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Maine's besieged governor LePage hints he may resign before his term ends

AUGUSTA, Maine — The besieged Republican governor of Maine hinted Tuesday morning that he might not finish out his term, suggesting that he had lost the support of his own party with his latest tirades of obscene, threatening and racially charged remarks.

Gov. Paul R. LePage, speaking on WVOM, a local radio station, on Tuesday, said he was looking at "options" after a meeting Monday night with Republican lawmakers at which he told them he would consider taking "corrective action."

"It's really one thing to have one party behind you," LePage said on the radio. "It's another thing not to have any party behind you."

On Friday, LePage spoke defiantly about the name-calling and threatening remarks he left on the voice mail of a Democratic lawmaker who he thought had called him a racist. And on Monday he deepened his commitment to statements that linked blacks and Hispanics to the drug epidemic in his state.

His tone on the radio was far different — although his apologies appeared to center on the voice mail, not on the remarks about race and drugs.

"It was really totally, totally unnecessary and I need to do something about it, and we're considering a whole lot of different options right now," he said, of his behavior.

Speaking of his talks with Republican lawmakers, he said those in the House want "to salvage what we can and move forward," but some in the Senate had demands that "I just can't do." LePage did not say what they were.

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LePage has been the subject of frequent controversy since he was first elected in a Tea Party wave in 2010, regularly setting off fireworks with harsh remarks, pointed put-downs and, recently, racial statements that have come under criticism. Up to now, his critics have largely been Democrats. But the latest remarks unnerved Republican lawmakers, as well, with one questioning his sanity and sobriety.

Republican leaders convened on Monday to decide what to do about LePage's conduct, and then met with him behind closed doors later in the day.

He said on Monday he was going to call state Rep. Drew Gattine, the lawmaker he threatened, to see if they could meet, and apologized to the state and Gattine's family as well.

But the interview was far from free of controversy. And he did not walk back his comments on drugs and race, saying, "I spoke fact," and adding, "All lives matter."

"Every drug arrest we get the story, and the people, and when it comes to meth labs, they're essentially all Maine white people," LePage said. "When it comes to the heroin epidemic, it's just the opposite."

The governor conceded that his remarks had lost him crucial support.

"If I've lost my ability to convince the Maine people that's what we need and that's the type of people we need in Augusta, then you know, maybe it is time to move on," he said.

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