Gov. Paul LePage says critic needs to be on 'suicide watch' during his midterm victory

Gov. Paul LePage says critic needs to be on &#039;suicide watch&#039; during his midterm victory

(Image credit: Facebook/Paul LePage, Maine's Governor)

last updated 8 January 2015

Gov. Paul LePage (R-Maine) is in a lot of hot water after saying one of his critics should be put on a "suicide watch" during LePage's midterm victory.

LePage was speaking of Bill Nemitz, a columnist for The Portland Press Herald. He made the remarks Monday night during a rally with Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) in Portland.

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Meanwhile, Maine Democratic Party Chairman Ben Grant told AP that LePage's remark was "distasteful and inappropriate." Nemitz, for his part, took the statement in jest: He later tweeted, "Suicide watch? As if! Don't flatter yourself."

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Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.