Maine Gov. Paul LePage begged Donald Trump to “show some authoritarian power” as president. | Getty LePage rips Susan Collins over Trump

Maine Gov. Paul LePage on Tuesday attacked his state’s senior Republican senator, Susan Collins, bashing the moderate Mainer over her criticism of Donald Trump and begging the GOP nominee to “show some authoritarian power” if he becomes president.

Collins long refused to endorse Trump and came out in opposition to him over the summer. And over the weekend, after Trump’s sexually aggressive comments in a 2005 recording were published, she said he is “unsuitable for the presidency.”


LePage said Collins’ recent criticism of Trump was out of line, and he called her out by name Tuesday, declaring that she and LePage are essentially not part of the same party.

“I am not a Condoleezza Rice fan; I am not a Susan Collins fan. That’s not the kind of Republican I am. I am from the Grand Old Party; I am from the party of Ronald Reagan,” LePage said on Maine radio station WVOM. “That is different than the people that claim to be Republicans that are shooting their mouths off.”

“We need a Donald Trump to show some authoritarian power in our country and bring back the rule of law,” he added.

The shot at Collins was a rare instance of intraparty conflict between Republican, statewide-elected officials of the same state. While LePage and Collins are clearly from different wings of the party, Collins has generally refrained from criticizing the governor over his antics, even when LePage left a lewd voicemail for a Democratic state lawmaker who had been criticizing him.

“Fortunately I’m a federal official,” she said in an interview in September after LePage hinted he might resign over the flap.

In an emailed statement responding to LePage on Tuesday, a spokeswoman said Collins will "continue to work closely" with LePage and his administration.

"Senator Collins recognizes that emotions are running high as a result of this election," the spokeswoman said.

LePage’s comment on Rice conflicts with statements from three months ago, when he urged Trump to pick the former secretary of state as his running mate.

"They say, well, she doesn’t want it. Guess what, the country asks you for your help, we need you. Condoleezza, we need you now," LePage told the same radio program in July.

On Saturday, Rice called for Trump to withdraw from the race.

Republicans in Washington have been buzzing that Collins might run to succeed LePage in 2018, though she has shown no public interest in doing so. LePage has hinted he might run against Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) that year, when his term as governor ends. The state’s politics are extremely tightknit: King beat Collins in the governor’s race in 1994.

After bashing Collins, who won 68 percent of the vote in her 2014 reelection, LePage praised Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-Maine), who is not an enthusiastic Trump supporter. Poliquin is in a difficult reelection race against Democrat Emily Cain, whom he defeated in 2014 with 47 percent of the vote in Maine’s 2nd District.

“If nothing else, he is probably the hardest-working congressman in Washington,” LePage said of the first-term congressman. “Do I always agree with him? No. He’s given me some gray hairs sometimes.”

