Maine governor LePage, Democratic challenger in spat over debates

By Dave Sherwood PORTLAND Maine (Reuters) - The Democrat trying to unseat Maine's famously confrontational governor, Republican Paul LePage, criticized him on Tuesday for threatening to call off all their debates ahead of the November election. Tension has been building between the incumbent and five-term U.S. Congressman Mike Michaud for months over the challenger's use of a June statement in which LePage seemed to equate Social Security with welfare, a sensitive issue in Maine, which has the oldest population in the United States. The threat to skip debates comes as polls show the two neck and neck. A Rasmussen Reports poll published earlier this month showed LePage and Michaud in a statistical dead heat. "Anything the governor doesn't like he calls welfare. He should defend his statements in a debate," Michaud told reporters on Tuesday. In his June statement, LePage appeared to lump social security together with Medicaid, Medicare and unemployment benefits as forms of welfare. "It doesn't matter what liberals call these payments, it is `welfare, pure and simple," he said in the statement. His campaign later clarified that LePage did not consider Medicare and Social Security to be welfare, but the Michaud campaign has continued to use the statement in ads, prompting LePage's threat to refuse to debate Michaud. "This false attack on the governor causes him to question the value of debating Michael Michaud, who clearly has no problem not being honest with the Maine people," said LePage spokesman Alex Willette. The Rasmussen poll of 750 likely voters queried on Sept. 3 and 4 found 43 percent backing Michaud and 39 percent preferring LePage. The poll had a 4 percentage point margin of error. Fifteen percent liked independent Eliot Cutler. Six debates among the three candidates are scheduled in October. The real loser in the debate squabble could be undecided voters, said University of Maine political scientist Mark Brewer. Though less than 5 percent of the electorate, they could be decisive in a dead-heat scenario. "If you believe the polls, marginal changes could really affect this race. Taking debates off the table would be a big development," Brewer said. The campaign has drawn national attention. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, chairman of the Republican Governor's Association, has twice visited Maine to stump for LePage, and Democrats this week said first lady Michelle Obama would come to Maine to support Michaud. (Editing by Scott Malone and Mohammad Zargham)