State Legislature Special Election Megathread v2

[Kevinstat]

There will be a special election in Maine, as Bangor Rep. Aaron Frey has been nominated as Attorney General. He will ascend to the office in the coming weeks. And we already have people getting ready to run for the seat.

https://twitter.com/mikeshepherdME/status/1070082203663691776

https://twitter.com/bensprague/status/1070124049496457216

In case people are curious, Frey's district was House District 124 (roughly eastern Bangor and western Orono).  It's main predecessor district used in the 2004 through 2010 elections, House District 18, went Republican over the Democratic incumbent from Orono in 2010 (52.99% to 47.01% not counting blanks), but Frey unseated that Republican in 2012 (with Frey getting 57.60% to the Republican's 42.40% not counting blanks).  And that Republican's hometown of Veazie was taken out of the district in 2013 and a more of both Bangor and Orono put in.  The current district still might have gone Republican in 2010 (outside Veazie, the Republican won 50.46% to 49.54% in 2010 not counting blanks, and he carried the Bangor portion, but of course that Republican wouldn't have been eligible to run if his hometown wasn't in the district and the additional territory in both municipalities seems more urban than the old district's portions of those municipalities).  So it's not as Democratic as you might think just going by the municipalities in it, but it still has a definite Democratic lean.

If State Rep. Drew Gattine (D-Westbrook) gets offered a job in the Mills administration or otherwise declines to take the oath of office (he didn't take the oath on Wednesday, but last I checked he hadn't sent a communication whereby he declined to take to oath, so perhaps he could still take it without having to run in a special election if he doesn't get a job he wants), there will also be a special election for State Representative in House District 34 (Westbrook south of the Presumpscot River, not counting the part of the river where the centerline dips back into Westbrook as you're going upstream).  That House district, largely the same from 1994 on (Westbrook has had exactly two House districts since then, but it may gain a partial third district for the 2020s as it's been growing faster than the state recently), has gone Democratic throughout that time and I believe the main southern Westbrook district has been D-held going back into the 1980s at least.  Westbrook has elected Republican mayors before, and I think it voted Republican for State Senate in 2002, but I've heard that the southern part of Westbrook is the more solidly Democratic part.  So it should be a fairly easy Democratic hold if there indeed is a special election there.

[Kevinstat]

There will be a special election in Maine, as Bangor Rep. Aaron Frey has been nominated as Attorney General. He will ascend to the office in the coming weeks. And we already have people getting ready to run for the seat.

https://twitter.com/mikeshepherdME/status/1070082203663691776

https://twitter.com/bensprague/status/1070124049496457216

In case people are curious, Frey's district was House District 124 (roughly eastern Bangor and western Orono).  It's main predecessor district used in the 2004 through 2010 elections, House District 18, went Republican over the Democratic incumbent from Orono in 2010 (52.99% to 47.01% not counting blanks), but Frey unseated that Republican in 2012 (with Frey getting 57.60% to the Republican's 42.40% not counting blanks).  And that Republican's hometown of Veazie was taken out of the district in 2013 and a more of both Bangor and Orono put in.  The current district still might have gone Republican in 2010 (outside Veazie, the Republican won 50.46% to 49.54% in 2010 not counting blanks, and he carried the Bangor portion, but of course that Republican wouldn't have been eligible to run if his hometown wasn't in the district and the additional territory in both municipalities seems more urban than the old district's portions of those municipalities).  So it's not as Democratic as you might think just going by the municipalities in it, but it still has a definite Democratic lean.

If State Rep. Drew Gattine (D-Westbrook) gets offered a job in the Mills administration or otherwise declines to take the oath of office (he didn't take the oath on Wednesday, but last I checked he hadn't sent a communication whereby he declined to take to oath, so perhaps he could still take it without having to run in a special election if he doesn't get a job he wants), there will also be a special election for State Representative in House District 34 (Westbrook south of the Presumpscot River, not counting the part of the river where the centerline dips back into Westbrook as you're going upstream).  That House district, largely the same from 1994 on (Westbrook has had exactly two House districts since then, but it may gain a partial third district for the 2020s as it's been growing faster than the state recently), has gone Democratic throughout that time and I believe the main southern Westbrook district has been D-held going back into the 1980s at least.  Westbrook has elected Republican mayors before, and I think it voted Republican for State Senate in 2002, but I've heard that the southern part of Westbrook is the more solidly Democratic part.  So it should be a fairly easy Democratic hold if there indeed is a special election there.

Bangor, Orono voters will choose their new state rep. March 12

The official notice of the election can be viewed here.

The Democrats will caucus this coming Tuesday, January 15 to choose their nominee (Maine doesn't have primaries for special elections or candidate vacancies other than for Governor, U.S. Senate or U.S. House).  I'm not sure when the Republicans are meeting or if they have already met (I imagine they'll field someone, but not spend much energy or money on the race), or whether the Greens will run a candidate or if any non-party candidates are running.  The deadline for nomination paperwork or non-party petitions is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 18.

Bangor City Council President ("Mayor") Sarah Nichols seems to have recent Maine Democratic history on her side, as the young female type seems to be in vogue among Maine Democrats right now.  Belfast voters (in an election featuring all voters, but where Democrats probably largely supported the winner) ousted their Mayor (a former Democratic State Rep. and a Belfast native) in 2017 in favor of a young woman from the Saint John Valley who has since had a strained relationship with the City Council.

State Representative Drew Gattine (D-Westbrook) didn't get nominated for DHHS Commissioner (he had apparently been in the running) and was sworn in by Governor Mills last week.  So there won't be a special election for his seat.  He's still in an influential position - House Chair of Appropriations.

[Kevinstat]

There will be a special election in Maine, as Bangor Rep. Aaron Frey has been nominated as Attorney General. He will ascend to the office in the coming weeks. And we already have people getting ready to run for the seat.

https://twitter.com/mikeshepherdME/status/1070082203663691776

https://twitter.com/bensprague/status/1070124049496457216

In case people are curious, Frey's district was House District 124 (roughly eastern Bangor and western Orono).  It's main predecessor district used in the 2004 through 2010 elections, House District 18, went Republican over the Democratic incumbent from Orono in 2010 (52.99% to 47.01% not counting blanks), but Frey unseated that Republican in 2012 (with Frey getting 57.60% to the Republican's 42.40% not counting blanks).  And that Republican's hometown of Veazie was taken out of the district in 2013 and a more of both Bangor and Orono put in.  The current district still might have gone Republican in 2010 (outside Veazie, the Republican won 50.46% to 49.54% in 2010 not counting blanks, and he carried the Bangor portion, but of course that Republican wouldn't have been eligible to run if his hometown wasn't in the district and the additional territory in both municipalities seems more urban than the old district's portions of those municipalities).  So it's not as Democratic as you might think just going by the municipalities in it, but it still has a definite Democratic lean.

If State Rep. Drew Gattine (D-Westbrook) gets offered a job in the Mills administration or otherwise declines to take the oath of office (he didn't take the oath on Wednesday, but last I checked he hadn't sent a communication whereby he declined to take to oath, so perhaps he could still take it without having to run in a special election if he doesn't get a job he wants), there will also be a special election for State Representative in House District 34 (Westbrook south of the Presumpscot River, not counting the part of the river where the centerline dips back into Westbrook as you're going upstream).  That House district, largely the same from 1994 on (Westbrook has had exactly two House districts since then, but it may gain a partial third district for the 2020s as it's been growing faster than the state recently), has gone Democratic throughout that time and I believe the main southern Westbrook district has been D-held going back into the 1980s at least.  Westbrook has elected Republican mayors before, and I think it voted Republican for State Senate in 2002, but I've heard that the southern part of Westbrook is the more solidly Democratic part.  So it should be a fairly easy Democratic hold if there indeed is a special election there.

Bangor, Orono voters will choose their new state rep. March 12

The official notice of the election can be viewed here.

The Democrats will caucus this coming Tuesday, January 15 to choose their nominee (Maine doesn't have primaries for special elections or candidate vacancies other than for Governor, U.S. Senate or U.S. House).  I'm not sure when the Republicans are meeting or if they have already met (I imagine they'll field someone, but not spend much energy or money on the race), or whether the Greens will run a candidate or if any non-party candidates are running.  The deadline for nomination paperwork or non-party petitions is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 18.

Bangor City Council President ("Mayor") Sarah Nichols seems to have recent Maine Democratic history on her side, as the young female type seems to be in vogue among Maine Democrats right now.  Belfast voters (in an election featuring all voters, but where Democrats probably largely supported the winner) ousted their Mayor (a former Democratic State Rep. and a Belfast native) in 2017 in favor of a young woman from the Saint John Valley who has since had a strained relationship with the City Council.

State Representative Drew Gattine (D-Westbrook) didn't get nominated for DHHS Commissioner (he had apparently been in the running) and was sworn in by Governor Mills last week.  So there won't be a special election for his seat.  He's still in an influential position - House Chair of Appropriations.

3 Republicans, 2 Dems seek party nods next week to run for open Bangor House seat

The Republicans will choose their nominee Wednesday, January 16, a day after the Democrats.  One of the three Republicans seeking their party's nomination ran and lost for the House seat last year, while another one ran unsuccessfully for the State Senate.  The third Republican is a political newcomer.  The Republican who won in the main predecessor district in 2010 lives in Veazie, which was moved out of the district in 2013 (he carried the part outside Veazie, but he can't run in a district he doesn't live in).

[Kevinstat]

Another vacancy in the Maine House of Representatives

Bath’s state rep. announces resignation to take ‘unique career opportunity’ at telecom company

A long-time Bath city councilor died just two days before DeChant's resignation announcement, and his death seems to have become known the same day as DeChant's announcement that she was resigning, so that has "quieted the politics" as one friend told me.  Also, in Maine a vacancy in the State House can't be declared until a municipal governing body in one of the municipalities affected (in this case the Bath City Council) requests that a vacancy be declared, and they may want to time it so the two special elections coincide, but they obviously don't want to make such a declaration on the council vacancy before the deceased's funeral, so it may be a week or two before we know when the special election to replace DeChant will be.

‘A giant in the city’: Bath mourns longtime city councilor, civic icon Bernie Wyman

[Kevinstat]

I got the following Facebook PM from the Maine Department of the Secretary of State's Facebook page yesterday (Friday) morning in response to an inquiry about the deadlines in the House District 52 special election announced on Thursday:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019

Special election set to fill District 52 House seat

AUGUSTA – Governor Janet Mills and Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap signed the proclamation today, Feb. 7, 2019, announcing a special election for the Maine House District 52.

The special election is scheduled for Tuesday, April 2, 2019.

This House seat, which covers the City of Bath, was previously held by Rep. Jennifer DeChant of Bath, who resigned her position on Feb. 1, 2019.

Maine’s three political parties, the Democrats, Green Independents and Republicans, will now caucus to choose candidates for the seat. Candidate nominations are due to the Office of the Secretary of State by 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 22.

Non-party candidates must circulate petitions and obtain the signatures of at least 50 registered voters in House District 52. The deadline to submit the petitions to the Secretary of State is by 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 22, after first having the signatures certified by the applicable municipalities. Write-in candidates must declare their candidacy by 5 p.m. on March 1. Non-party petition forms and write-in candidate declaration forms may be obtained by contacting the Elections Division of the Secretary of State at 207-624-7650.

The candidate who is elected by the voters in District 52 at the April 2 special election will serve out the remainder of Rep. DeChant’s term, through December 2020.

[Kevinstat]

Maine special election dates:

House District 124 (parts of Bangor and Orono):
Vacancy Declared: Thursday, January 3, 2019
Filing Deadline (ballot): 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 18, 2019  (Two candidates met the deadline, Joseph C. Perry Sr. (D-Bangor) and Thomas M. White (R-Bangor).)
Filing Deadline (write-ins): 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 25, 2019  (I inquired the week after that deadline and learned that no write-ins declared.  I was half expecting some "protest candidate" to declare as a write-in as news of past controversial social media activity by the Republican candidate broke between the two deadlines.)
Election Date: Tuesday, March 12, 2019 (polls open from ? a.m. to 8:00 p.m.)

House District 52 (Bath):
Vacancy Declared: Thursday, February 7, 2019
Filing Deadline (ballot): 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 22, 2019
Filing Deadline (write-ins): 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 1, 2019
Election Date: Tuesday, April 2, 2019 (polls open from ? a.m. to 8:00 p.m.)