Gubernatorial candidates differ on minimum wage
Maine’s three gubernatorial candidates each have their own take on minimum wage.
The Sun Journal reported that Republican Gov. Paul LePage, Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud and independent candidate Eliot Cutler all support raising the minimum wage to a certain extent. But they vary on how they would approach such a plan.
Cutler, who released an economic plan for women and families on Tuesday, said he would raise the state’s current minimum wage of $7.50 an hour to $9 an hour by 2016. A bill that would have set the wage hike in motion has been vetoed by LePage. Cutler has previously mentioned support for increasing the federal minimum wage.
LePage doesn't oppose raising the minimum wage, Brent Littlefield, his campaign spokesman told the Sun Journal, but he would rather focus on efforts to create higher-paying jobs and “bring greater economic prosperity to the state.” LePage has previously said that he opposed the $9 minimum wage bill to focus on creating high-paying jobs by reducing various business costs.
Michaud said he supports increasing the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. If that doesn't work, he said would focus on increasing the state’s minimum wage to that level, but start by first increasing it to $9 an hour, a measure that has seen support in the state Legislature.
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