Notable Maine races, 2016
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| Notable Maine Races | |
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| Primary | June 14, 2016 |
| General | November 8, 2016 |
| 2016 Notable Races | |
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| Choose a state below: | |
Ballotpedia identified 27 notable 2016 Maine state legislative races, 25 of which were general election races, in 2016. The Maine House of Representatives and the Maine State Senate were also two of 20 battleground chambers Ballotpedia tracked in the November 2016 election.
Overview
- Main articles: Maine House of Representatives elections, 2016 and Maine State Senate elections, 2016
The Maine House of Representatives and the Maine State Senate are two of 20 battleground chambers Ballotpedia is tracking in the November 2016 election. Maine is one of 20 states under divided government.
State House
All 151 seats in the Maine House of Representatives were up for election in 2016. Democrats held a nine-seat majority in the chamber. Republicans needed to pick up seven state House seats to gain the majority.
From 1992 to 2013, Democrats held the majority in the House for 20 years compared to just two years for the Republicans. Republicans last held the chamber in 2012.
State Senate
All 35 seats in the Maine State Senate were up for election in 2016. Republicans held a five-seat majority in the chamber. Democrats needed to pick up three state Senate seats to gain the majority.
Before Republicans took control of the state Senate in 2014, they had controlled the chamber for just four out of the prior 32 years.
| Partisan breakdown of the Maine Legislature | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Republicans | Democrats | Independents | Unenrolled |
| Maine House | 69 seats | 78 seats | 3 seats | 1 seat |
| Maine Senate | 20 seats | 15 seats | - | - |
What makes a race notable?
Ballotpedia uses these criteria to identify notable races:
- Incumbents facing more conservative or liberal challengers
- Rematches between candidates
- Races that receive considerable media attention
- Races that could significantly affect the state's partisan balance
- Competitive races involving party leaders
- Open, competitive races with Republican and Democratic primaries
- Races that capture money and attention from outside groups, including key endorsements
Know of an interesting race we should include here? Email us!
Notable primary elections
State House District 15
- Two Democrats competed for an open seat vacated by the Democratic incumbent.
Incumbent state Rep. Justin Chenette (D) declined to run for re-election. Margaret O'Neil (D) defeated Kathie Purdy (D) in the Democratic primary contest. Mark Bedell (R) was unopposed in the Republican primary.
Purdy and O'Neil were first-time candidates. Purdy, a business owner, volunteered for the outgoing incumbent Chenette's campaign and outgoing state Sen. Linda Valentino (D). O'Neil is a former state park ranger and daughter of former state Rep. Christopher O'Neil (D).[1]
State House District 39
- Two Democrats competed for an open seat vacated by the Democratic incumbent.
Incumbent state Rep. Diane Russell (D) declined to run for re-election. Andrew Edwards (D) lost to Michael Sylvester (D) in the Democratic primary contest. Peter Doyle (R) was unopposed in the Republican primary.
Edwards and Sylvester are first-time candidates. Edwards, a defense attorney, said he would focus on increasing state support for public services, specifically in Portland, and creating a national park in the North Maine Woods to attract tourists if elected. Sylvester, a labor organizer, said he supports instituting a single-payer healthcare, providing incentives for individuals to install solar energy in their homes, and banning the sale or lease of groundwater to private businesses in order to protect drinking water quality.[2]
Notable general elections
State Senate District 2- General election
| A Republican state representative and a former Democratic incumbent competed for an open seat vacated by the GOP incumbent. |
Along with the District 2 primary election, the State Senate District 2 general election was a race to watch. Michael Carpenter (D) defeated State Rep. Ricky Long (R) in the general election for state Senate.
Long faced Carpenter in November. Carpenter is a former state attorney general and former member of both the Maine House and the Maine Senate. He narrowly lost to Willette, the outgoing incumbent, by a margin of 49 percent to 47 percent in 2014.
Incumbent state Sen. Michael Willette (R) declined to run for re-election. State Rep. Ricky Long (R) defeated Emily Smith (R) in the Republican primary contest. Michael Carpenter (D) was unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Smith is chair of the Presque Isle City Council; Presque Isle, the largest town in the district, makes up roughly 25 percent of District 2. Long, a current state representative for House District 145, was elected to the House in 2010.[3]
State Senate District 6- General election
| A Republican state representative and a Democratic candidate competed for an open seat vacated by the GOP incumbent. |
Joyce Maker (R) defeated Rock Alley (D) in the general election.
Incumbent David C. Burns (R) declined to run for re-election. Rock Alley was unopposed in the Democratic primary. State Rep. Joyce Maker defeated William Howard in the Republican primary. This district was included in the Republican State Leadership Committee's list of "16 in '16: Races to Watch." Read more »
State Senate District 7- General election
| The Republican incumbent ran for re-election in a closely divided district. |
Incumbent state Sen. Brian Langley (R) defeated challenger Moira O'Neill (D) in the general election. Langley was was unopposed in the Republican primary. Former state Rep. Theodore Koffman (D) was defeated by Moira O'Neill (D) in the Democratic primary contest. Langley faced O'Neill in November.
Langley defeated Koffman in 2014 by a margin of 53 percent to 43 percent. Langley won his seat more narrowly in 2012 by a margin of 51 percent to 49 percent.
According to an analysis of the Maine State Senate elections published in the Daily Kos, District 7 "is one of the most Democratic state senate districts in Maine held by a Republican." The district voted 58 percent for Barack Obama (D) in 2012. The analysis rated the race a toss-up given the closeness of the 2012 contest and an increase in Koffman's name recognition within the district.[3]
State Senate District 11- General election
| The Republican incumbent ran for re-election in a closely divided district. |
Incumbent state Sen. Michael Thibodeau (R), the state senate majority leader, defeated Jonathan Fulford (D) in November.
The race was a rematch between Thibodeau and Fulford. Thibodeau narrowly won re-election in 2014 against Fulford by a margin of 48.8 percent to 48.1 percent—135 votes out of 18,667 votes cast. The 2014 election was also considered a worse political climate for Democrats than Republicans.
In an analysis of the Maine State Senate elections published in the Daily Kos, the District 11 race was considered a toss-up. The district voted 54 percent for Barack Obama (D) in 2012.[3]
State Senate District 13- General election
| The Democratic incumbent ran for re-election in a closely divided district. |
Incumbent state Sen. Chris Johnson (D) was defeated by former state Rep. Dana Dow (R).
Johnson won his seat in a February 2012 against Dow by a margin of 54 percent to 46 percent, a win that was considered a significant upset. Johnson narrowly won re-election in November 2012 against Leslie Fossel (R) by a margin of 50.4 percent to 49.6 percent. Johnson defeated Fossel by a margin of 49 percent to 47 percent in a similarly close election in November 2014.
In an analysis of the Maine State Senate elections published in the Daily Kos, the District 13 race slightly favored Democrats but was close to a toss-up.[3]
State Senate District 16- General election
| The Republican incumbent ran for re-election in a closely divided district. |
Incumbent state Sen. Scott Cyrway (R) won re-election in the November 2016 general election. He faced state Rep. Henry Murphy Beck (D).
Cyrway defeated former incumbent Rep. Colleen Lachowicz (D) in 2014 by a margin of 53 percent to 43 percent.
In an analysis of the Maine State Senate elections published in the Daily Kos, the District 16 race was considered a toss-up.[3]
State Senate District 23- General election
| The Republican candidate that defeated the incumbent faced a former state representative in a closely divided district. |
The Republican incumbent faced a conservative challenger.
Along with the District 23 primary election, the State Senate District 23 general election was a race to watch.
Eloise Vitelli (D) defeated Guy Lebida (R) in the November 2016 general election.
Incumbent state Sen. Linda Baker (R) ran for re-election. She lost to Guy Lebida (R) in the Republican primary contest. Former state Rep. Eloise Vitelli (D) was unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Baker defeated Vitelli in 2014 by a margin of 45 percent to 40 percent; Green Party candidate Alice Knapp garnered 11 percent of the vote. No third party candidate was on the ballot in 2016, potentially benefiting Vitelli in November.
Lebida, the vice chairman of the Sagadahoc County Republican Committee, distinguished himself as the more conservative candidate, citing his opposition to Baker's vote in favor of providing state assistance to asylum seekers and Lebida's support for the entire state party's platform, which includes local control of public education, fiscal conservatism, and right-to-work laws, among other issues.[4]
In an analysis of the Maine State Senate elections published in the Daily Kos, the District 23 general election race was considered a toss-up. The district voted 57 percent for Barack Obama (D) in 2012.[3]
State Senate District 33- General election
| The Republican incumbent ran for re-election in a closely divided district. |
Incumbent state Sen. David Woodsome (R) ran for re-election. He defeated former state Rep. Andrea Boland (D) in the November 2016 general election.
Boland came close to ousting former incumbent Rep. John Tuttle (D) in the 2014 Democratic primary contest. Tuttle defeated Boland by just 22 votes out of 1,666 votes cast. Woodsome went on to defeat Tuttle in the 2014 general election by a margin of 57 percent to 39 percent.
In an analysis of the Maine State Senate elections published in the Daily Kos, the District 33 general election race was considered a toss-up. The district voted 55 percent for Barack Obama (D) in 2012.[3]
State House District 3- General election
| The Democratic incumbent ran for re-election in a closely divided district. |
Incumbent state Rep. Lydia Blume (D) defeated Peter Mantell (R) in the November 2016 general election.
In 2014, Blume defeated Arthur Kyricos (R) by a margin of 49 percent to 47 percent.
State House District 4- General election
| District 4 featured a candidate rematch. |
Incumbent state Rep. Patricia Hymanson (D) defeated Bradley Moulton (R) in the November 2016 general election.
In 2014, Hymanson defeated Moulton by a margin of 49 percent to 46 percent.
State House District 5- General election
| District 5 featured a candidate rematch. |
Incumbent state Rep. Beth O'Connor (R) defeated former state Rep. Joshua Plante (D) in the November 2016 general election.
In 2014, O'Connor defeated Plante, the former incumbent, by a margin of 53 percent to 45 percent.
State House District 7- General election
| District 7 featured a candidate rematch. |
Incumbent state Rep. Robert Foley (R) defeated Joachim Howard (D) in the November 2016 general election.
In 2014, Foley defeated Howard by a margin of 59 percent to 37 percent.
State House District 9- General election
| The Republican incumbent ran for re-election in a closely divided district. |
Incumbent state Rep. Stedman Seavey (R) defeated Diane Denk (D) in the November 2016 general election. Denk defeated Laurie Dobson (D) in the Democratic primary.
In 2014, Seavey defeated Denk by a margin of 50 percent to 47 percent.
State House District 19- General election
| The Republican incumbent ran for re-election in a closely divided district. |
Incumbent state Rep. Matthew Harrington (R) defeated Nalbert Tero (D) in the November 2016 general election.
Harrington won the seat in a special election held on November 3, 2015, where he won with 47 percent of the vote compared to 46 percent for his Democratic opponent.
State House District 33- General election
| The Republican incumbent ran for re-election in a closely divided district. |
Incumbent state Rep. Kevin Battle (R) defeated Brad Fox (D) in the November 2016 general election.
In 2014, Battle defeated Rosemarie De Angelis (D) by a margin of 44 percent to 42 percent; Green Party candidate Andrew Reddy received 10 percent of the vote.
State House District 44- General election
| The Democratic incumbent ran for re-election in a closely divided district. |
Incumbent state Rep. Teresa Pierce (D) defeated Erin Mancini (R) in the November 2016 general election.
In 2014, Pierce defeated Gregory Payeur (R) by a margin of 49 percent to 46 percent.
State House District 45- General election
| District 45 featured a candidate rematch. |
Incumbent state Rep. Michael Timmons (R) lost his bid for re-election to Dale Denno (D) in the November 2016 general election.
The 2016 general election was a rematch between Timmons and Denno. In 2014, Timmons defeated Denno by a margin of 47.6 percent to 47.3 percent.
State House District 64- General election
| The Republican incumbent retired, leaving an open seat in a closely divided district. |
Bettyann Sheats (D) defeated Michael Travers (R) in the November 2016 general election for State House District 64.[5]
Incumbent state Rep. David Sawicki (R) withdrew his bid for re-election after the Republican primary.[6]
State House District 68- General election
| The Democratic incumbent ran for re-election in a closely divided district. |
Incumbent state Rep. Christine Powers (D) was defeated by Richard Cebra (R) in the November 2016 general election.
In 2014, Powers defeated John Nostin (R) by a margin of 48 percent to 47 percent.
State House District 70- General election
| District 70 featured a candidate rematch. |
Incumbent state Rep. Nathan Wadsworth (R) defeated former state Rep. Helen Rankin (D) in the November 2016 general election.
In 2014, Wadsworth defeated Rankin, the former incumbent, by a margin of 51 percent to 46 percent.
State House District 106- General election
| District 106 featured a candidate rematch. |
Incumbent state Rep. Stanley Short (D) was defeated by Scott Strom (R) in the November 2016 general election.
In 2014, Short defeated Strom by a margin of 50 percent to 46 percent.
State House District 111- General election
| District 111 featured a candidate rematch. |
Incumbent state Rep. Bradlee Farrin (R) defeated former state Rep. Ann Dorney (D) in the November 2016 general election.
In 2014, Farrin defeated Dorney, the former incumbent, by a margin of 52 percent to 45 percent.
State House District 114- General election
| District 114 featured a candidate rematch. |
Incumbent state Rep. Russell Black (R) defeated Guy Iverson (D) in the November 2016 general election.
In 2014, Black defeated Iverson by a margin of 67 percent to 31 percent.
State House District 125- General election
| District 125 featured a candidate rematch. |
Incumbent state Rep. Victoria Kornfield (D) defeated Gary Capehart (R) in the November 2016 general election.
In 2014, Kornfield defeated Capehart by a margin of 53 percent to 43 percent.
State House District 126- General election
| District 126 featured a candidate rematch. |
Incumbent state Rep. John Schneck (D) defeated former state Rep. Douglas Damon (R) in the November general election.
This is the third contest between Schneck and Damon, the former incumbent. In 2012, Schneck unseated Damon by a margin of 59 percent to 41 percent. In 2014, Schneck defeated Damon by a margin of 53 percent to 41 percent.
Freshman legislators
The following is a list of challengers who won election on November 8.
- Abden Simmons (Republican), .Maine House of Representatives, District 91
- Anne Perry (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 140
- Barbara Cardone (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 127
- Benjamin Chipman (Democratic), .Maine State Senate, District 27
- Benjamin Collings (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 42
- Betty Austin (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 107
- Bettyann Sheats (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 64
- Chad Grignon (Republican), .Maine House of Representatives, District 118
- Chris Johansen (Republican), .Maine House of Representatives, District 145
- Christina Riley (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 74
- Colleen Madigan (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 110
- Dale Denno (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 45
- Dana Dow (Republican), .Maine State Senate, District 13
- David Haggan (Republican), .Maine House of Representatives, District 101
- David McCrea (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 148
- Donna Bailey (Maine) (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 14
- Eloise Vitelli (Democratic), .Maine State Senate, District 23
- Everett Carson (Democratic), .Maine State Senate, District 24
- Garrel Craig (Republican), .Maine House of Representatives, District 128
- Gina Mason (Republican), .Maine House of Representatives, District 56
- Harold Stewart (Republican), .Maine House of Representatives, District 147
- Heather Sanborn (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 43
- Heidi Sampson (Republican), .Maine House of Representatives, District 21
- James Handy (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 58
- Jennifer Parker (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 6
- Jessica Fay (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 66
- John Madigan (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 115
- John Spear (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 92
- Joyce Maker (Republican), .Maine State Senate, District 6
- Justin Chenette (Democratic), .Maine State Senate, District 31
- Kent Ackley (Common Sense Independent), .Maine House of Representatives, District 82
- Lance Harvell (Republican), .Maine House of Representatives, District 113
- Lisa Keim (Republican), .Maine State Senate, District 18
- Lois Reckitt (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 31
- Margaret O'Neil (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 15
- Mark Dion (Democratic), .Maine State Senate, District 28
- Mark Lawrence (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 2
- Maureen Terry (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 26
- Michael Carpenter (Maine) (Democratic), .Maine State Senate, District 2
- Michael Perkins (Maine) (Republican), .Maine House of Representatives, District 77
- Michael Sylvester (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 39
- Owen Casas (Independent), .Maine House of Representatives, District 94
- Paula Sutton (Republican), .Maine House of Representatives, District 95
- Rachel Ross (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 40
- Richard Bradstreet (Republican), .Maine House of Representatives, District 80
- Richard Cebra (Republican), .Maine House of Representatives, District 68
- Roger Fuller (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 59
- Scott Strom (Republican), .Maine House of Representatives, District 106
- Seth Berry (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 55
- Shenna Bellows (Democratic), .Maine State Senate, District 14
- Stanley Zeigler (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 96
- Troy Dale Jackson (Democratic), .Maine State Senate, District 1
Defeated incumbents
The following is a list of incumbents who were defeated on November 8.
- Anthony Edgecomb (Republican), .Maine House of Representatives, District 148
- Arthur Verow (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 128
- Brian Hobart (Republican), .Maine House of Representatives, District 55
- Chris Johnson (Maine) (Democratic), .Maine State Senate, District 13
- Christine Powers (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 68
- James Davitt (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 101
- John Patrick (Democratic), .Maine State Senate, District 18
- Lori Fowle (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 80
- Michael McClellan (Republican), .Maine House of Representatives, District 66
- Michael Timmons (Maine) (Republican), .Maine House of Representatives, District 45
- Randall Greenwood (Republican), .Maine House of Representatives, District 82
- Robert Saucier (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 147
- Stanley Short (Democratic), .Maine House of Representatives, District 106
See also
- Maine House of Representatives
- Maine State Senate
- Maine State Legislature
- State legislative elections, 2016
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Portland Press Herald, "House District 15: Two political newcomers vie for chance to represent Saco," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ Portland Press Herald, "House District 39: Two newcomers seek House nomination," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Daily Kos, "Analysis of 2016 State Senate Elections in Maine," March 25, 2016
- ↑ Lincoln County News, "Bowdoin Businessman Challenges Republican Senator in Primary," March 30, 2016
- ↑ New York Times, "Maine 64th District," accessed November 12, 2016
- ↑ Maine Secretary of State, "Withdraw and Replace," accessed November 12, 2016
