Former Gov. Paul LePage, the Republican running for Maine's 2nd Congressional District seat, walks through Maine Military Supply following his press conference Thursday in Holden. On behalf of the National Rifle Association, John Commerford of the NRA’s Institute of Legislative Action, endorsed LePage during the event. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)

HOLDEN — Former Gov. Paul LePage has not shied away from saying provocative things over the years, but his campaign to succeed U.S. Rep. Jared Golden in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District has featured few opportunities for reporters to talk with him.

Thursday morning offered such a chance, though LePage mostly limited questions to Second Amendment issues.

That’s because the 77-year-old Lewiston native and former Waterville mayor was inside the Maine Military Supply store in the Penobscot County town of Holden to announce an endorsement from the National Rifle Association. LePage is seeking to win back the 2nd District seat for Republicans in a November matchup against State Auditor Matt Dunlap.

After an NRA official and state lawmakers spoke Thursday morning about LePage, who had more than a dozen supporters fill a small room toward the back of Maine Military Supply, the Republican nominee gave a few comments focused on gun rights. He criticized gun control efforts and then had a request for the several reporters in the room.

“If you could limit your questions to the 2nd Amendment and guns, we’re going to have a lot of press conferences, and all kinds of questions are going to come up, and I’m more than happy to answer them, but not today,” LePage, wearing a navy polo featuring his campaign logo, said.

LePage, who already has President Donald Trump’s endorsement and who was known for combative, controversial sound bites while governor from 2011 to 2019, has not held many public events with reporters this cycle. Instead, he’s opted to travel throughout the rural district to speak and appear in mostly Republican-friendly places while posting about his activities on Facebook.

The strategy makes sense. The geographically vast district covering Maine’s northern half has backed Trump in each of his three elections, and Republicans increasingly represent most of its towns and counties in the state Legislature. Election forecasters currently view the 2nd District as a “likely Republican” seat this fall, while the GOP’s narrow majority in the U.S. House is otherwise at risk.

His opponent is Dunlap, a 61-year-old Bar Harbor native and Old Town resident who previously served as a state representative, secretary of state and Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine leader. Dunlap has pointed to the district’s past support of Democrats, Trump’s low approval rating and bipartisan worries from voters about affordability and overseas conflicts, particularly in Iran, affecting prices back in Maine.

“Matt Dunlap is a Maine sportsman and longtime supporter of the Second Amendment. He’s the former Executive Director of the Sportsmen’s Alliance of Maine. It’s not surprising that a partisan group like the NRA endorsed a partisan like Paul LePage,” Harry Burke, Dunlap’s campaign manager, said in a statement. “If Paul LePage ever wants to join Matt for a skeetshooting contest, we’d be happy to see who’s a better shot.”

Dunlap’s largely progressive platform is much different than Golden’s moderate platform that brought him electoral success as he held the seat since 2019. Golden cited increasing political incivility and threats against his family in not seeking a fifth term this year.

Former Gov. Paul LePage, the Republican running for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat, fields a question Thursday during a press conference at Maine Military Supply in Holden. On behalf of the National Rifle Association, John Commerford of the NRA’s Institute of Legislative Action, endorsed LePage during the event. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)<?xml version="1.0"?> Purchase this image

LePage opted against talking with the Portland Press Herald for a recent Q&A that Dunlap responded to via a phone call. LePage instead had campaign adviser Brent Littlefield send responses to a reporter, and LePage did not answer a question about whether he supports Trump’s military actions in the Iran war.

While walking around Maine Military Supply to see the store — he held up a Henry Big Boy lever action rifle while posing for a photo with store employees who thanked him for being there — LePage told a Portland Press Herald reporter he would have something to say about Iran at a later date.

Here is a transcript of what LePage told reporters in response to questions Thursday morning.

Question from a TV reporter: Your opponent is going to bring up the fact that he was the executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine at one point. Where do you differ from him on the Second Amendment?

LePage: “(Dunlap) says he favors the Second Amendment, but he’s taken money from organizations that want to ban guns, so that’s pretty clear. I will never take money from people who want to ban guns. I am 100% behind the Second Amendment. It promotes freedom, and I’m all in, so he may have worked at (the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine), but he also takes money from the other side.”

Former Gov. Paul LePage, left, the Republican running for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat, joins State Senator Scott Cyrway, and State Representative Irene Gifford for LePage’s press conference Thursday at Maine Military supply in Holden. On behalf of the National Rifle Association, John Commerford of the NRA’s Institute of Legislative Action, endorsed LePage during the event. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)<?xml version="1.0"?> Purchase this image

Question from the Press Herald: In the same vein, if you think ahead to working in Washington with a U.S. Sen. Troy Jackson on these issues, do you envision collaborating with Troy if both of you are in Congress at the same time?

LePage: “Let me put it this way. I will support any senator, any congressman that is supporting the people of the state of Maine, and if it hurts the state of Maine, they will not get my support. If it’s for the people of the state of Maine, I will collaborate with everyone and anyone.”

A reporter from the conservative Maine Wire mentioned a lack of law enforcement in northern Maine and asked LePage to “highlight … why this is such an important topic.”

LePage: “Let me give you a couple of quick things. When I was governor, we had a real problem with meth labs … in the 2nd District. Meth is really bad. It makes people pretty crazy, and if you go into a home, you invade a home, and the police are an hour or two away, or it’s two o’clock on a Sunday morning, you’re probably never going to get them there. It’s pretty important that you have the equipment and tools to defend yourself. Whether it’s a gun, a taser, whatever. I’ll tell you, I’ve slept in some very rural areas. I (had) a machete under my bed, my gun in my nightstand, and I think it’s very important. And I lived up in the Presque Isle region. It’s very, very important that you’re able to defend yourself.”

Question from the Maine Morning Star: A lot of these conversations about gun control are happening at the state level, in the state Legislature here in Maine. What would you look to do in D.C. to address some of this on the federal level?

LePage: “I will defend the Second Amendment to the extreme. I do not believe that government is the answer. I think the Constitution gives us the ability to own and carry guns. I think we need to protect that, and I would fight against anyone trying to ban guns in the United States.”

Former Gov. Paul LePage, the Republican running for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat, takes questions Thursday during a press conference at Maine Military Supply in Holden. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)

Question from C-SPAN: On that same note, are there any specific federal policies about guns you would seek to repeal if you were in Congress?

LePage: “To be very honest, if it’s against the Second Amendment, yes. I mean, if it’s restrictive to the Second Amendment, I would be on the side of repeal.”

Question from the Bangor Daily News: Somewhat piggybacking off of that, I guess I’m curious if you can speak to areas where you might be able to compromise with Democrats. Are there areas of compromise on gun legislation that you could work with Democrats on?

LePage: “Well, if it’s going to go against the Second Amendment, there’s no compromise. The Constitution is very clear, and I do not support any restrictions on the Second Amendment to the Constitution.”