The Maine State House in Augusta. (Maine Morning Star)
Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives Rachel Talbot Ross and other leaders of the Maine Democratic Party called for state Rep. Lucas Lanigan (R-Sanford) to resign following his arrest earlier this week.
A mugshot of Republican state Rep. Lucas Lanigan, who is running for re-elelection in Sanford. (Courtesy of York County Jail)
Lanigan turned himself in to the York County Jail Monday after the Sanford Police Department issued a warrant for his arrest over the weekend for one count of domestic violence aggravated assault.
“In light of this serious offense, it is clear that he no longer has the public’s trust or the ethical or moral standing necessary to serve in the Maine House of Representatives,” Talbot Ross wrote in a statement Tuesday. “Serving the public demands integrity and accountability—values that Representative Lanigan has violated.”
Talbot Ross was joined by other leaders of Maine’s Democratic Party in calling for his immediate resignation.
House Majority Leader Mo Terry (D-Gorham) and Assistant Majority Leader Kristen Cloutier (D-Lewiston) issued a statement saying they are “stunned, dismayed and horrified by the details of the charges.”
“Domestic violence of any kind is unacceptable,” they wrote, adding that they “hope that he takes it upon himself to do the right thing.”
The two also called on Republican leadership in the Maine House to ask Lanigan to resign. Maine House Republicans did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lanigan, who lives in Springvale and is wrapping up his first term as a state legislator, is up for reelection for his seat in the Maine House of Representatives. He is facing Democrat Patricia Kidder.
Maine Democratic Party Chair Bev Uhlenhake also called for Lanigan to withdraw from the Nov. 5 election.
This story may be updated.
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