Maine’s pro-gun control coalition said Tuesday it will endorse neither State Auditor Matt Dunlap nor former Gov. Paul LePage in the 2nd District race to succeed U.S. Rep. Jared Golden.
The group’s lack of support for Dunlap was notable given that it threw its weight behind dozens of Democratic candidates running for state and federal office in November. Dunlap, the Democrat from Old Town who has plenty of progressive positions in his platform, also served as leader of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine from 2011 to 2012.
That last bit of background felt relevant to Tuesday’s announcement from the gun safety coalition. Time will tell if the lack of an endorsement helps or hurts Dunlap with certain voters come November.
Dunlap, 61, whose hobbies include hunting, told the Portland Press Herald last month that President Donald Trump is “strong” on the Second Amendment and said that “is the only thing I think that we’re probably in the same neighborhood on.”
LePage, 77, who was governor from 2011 to 2019, rolled out an endorsement from the National Rifle Association last week.
The Maine Gun Safety Coalition said both Dunlap and LePage “have made it clear they intend to cater to the gun lobby instead of the majority of (2nd District) voters who supported Question 2” — alluding to last year’s “red flag” law referendum that voters, including majorities in each of Maine’s two congressional districts, passed.
“Voters in the 2nd Congressional District passed a gun safety law last November because they know gun rights and gun responsibility aren’t mutually exclusive,” Nacole Palmer, the coalition’s executive director, said. “It’s misguided and misaligned with voters’ values to act like they are and engage in this race to the bottom on guns.”
Dunlap and LePage, whom Trump has endorsed, have plenty of policy differences as they seek to succeed Golden, a moderate Democrat who voted with Republicans on various gun-related bills over the years. Golden did come out in favor of an assault-style weapons ban after the 2023 mass shooting in his hometown of Lewiston. The Democrat opted against seeking reelection to the rural district he has held since 2019 and that Trump thrice carried, citing incivility and threats against his family.
Election forecasters have mostly rated the 2nd District race as a “likely” Republican contest, but Dunlap has pointed to independent and internal polling that makes him confident he could beat LePage, who moved to Florida after losing to Gov. Janet Mills in the 2022 gubernatorial race.
LePage bashed Dunlap while at Maine Military Supply in Holden last Thursday to receive the NRA endorsement, telling reporters Dunlap “says he favors the Second Amendment, but he’s taken money from organizations that want to ban guns, so that’s pretty clear.”
Dunlap retorted in a social media video that he would “beat this Floridian in a skeet shooting contest any day of the week.”
The Maine Gun Safety Coalition’s other endorsements Tuesday were less surprising in backing a range of Democrats running for the Legislature along with Senate nominee Troy Jackson, gubernatorial nominee Hannah Pingree and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, the 1st District Democrat.