Paul LePage wants to 'clean up' his act. Plenty of the old LePage is still there.

Former Gov. Paul LePage is trying to be less controversial in the early days of his campaign to oust Gov. Janet Mills, though some of his early attack lines against the incumbent have been false and his tack so far is reminiscent of his eight years in office.

The Republican has kept a low profile since officially announcing his candidacy on July 5. His campaign is planning a launch event later this fall, but becoming an official candidate sooner has allowed him to raise money. His presence at local Republican events has already provided some insight into how he might approach the campaign against Mills, a Democrat who remains relatively popular in her third year in office.

LePage hit hot-button Republican talking points at a fundraiser for a conservative political group this month, attacking critical race theory, praising voter identification laws he was not able to pass in his eight-year tenure and characterizing Democrats as socialists, according to video shared on social media. Then he teased a toned-down iteration of himself.

​​“I’ve been a bit controversial in the past,” the former governor said. “Hope to clean up my act this time.”

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