#me-gov

[npi]

“Republicans concede that a handful of once-competitive battlegrounds are nearly out of reach for them in 2018,” reports Politico’s Gabriel Debenedetti and Daniel Strauss.

[npi]

Where things stand now: A summary of gubernatorial races in the Eastern timezone

Welcome to NPI’s continuing elections live coverage. He is a quick summary of where things stand in the gubernatorial races on the East Coast. Note that in some states, polls have not yet closed.

Too close to call

Florida: Charlie Crist (D) versus Rick Scott (R)

Too early to call

Massachusetts: Martha Coakley (D) versus Charlie Baker (R)

New Hampshire: Maggie Hassan (D) versus Walt Havenstein (R)

Maryland: Anthony Brown (D) versus Larry Hogan (R)

Maine: Paul LePage (R) versus Michael Michaud (D)

Georgia: Nathan Deal (R) versus Jason Carter (D)

Projected Democratic pickup

Pennsylvania: Tom Wolf (D) defeats Tom Corbett (R)

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) assailed the Affordable Care Act in his weekly radio address today and declared the Internal Revenue Service, which will require Americans to purchase health insurance or pay an annual fee under the individual mandate, as the “new Gestapo.”

“This decision has made America less free,” Le Page said. “We the people have been told there is no choice. You must buy health insurance or pay the new Gestapo - the I.R.S..”

The Gestapo was Adolph Hitler’s official secret police that terrorized Nazi Germany, imprisoning and murdering thousands of people.

LePage took direct issue with the Supreme Court’s ruling which upheld the law not under the Commerce Clause, but under Congress’ taxing power.

“Perhaps what is most disturbing about this ruling, though, is that the federal mandate is considered a TAX,” he stressed. “Now that Congress can use the taxation power of the federal government to compel behavior or lack thereof, what’s next? More taxes if we don’t drive Toyota Priuses or if we eat too much junk food or maybe even pea soup?”

H/T: Igor Bobic at TPM