Stephen King demands apology from Maine governor

Is the state of Maine big enough for both horror legend Stephen King and Gov. Paul LePage?

The two men are currently engaged in an epic feud, which started when LePage claimed in his weekly radio address that King no longer lives in Maine or pays state income taxes there. While the novelist spends time in Florida each year, he does still live in Maine. And he’s enraged about LePage’s claim that he doesn’t pay his taxes.

In an email to the Portland Press Herald, King pushed back against LePage’s accusation: “In 2013, my wife and I paid approximately 1.4 million (dollars) in state taxes. As this is a matter of public record, I have no problem telling you that. I would imagine 2014 was about the same, but I do not have those figures.”

King also addressed the governor’s comments on his Twitter account, writing: “Governor Paul LePage implied that I don’t pay my taxes. I do. Every cent. I think he needs to man up and apologize.” A few days later, the author still hadn’t received an apology: “No apology from Governor LePage. Some guys are a lot better at dishing it out than taking it back.”

LePage’s address, the Press Herald reports, was related to his proposal to reduce the state’s income tax by raising and expanding the sales tax. LePage noted that the former Maine governor who adopted the income tax now lives in Florida, which, the newspaper confirms, is true. But he followed it up with the statement “Stephen King and [Burt’s Bees co-founder] Roxanne Quimby have moved away, as well.”

King described LePage’s claims as “full of the stuff that makes the grass grow green” and demanded an apology, though none, as of yet, has come.

It’s not surprising that there’s bad blood between the author and the governor -- King is a Democrat who endorsed LePage’s rival Mike Michaud for Maine governor in the 2014 election; LePage is a conservative Republican.