Westbrook, MAINE -- Maine Democratic Party Chairman Phil Bartlett issued the following statement today after Republican Representative Stephanie Hawke of Boothbay smeared young people while arguing for a reduction to the $12 minimum wage:
“If I’m being charitable, perhaps Representative Hawke’s comments were intended to be a joke - but even if they were, they certainly weren’t funny, weren’t productive, and aren’t representative of Maine’s young people. In fact, I find it deeply unfortunate that there are some within the Maine Republican Party who seemed brazenly determined to denigrate young people.
“From Mayor Nick Isgro’s verbal attack of a Parkland shooting survivor, to Representative Hawk’s smear of kids on the House floor today, to Republican gubernatorial candidate Shawn Moody saying young people struggling with addiction don’t have work ethic or discipline, to Governor LePage’s constant embarrassment of our state -- is there really any question why young people don’t want to come to or stay in Maine?
“The sentiments in comments like these are of course not shared by the vast majority of Republicans, but the problem is that these comments often come to represent not just the Maine GOP but our state as a whole.
“We all know that Maine is facing a serious demographic challenge and that it’s critical for us not only to retain, but attract young people to live and grow their families here. We hope the Maine GOP recognizes how unhelpful statements like these are to the future of our state and takes steps to reject them.
“Meanwhile, Maine Democrats will continue to project a positive vision of Maine and work hard to keep and welcome young people so that we can have a prosperous future - a future that we can be proud of.”
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