BANGOR – The two Republicans looking to secure their party’s nomination for governor this June squared off in their first face-to-face televised debate Friday morning.

Peter Cianchette, a consultant and former state representative from South Portland, and Jim Libby, a teacher and former state senator from Buxton, agreed more often than not during the hour-long debate at the Maine Public Broadcasting studios in Bangor.

While their views were similar on such traditional GOP tenets as lower taxes and smaller government, the two split on a few issues, including how to pay for statewide campaigns such as theirs.

“The people in Maine are tired of elected officials falling to the special interests,” Libby said in defense of his publicly funded campaign, which has received $314,000 in taxpayer money to prepare for the June 11 primary.

Cianchette, whose privately funded bid has attracted more than $360,000, objected to the state’s Clean Elections Act, saying it put an undue burden on Maine taxpayers.

“There is no amount of money that will ever influence my decisions as governor of the state of Maine,” said Cianchette, whose objections to public financing were amplified by the state’s current budget woes and Maine’s dubious distinction as one of the highest taxed states in the nation.

“I could not ask the taxpayers to pay for my campaign,” he said.

The winner of the June 11 GOP primary will face Bangor Democrat John Baldacci, who is running unopposed for his party’s nomination, and independent candidates including Green Independent Jonathan Carter and independent David Flanagan.

The GOP debate will air at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 18, and again at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 19, on Maine PBS. Maine Public Radio will carry the debate at 1 p.m. Monday, May 20.

WLBZ 2 will air the debate at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 26.

At the debate, taped Friday morning, the two GOP candidates also disagreed on the use of “enterprise zones” to stimulate economic growth in depressed communities, as determined by state officials.

Cianchette cited Michigan’s success in using the zones, in which businesses are given tax breaks and other incentives for locating in the zones and providing employment.

Libby called enterprise zones “a terrible idea,” instead preferring the current system of tax increment financing, which he said offers more local control by allowing municipalities to offer incentives.

Gay rights also separated the candidates, with Cianchette saying that while he personally supported efforts to send it to referendum, he would leave the matter to voters should the issue again arise.

While in Augusta, Libby was one of just a few senators to oppose the legislation, which he said amounted to “additional rights” based on an undetectable lifestyle. He also objected to the state’s current practice of offering health insurance benefits to domestic partners of state employees.

On the subject of transportation, both candidates supported an extension of Interstate 95 and the construction of an east-west highway.

Both men opposed a single-payer health care system, instead saying the state had to work to increase its share of Medicaid dollars coming from Washington. Libby also said the state could cut its health care costs by offering more accessible alternatives to costly emergency room care.

As legislators, both Cianchette and Libby voted for term limits. Since then, however, the candidates have reversed course, but each said they would leave the matter to voters should the issue again become the subject of a statewide referendum.

The candidates also objected to a casino in Maine but, again, said they would abide by the voters’ wishes should the matter go to referendum.