The chamber of the Maine House of Representatives during the first session of 2024 in the State House in Augusta. (Jim Neuger/Maine Morning Star)
After a flurry of recounts, the final results for the more than 180 seats in the Maine Legislature are mostly in.
Every seat in the Maine House of Representatives and Senate was up for reelection on Nov. 5. Most of the results were clear in the days following the election, but the Maine Department of the Secretary of State recounted the results for eight legislative races — seven House districts and one Senate district.
The recount requested for House District 44 is still outstanding as of Wednesday, since it needed to be rescheduled. A new date for the recount has not been announced.
Even without that final race result, Democrats are securely in control of both chambers, as they were last session. However, they will have a tighter majority in the 132nd Legislature with only a five seat margin over Republicans in the Senate and three in the House.
Maine Senate
The Maine Senate will have 20 Democrats and 15 Republicans. Democrats were able to maintain their majority because every incumbent in the Maine Senate that ran — more than two-thirds of members — was reelected.
There were initially two recounts requested for the upper chamber, but only one, for District 8, took place. That recount confirmed that incumbent Democrat Mike Tipping will serve another term after winning by 132 votes.
Outgoing state Rep. Raegan LaRochelle, a Democrat, withdrew her request for a recount in District 15, which she originally requested after trailing Republican Dick Bradstreet by fewer than 200 votes. The outgoing Republican state representative will move to the Senate to take over the seat vacated by Matt Pouliot.
Bradstreet isn’t the only Republican who was able to successfully maintain control of a Senate seat targeted by Democrats. The seat vacated by Eric Brakey in Androscoggin County’s District 20 will stay red because Bruce Bickford prevailed against former state Rep. Bettyann Sheats.
Republicans were also able to narrow the majority Democrats held last session by flipping a few seats.
For example, Susan Bernard won the open seat in District 1 in Aroostook County, which was held by outgoing Democratic Senate President Troy Jackson. And Republican Scott Cyrway flipped the open seat in District 16.
Maine House of Representatives
The House will have 76 Democrats, 73 Republicans and two independents — so long as William Pluecker maintains his victory in the outstanding recount — again maintaining a tight majority to uphold this leg of the Democratic trifecta.
Several districts flipped to Republicans, but Democrats also picked up seats in the Maine House to maintain their narrow majority.
For example, Democrat Kilton Webb won District 98, previously held by Republican Joseph Galletta, who was defeated in the primary by Guy Lebida. And Democrat Wayne Farrin unseated Edward Polewarczyk, the Republican incumbent in District 47.
Independent Sharon Frost also usurped a Republican seat by defeating two-term incumbent Daniel Newman in District 58.
Meanwhile, Republicans Russell White, Steven Bishop and Mark Cooper defeated Democratic incumbents in Districts 13, 17 and 107.
Republican Quentin Chapman also flipped an open seat in District 88.
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