{"id":2648940,"date":"2026-08-24T14:17:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T18:17:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vance-says-maine-became-fraud-capital-under-state-auditor-matt-dunlap\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T14:19:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T18:19:24","slug":"vance-says-maine-became-fraud-capital-under-state-auditor-matt-dunlap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vance-says-maine-became-fraud-capital-under-state-auditor-matt-dunlap\/","title":{"rendered":"Vance says Maine became \u2018fraud capital\u2019 under state auditor Matt Dunlap"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvance-says-maine-became-fraud-capital-under-state-auditor-matt-dunlap%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2648940&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Vice president JD Vance criticized Maine&#8217;s handling of taxpayer funds, blaming Democratic candidate Matt Dunlap for widespread fraud in the state. Vance accused Dunlap of failing to protect tax dollars, linking this to Maine becoming a &#8220;fraud capital.&#8221; Dunlap, who previously resigned as state auditor after failing two of three CPA exams, was reappointed after passing them again. Vance contrasted Dunlap&#8217;s qualifications negatively, suggesting he shouldn&#8217;t serve in Congress. Additionally, Vance praised Republican Paul LePage, highlighting his independence and dedication to maine. The race between LePage and Dunlap was close, with recent polls showing a virtual tie. However, the Cook Political Report considers it a likely Republican pickup as the current incumbent is stepping down.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vice President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jd-vance\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"7658\">JD Vance<\/a> blamed widespread fraud in  <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maine\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"193\">Maine<\/a>  on Democratic congressional candidate and state auditor Matt Dunlap on Monday, accusing him of failing to protect taxpayer dollars as he campaigned for Republican former Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/paul-lepage\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4384\">Paul LePage<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vance, appearing alongside LePage in Brewer, Maine, also mocked Dunlap for previously having to step down as state auditor after failing to meet the position\u2019s certification requirements.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4698305\/vance-says-maine-became-fraud-capital-under-state-auditor-matt-dunlap-who-failed-audit-exam\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Vance says Maine became \u2018fraud capital\u2019 under state auditor Matt Dunlap who failed audit exam<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4698118\/florida-democrats-call-for-unity-dsa-backed-nixon-party-infighting-phone-call\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Florida Democrats call for unity after DSA-backed Nixon sets off party infighting<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4694272\/vance-praises-susan-collins-maine-visit\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>\u2018She fights for the great people of Maine\u2019: Vance praises Susan Collins as she skips his Maine visit<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHow did Maine become one of the main capitals of defrauding the American taxpayer?\u201d Vance prompted. \u201cAnd the answer turns out, is, well, I\u2019ve heard a lot of answers. All of those are right, but look, one of the answers is somehow you guys hired an auditor who is not actually an auditor and failed the auditor exam.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf you want somebody managing your money, maybe they ought to actually meet the constitutional requirements to do the job,\u201d the vice president said. \u201cFor Matt Dunlap, if you\u2019ve got a guy who cannot protect your tax dollars from fraudsters, who has turned your state into one of the fraud capitals of the United States of America, maybe you should be saying to Matt Dunlap, \u2018You\u2019re fired, not promoted to the United States Congress.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dunlap previously served in the role from January to October 2021 before he had to resign after failing two of the three exams required to become a certified public accountant. He was reappointed in November 2022 after passing the exams.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vance also used his platform to make a positive case for LePage, who himself has been criticized for his past sexist and racist comments, in addition to calling Maine Democratic state Rep. Drew Gattine in 2016 a \u201csocialist c***sucker.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis guy is so much fun to be around, and his love for Maine is infectious,\u201d Vance said on Monday. \u201cThis is not a politician who punches the card. \u2026 He is not a go along to get along politician. He is an independent-minded guy, but he is independent for you. There\u2019s one thing I know that Paul cares about, and that\u2019s fighting hard for his people, every single day. We got to send Paul LePage to Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4696875\/graham-nordone-leans-on-trump-rescue-senate-bid-after-debate-gaffe-russell-fry\/\"><strong>GRAHAM NORDONE LEANS ON TRUMP TO RESCUE SENATE BID AFTER DEBATE GAFFE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A July poll conducted by Tulchin Research had LePage and Dunlap in a statistical tie, with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/polls\/maine-us-house-2-polls-2026.html\">Dunlap\u2019s support at 49% and LePage\u2019s at 48%<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cookpolitical.com\/ratings\/house-race-ratings\">Cook Political Report<\/a><\/em>, however, describes their race as a likely Republican pick-up opportunity after incumbent Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) announced he was stepping down from Congress last November.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vance blames Maine fraud on auditor Dunlap, mocks his credentials<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2652,"featured_media":2648941,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26236608719439.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[6909,9148,64697,54769,15469],"class_list":["post-2648940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-fraud","tag-maine","tag-matt-dunlap","tag-state-auditor","tag-vance"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26236608719439.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2648940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2652"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2648940"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2648940\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2648943,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2648940\/revisions\/2648943"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2648941"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2648940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2648940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2648940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}