Chamber of the House of Representatives in the Maine State House in Augusta. Sept. 5, 2023. (Photo by Jim Neuger/ Maine Morning Star)
Sean Faircloth was nominated as the Democratic candidate to fill an open seat in the Maine House of Representatives.
Faircloth will be on the Feb. 25 ballot for a special election for House District 24. Democratic incumbent Joe Perry was re-elected to fill that seat in November, but had to resign after being chosen by his peers to serve as state treasurer.
House District 24 covers parts of Bangor, Brewer, Orono and all of Veazie.
“My goal is to hold down the cost of living for average Mainers, and increase their income,” Faircloth said in a news release Tuesday. “I have a long track record of crossing party lines to get things done.”
If elected, this won’t be Faircloth’s first time holding a state-level office. He served five terms in the House and Senate in the 1990s and 2000s, during which he was elected by his colleagues as assistant majority leader for his final term.
In 2014, Faircloth was elected to the Bangor City Council and served one term as mayor. Faircloth also helped found the Maine Discovery Museum in an effort to revitalize downtown Bangor.
As of late-Wednesday morning, the Elections Division of the Secretary of State said that it had only received a nomination for Republican Carolyn Fish for the special election. It had not received a nomination from the Democrats yet, but party nominations are not officially due until 5 p.m. on Friday. Faircloth is listed as a candidate on the Maine Ethics Commission campaign finance portal.
Non-party candidates need to obtain 50-80 signatures from registered voters in the district, which must be certified by the municipal clerk before submitting. Those petitions also must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Friday.
Write-in candidates have until 5 p.m. on Jan. 14 to declare candidacy. Forms for write-ins and non-party candidates can be obtained by contacting the elections division of the Secretary of State at 207-624-7650.
Faircloth was unanimously nominated by a “large group” of Democrats who attended a caucus meeting at the former Penobscot County Courthouse, according to a news release from the Maine House Democratic Campaign Committee.
He also has the support of House Speaker Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford), who said, “We are incredibly fortunate that Sean is stepping up to serve his community, where he has made a positive difference in the lives of so many.”
Fecteau added that Faircloth “has a track record of working on policies that help people afford everyday expenses, spur economic development and create opportunities for Penobscot County.”
Faircloth lives in Bangor with his wife.
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