Gov. Paul LePage remained at a Bangor hospital Sunday night after “experiencing discomfort” during a visit with family members in New Brunswick on Saturday, a gubernatorial spokesman said.
LePage was admitted as a patient at Eastern Maine Medical Center shortly before midnight Saturday, but his spokesman Peter Steele said the governor, who has experienced various health problems during his two terms in office, is expected to make a full recovery.
“Governor Paul LePage is resting comfortably at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor,” Steele said in a statement Sunday afternoon.
After “feeling some discomfort on Saturday evening,” LePage went to a New Brunswick hospital, where he received a thorough examination, Steele said. He was accompanied by his wife, Ann. The governor, who was “in good spirits,” was then taken by ambulance to a facility in Presque Isle.
From there, LePage was transported to Bangor and admitted to EMMC around 11:30 p.m.
“Doctors said he is very strong and healthy,” Steele said in Sunday’s statement. “But they are keeping him in the hospital overnight for further observation. The governor is stable and is expected to make a full recovery.”
Steele did not offer any specifics on the nature or seriousness of the governor’s medical condition and did not respond to an email seeking further clarification Sunday night as to how long the governor might need to remain in the hospital.
Since he was elected in 2010, the 69-year-old Republican governor has experienced two significant challenges to his health. Despite being one of the state’s most prominent public officials, LePage in both instances agreed to disclose details only several months later.
In January 2017, LePage told a radio talk show host that his dramatic weight loss was the result of bariatric surgery that he underwent in September 2016 at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.
At the time, LePage’s staff expressed reluctance in talking about the governor’s health.
“We do not comment on the governor’s personal medical care,” Steele wrote in an email to the Press Herald. “If he chooses to talk about it publicly, that is his decision.”
LePage said in the radio interview that he decided to undergo the procedure after the doctor told him he risked developing diabetes if he did not lose weight.
LePage underwent the bariatric surgery on an outpatient basis and was able to return to work the next day. LePage said he lost 50 pounds as a result of the surgery.
In May of this year, LePage revealed during the Maine International Trade Day in Rockport that he was struck by a motor vehicle while riding his bicycle in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Nov, 22, 2017. He and his wife own a home in nearby Ormond Beach.
LePage said the impact cracked his helmet into two pieces and “sent me flying 40 feet.” He said he was struck by a young woman after she cut him off while making a turn.
The crash exacerbated a shoulder injury and required surgery.
“Without a helmet, I wouldn’t be here,” the governor said.
Elected in 2010, LePage is nearing the end of his second and final term in office. He previously served as mayor of Waterville.
His time in office has been tumultuous. He has sparred with Democrats, the media, the Maine NAACP, as well as advocates for immigrant rights. He has touted his record as a staunch fiscal conservative, including guiding the state to a surplus of more than $175 million at the end of the most recent fiscal year, according to The Associated Press.
Contacted Sunday evening, a nursing supervisor at Eastern Maine Medical Center said she could not discuss LePage’s condition.
Gov. Paul LePage
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