(The Center Square) — Maine Democrats appear poised to retain a majority in the state House of Representatives and Senate following Tuesday’s election despite gains by Republicans who flipped several seats.
The preliminary results from Tuesday’s legislative races showed Democrats winning at least 77 seats in the 151-member House. In comparison, Republicans won at least 74 seats in the chamber, according to a tally by the Associated Press and local news outlets.
In the Senate, preliminary results showed Democrats holding onto their majority in the chamber by 20-15 seats, with Republicans picking up two seats, including the one currently held by outgoing Senate President Troy Jackson, you can’t run because of term limits.
As of Thursday, several House races remained too close to call, and we’re likely headed for recounts, election officials said.
If the preliminary results hold, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills will be working with Democratic majorities in both chambers during her final two years in office. It allows Democrats to set the agenda for the next two years, including filling the secretary of state, attorney general and treasurer’s posts.
Republicans needed to flip at least five seats to take control of the state Senate and nine seats to win a majority in the House. Ahead of Tuesday’s election, Democrats held 23 seats in the Senate and 67 seats in the House, according to the Maine Legislature’s website.
Since 2009, the Senate majority has flipped four times between the two main political parties. In 2020, Maine Democrats flipped two Senate seats and won a special election to secure the majority in the chamber.
Maine Democratic Party Chairman Bev Uhlenhake said the new crop of lawmakers elected on Tuesday “will fight to put Maine’s families, freedoms, and future first.”
“Mainers have spoken, they have voted to elect educators, healthcare workers, small business owners, and parents – and have built State House and Senate majorities that are truly representative of the people of our great state,” he said in a statement.
However, Republicans made gains in Tuesday’s election that have narrowed Democrats’ majorities in both chambers, which could come into play in the budget and other debates in the coming year.
That included Jackson’s District 1 Senate seat, which was flipped by Republican Sue Barnard of Caribou after she defeated Democrat Vaughn McLaughlin, according to the AP’s tally. Jackson, an Allagash Democrat elected in 2019, couldn’t run again because of term limits. Republicans also picked up House seats in Bucksport, Auburn and Raymond.
The state’s Republicans got a boost in their efforts to expand their numbers in the Legislature from the national Republican State Leadership Committee, which donated nearly $1.4 million to the Maine Republican Party and political action committees focused on electing GOP candidates in down-ballot races, according to filings with the Maine Ethics Commission.
Combined, campaigns and outside fundraising groups spent more than $10.3 million on legislative candidates this election cycle, according to filings.
