Candidate whose spoiler bid helped elect MAGA Maine governor arrested on 4 felonies: report

Authorities in Maine have arrested a former independent candidate whom many have accused of electing far-right Republican Gov. Paul LePage.

"Two-time Maine gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler was arrested on Friday afternoon on felony charges related to possession of child pornography," the Bangor Daily Newsreported. "Cutler was arrested on Friday afternoon, according to Maine State Police spokesperson Shannon Moss. Foster said he will be taken to the Hancock County Jail in Ellsworth. The district attorney will recommend $25,000 in bail and his first court appearance will be on Monday if he remains in jail over the weekend."

Police raided Cutler's homes in Portland and Brooklin on Wednesday.

"Cutler, an environmental lawyer who had worked for the late Sen. Edmund Muskie of Maine as well as the administration of former President Jimmy Carter in the 1970s, came within 10,000 votes of being elected governor of Maine when he ran as an independent in 2010," the newspaper noted.

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LePage, who has been described as "America's most outlandish governor," ended up winning with only 38.2% of the vote.

In 2014, Cutler again ran as an independent and Republican LePage was re-elected, The Atlanticreported at the time.

"Though the margins of victory (and loss) were different this time around, this is the second time in a row that a three-party field had produced a 'spoiler' candidate in Maine," the magazine reported. "Maine is the most obvious example of the so-called 'spoiler effect' in Tuesday’s election results, but a handful of races—both congressional and gubernatorial—might have ended differently had third-party candidates been absent or withdrawn from the race and released their voters before Election Day."

Cutler's attorney confirmed to the Portland Press Herald that his client had been arrested.

WGME-TV reported the charges are, "four counts of unlawful sexually explicit material" and "Hancock County District Attorney Matthew Foster says the explicit material featured children under the age of 12."

Jonathan Martin, political correspondent for The New York Times, described it as "huge news."