Maine Republicans on Saturday lamented the loss of Ronald Reagan, their one-time party leader, calling him one of the country’s greatest presidents, and one whose policies spurred economic growth and renewed hope in America.

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, who served in the U.S. House during Reagan’s two presidential terms from 1980 to 1988, said in a statement that he brought “great, passionate belief in the ideals of America to bear in advancing our nation and projecting the hope of freedom as a force for good in the world.”

Following a time when Americans were held hostage in Iran and recession had gripped the country, Reagan gave Americans reason to hope again, she said.

“In a time and period of self-doubt in our nation, Ronald Reagan’s irrepressible spirit and his conception of America as a shiny city on the hill’ engendered a sense of renewal in America,” she said.

“Simply put, Ronald Reagan was a great American and an exceptional, beloved president who honored the office and considered it a privilege to serve,” Snowe said.

Her husband, John “Jock” McKernan, also served in the U.S. House, from 1982 to 1986, before winning election as Maine’s governor.

In a written release, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins praised Reagan as a “great leader and a great president” who “inspired the world to make the seemingly impossible possible, such as the fall of the Soviet Union and the demise of the Berlin wall.”

Many Maine Republicans credited Reagan with the vision to bring an end to the Cold War and promote democracy in the world.

Douglas Hodgkin, a longtime GOP activist in Maine and retired political science professor at Bates College, said Reagan “reoriented national policy” that sparked the economic recovery of the 1980s.

His challenge of the Soviet empire to “tear down that wall” led to the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe. “I think that alone would place him among the greats,” Hodgkin said.

Merton Henry, of Portland, echoed that sentiment, calling Reagan’s military buildup and aggressive diplomacy key to pressuring the Soviets to capitulate.

“He never deviated from his feeling that communist Russia was a world problem that had to be solved.”

Henry served as finance chairman of the Reagan/Bush campaign in 1980 and 1984. He also was chairman of the Republican state convention and served as a delegate to the GOP national convention during those years.

Dwayne Bickford, executive director of the Maine Republican Party, worked on Reagan’s presidential campaign in Maine.

“It’s a sad day for our nation and a sad day for the Republican family,” he said.

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