“There were like 3,000 voters in the area who voted for him, so that’s why we thought let’s come there and talk about it with everybody,” said Patricia McLean, founder and CEO of Finding Our Voices, a domestic violence awareness nonprofit that organized a protest in Sanford on Jan. 10, 2025. (Photo by Eesha Pendharkar/ Maine Morning Star)
A day after the Maine House of Representatives approved an ethics probe into the domestic violence allegations against Sanford Rep. Lucas Lanigan, a dozen survivors of domestic violence gathered in the Republican’s hometown to protest his reelection.
The protest was intended to raise awareness about an issue attendees said is rampant but often not discussed publicly, impacting more than 14,000 people in Maine every year. It was coordinated by nonprofit Finding Our Voices, which offers resources and support groups for people experiencing domestic violence and survivors of abuse.
Lanigan won his reelection by one vote last November after a recount. He was arrested one week before the election for one count of domestic violence aggravated assault. According to a police report, a Sanford police officer alleged that Lanigan strangled his wife after she confronted him and another woman. However, his wife later called the incident a “misunderstanding” and said the case should be dropped.
Assistant District Attorney Linda Holdsworth-Donovan said victims regularly recant or downplay their stories after the fact. The state is still pursuing charges.
“There were like 3,000 voters in the area who voted for him, so that’s why we thought let’s come there and talk about it with everybody,” said Patricia McLean, founder and CEO of Finding Our Voices. “That’s what it was all about today. Getting people to talk about it, because it’s everywhere.”
Protesters met up at Aroma Joe’s on Main Street and stood outside the coffee shop, waving to drivers and holding up signs before heading to a local restaurant to talk to patrons. Through those conversations, they realized that a lot of residents they spoke with did not know that their state representative had been charged with domestic violence, McLean said.
Some of the attendees drove all the way from Lincolnville, Lewiston and Belfast to attend the protest, drawn by the opportunity to raise awareness about how common domestic violence is while taking a stand in a town that elected someone accused of abuse. They also reflected on their own experiences with domestic violence while explaining the elevated risk of violence victims often face.
“I have personal experience with domestic violence in relationships and strangulation in particular,” said Kerry Zabicki from Westbrook. “I wanted to lend my voice to help educate the public. Domestic violence can happen in any family.”
Lanigan to be investigated by ethics probe
On Wednesday, Maine House members voted 74-69 to direct the House Ethics Committee to investigate the allegations against Lanigan to determine if he had violated the code of ethics, and report its findings within a month.
“The gravity of the allegations against Representative Lanigan raised significant questions about whether he continues to hold the public’s trust and the ethical and moral standing necessary to serve as a member of the Maine House of Representatives,” said House Majority Leader Matt Moonen (D-Portland). “The people of Sanford and all of the people of Maine deserve elected leadership that is held to the highest standards of conduct.”
Republicans opposed the ethics probe. Assistant House Minority Leader Katrina Smith of Palermo said due process needs to be followed by allowing Lanigan to remain innocent until proven guilty.
“It is not the role of the legislative branch to take an action that usurps the role of the judiciary,” she said.
Lanigan and his lawyer did not respond to requests for comment.
The House action was heartening to protesters, who said domestic violence perpetrators are often let off the hook, pointing to the early release of a Bangor man accused of strangling his ex-girlfriend to death.
“People in positions of government power are held to a standard of ethics for a reason, because those are the people who are making decisions for our day-to-day lives,” said Jeanine Davis, one of the attendees of the protest.
Scott Denman, who traveled from Belfast to attend, said he was a victim of domestic violence as a child, and his mother was almost killed because of it. That’s why he said engaging with people in Sanford was important to him, because “nobody is above the law.”
He also hopes that the new state office focused on reducing violence, born out of the governor’s bill in response to the 2023 Lewiston shooting, will make domestic violence a priority.
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