the Blaine House in a year when many other small-government, tea-party backed Republicans surged into elected office.

On Tuesday, he sought to contrast himself with his opponents. He will run against six-term U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, the presumptive Democratic nominee, and independent businessman and lawyer Eliot Cutler, who worked in the administration of Democratic President Jimmy Carter.

“I came to the governorship from a background in business. I’m not one of those smooth-talking politicians. I came in as a job creator who knew how to grow Maine’s economy,” he said.

LePage was introduced by Rick Bennett, the state GOP party chairman, as well as Cyndi Robbins, a small-business owner who said despite supporting Michaud in his last two congressional campaigns — including a $500 campaign contribution in 2012 — she was supporting LePage for governor in 2014.

“Doing business is not only difficult when dealing with the ups and downs of the tourist seasons, it is also difficult doing business in a state that has not always been friendly to job creators,” she said. “But I believe that has changed here in Maine. It has changed in large part due to one man: Paul LePage.” LePage noted that unemployment has gone down under his administration and that businesses, including the international shipping firm Eimskip, have moved into Maine in the last three years.

Another speaker, Theresa Dempsey, who said she’s an independent voter, praised LePage because of his personal dedication to fighting domestic violence. LePage was raised by an abusive father, and has used his bully pulpit — and hundreds of thousands of dollars from his discretionary fund — to fight domestic violence.

Dempsey said she spoke one-on-one with the governor after she and her children became victims.

“Tears began to well up in his eyes and I saw my governor start to cry,” she said. “I will never forget those moments. I was so moved by his actions and his kind words. He was not on camera. He was not a politician filming a TV ad. He was my governor, Paul LePage.”

Each speaker at the event uttered what has become the governor’s campaign theme: “Actions speak louder than words.” It’s a political slogan, but it’s also a subtle rebuke of the governor’s critics, who criticize LePage for his rough-around-theedges demeanor and often combative style.

Those critics have sought to make a campaign issue of his tone, and of the series of controversial statements that began during the last gubernatorial election. LePage didn’t mention his critics or gubernatorial opponents head-on Tuesday, but downplayed their criticism.

Supporters made their opinion on the governor’s style known as they accepted bumper stickers, some of which were attached to signs or stuck to their bodies.

“Better LePage with his foot in his mouth, than a slick politician with his hands in my pocket,” they read.

The “actions” LePage hopes to impress upon voters are the policy achievements of his first term. During his first campaign, LePage rode the tea party wave of 2010 through a crowded primary and on to general election victory. He campaigned on small government, minimizing state debt, reforming welfare and making Maine more attractive to business.

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