Ex-Governor believes whites pols would suffer without Electoral College

Paul LePage said that without Electoral College, "White people will not have anything to say."

Former Maine governor believes that by eliminating the Electoral College, local politics will mandate electors vote for the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote, and that only minorities would get elected into office.

Dawn Onley

Mar 3, 2019

Paul LePage thegrio.com — (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Amid a movement by 11 states (and the District of Columbia) to essentially abolish the Electoral College, Paul LePage, the former right-wing governor of Maine, lambasted the National Popular Vote initiative. The National Popular Vote Initiative is working to make sure that candidates who receive the most votes are aloud to assume office, despite archaic rules that no longer work for our nation. LePage believes that by eliminating the Electoral College, local politics will mandate electors vote for the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote, and that only minorities would get elected into office.

During a radio interview on WVOM’s George Hale Ric Tyler Show, LePage said the Electoral College should remain in place, and suggested that getting rid of it would create dictator-level chaos.

“Why don’t we just adopt the constitution of Venezuela and be done with it?” LePage said, according to New York Magazine. “Let’s have a dictator because that’s really what you’re gonna boil down to. What would happen if they do what they say they’re gonna do? White people will not have anything to say. It’s only going to be the minorities who would elect. It would be California, Texas, Florida,” he added.

LePage’s has long held extreme views, even refusing to implement a Medicaid expansion in Maine for over a year – even after the state’s voters approved of it.

A growing number of Democrats back the National Popular Vote initiative after witnessing two recent presidential contenders, Hillary Clinton and Al Gore, lose the race for president despite having won the popular vote.

Last week, Colorado became the 11^th state to sign a bill favoring the NPV over the Electoral College. Under the bill, Colorado’s nine electoral college votes would instead go to the person who wins the national popular vote, instead of the candidate who wins the state.

Democrats counter LePage’s views that the antiquated Electoral College favors Republicans in that it allows a small percentage of the population to exercise massive power over the country.