Another independent has qualified for the ballot in this year’s race to replace Gov. Paul LePage.

Economist Alan Caron of Freeport said Friday he has met the threshold of collecting 4,000 signatures to qualify for the November general election. The secretary of state’s office confirmed that Caron qualified.





“After watching years of paralysis and bickering in Augusta, the voters of Maine are looking for a real change that goes beyond replacing one party with the other,” Caron said in a written statement.

According to records filed with the Maine Ethics Commission, Caron has invested $450,000 of his own money in the campaign.

Friday at 5 p.m. was the deadline for independents to qualify for the November general election ballot.

Caron will join independent Terry Hayes, who is the state treasurer and who qualified in March, on the general election ballot. They will compete with whichever Democrat and Republican candidates win their party’s June 12 primary elections.

Former mayor and motivational speaker John Jenkins of Auburn and Ken Capron of Portland, independents who took out paperwork to run for governor, did not qualify for the ballot. Both said they intend to run as a write-in candidates in the general election.

A number of other independents are running in the November elections. Two independent candidates for the Maine Senate and 18 Maine House candidates have qualified for the ballot in addition to several candidates for county-level offices.

Rep. Martin Grohman, I-Biddeford, has qualified to run for Maine’s 1st Congressional District seat against Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree and Republican Mark Holbrook.

In the 2nd Congressional District, Tiffany Bond of Portland and William Hoar of Southwest Harbor both turned in qualifying signatures Friday to run against Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin and whoever wins the Democratic primary in that race, which includes Jared Golden, Lucas St. Clair and Craig Olson.

Independent U.S. Sen. Angus King announced Thursday he will seek re-election and faces a challenge from Republican Eric Brakey and Democrat Zak Ringelstein.

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