Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage says eliminating the Electoral College would make whites a 'forgotten people'

The Electoral College is the only thing keeping white people from being "forgotten" entirely.

Or at least, that's what former Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) seems to believe. LePage told the Maine Beacon on Thursday that a proposed bill in his former state, which would ensure future presidents are elected by the national popular vote, would therefore silence white people. The bill, which would allow Maine to band together with other states to "essentially bypass" the controversial Electoral College, per the Beacon, is being considered by the state legislature.

"Actually what would happen if they do what they say they're gonna do is white people will not have anything to say. It's only going to be the minorities that would elect. It would be California, Texas, Florida," said LePage, warning that whites are "gonna be forgotten people" if the bill passes.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

LePage has never been one to mince words, once saying he'd like to duel a state lawmaker and point a gun "right between his eyes," and on another occasion calling "people of color or people of Hispanic origin" the "enemy."

As the Beacon points out, the proposed bill is intended to equalize each person's vote, since some analysts say the Electoral College has historically given white voters more weight, in practice.