Like a recurrent summer cold, former Gov. Angus King is back and on the campaign trail. He is running as an independent again, since there is no official masquerade party.

Some may not remember that it was King’s convincing impersonation of Jim Longley that got him elected in the first place.

In 1974, Longley came from behind at the last minute to beat both major party candidates with a flurry of television ads in which he talked common sense, promised to run the state like a business and closed emphatically with the line, “Think about it!”

Longley took his commitment seriously, cutting spending and eliminating waste to such a degree that he became beloved by taxpayers and loathed by bureaucrats.

Unfortunately, King’s uncanny resemblance to Longley ended abruptly with King’s campaign. The state budget nearly doubled, government grew and bureaucracies bloated under his watch.

Still, King is a smooth talker and genuinely seems like a nice guy. Most likely he would be happy to give away the shirt off your back, something he proved the year it rained down free computers on Maine middle-school children.

Can anyone imagine the damage a big spender like King could do in Washington?

Gov. Paul LePage and the Legislature are working hard to extract the state from the economic hole that King had a big part in digging. People have way more government than they can afford. Does it make any sense to recycle a big spender like King to the Senate?

Think about it.

Mark Armstrong, Lisbon

Like a recurrent summer cold, Angus King is back and on the campaign trail. He is running as an independent again, since there is no official masquerade party.

Some may not remember that it was King’s convincing impersonation of Jim Longley that got him elected in the first place.

In 1974, Longley came from behind at the last minute to beat both major party candidates with a flurry of television ads where he talked common sense, promised to run the state like a business and closed emphatically with the line, “Think about it!”

Longley took his commitment seriously, cutting spending and eliminating waste to such a degree that he became beloved by taxpayers and loathed by bureaucrats.

Unfortunately, King’s uncanny resemblance to Longley ended abruptly with King’s campaign. The state budget nearly doubled, government grew and bureaucracies bloated under his watch.

Still, King is a smooth talker and genuinely seems like a nice guy. Most likely he would be happy to give away the shirt off your back, something he proved the year it rained down free computers on Maine middle school children.

Can anyone imagine the damage a big spender like King could do in Washington?

Gov. Paul LePage and the Legislature are working hard to extract the state from the economic hole that King had a big part in digging. People have way more government than they can afford. Does it make any sense to recycle a big spender like King to the Senate?

Think about it.

Mark Armstrong, Lisbon