Maine
The latest on recounts in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, other state races
State Rep Austin Theriault, left, and U.S. Rep. Jared Golden. Press Herald file photos
Recounts for a dozen close Maine elections are continuing this week, including the 2nd Congressional District race between incumbent U.S. Rep. Jared Golden and state Rep. Austin Theriault.
Golden had more votes than Theriault on election night, but the race went on a runoff under Maine’s ranked choice voting system, which requires someone to earn more than 50% of the vote to win. More than 12,000 ballots were left blank, which placed Golden below 50%.
Last week’s runoff confirmed Golden as the winner with 50.4% of the vote, but Theriault requested a hand recount of the nearly 391,600 ballots, which could take weeks to finish.
State election officials are also overseeing recounts in 11 state legislative races – an unusually high number that will take at least through Monday to complete. Two of those are Senate races, while the rest are for House seats.
Four other recounts have already confirmed the election winner, according to the secretary of state’s office, all of them Democrats.
Independent challenger Sharon Frost unseated Republican incumbent Rep. Daniel Newman in House District 58 in the Belgrade region by 43 votes, 3,159 to 3,116. The margin decreased by one vote as a result of Tuesday’s recount.
Democrat Stephan Bunker beat Republican Randall Gauvin in House District 75 in the Farmington area by only seven votes, 2,317 to 2,310, in Tuesday’s recount. Bunker led by 10 votes on election night.
In House District 96, Rep. Michele Lajoie, D-Lewiston, was reelected by 39 votes, 2,556 to 2,517, over Republican challenger Kerryl Clement, also of Lewiston. Friday’s recount margin is three votes more than the election night margin of 2,550 to 2,514.
Democrat Kilton Webb, of Durham, won the House District 98 seat by 55 votes, 2,996 to 2,941, over Republican Guy Lebida of Bowdoin. Webb lost one vote in Monday’s recount, while Lebida’s total did not change.
Locked boxes filled with ballots are seen amid the ranked choice runoff in the 2nd Congressional District race between Jared Golden and Austin Theriault. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer
The House District 141 race between incumbent Republican Lucas Lanigan and Democratic challenger Patricia Kidder, which ended in a tie on election night, is schedule for Thursday at 1 p.m.
Lanigan was arrested and charged with aggravated domestic violence assault right before the election. An arrest warrant says he allegedly grabbed his wife by the neck after she confronted him about an affair. His wife has asked the judge and district attorney to drop the charges, but prosecutors said the case will proceed, because it’s common for victims to recant after filing charges.
The House District 44 recount, which was scheduled for Wednesday, was rescheduled to a future date that has not yet been announced.
Here is the schedule for the remaining recounts:
• Wednesday at 9 a.m., House District 52, in the Bowdoinham area, between incumbent Democratic Rep. Sally Cluchey and Republican David Guilmette.
• Wednesday at 1 p.m., House District 81, in the Bethel area, between Democrat Joan Beal and Republican Peter Wood.
• Thursday at 9 a.m., House District 142, representing Sanford and part of Springvale, between Democrat Rep. Anne-Marie Mastraccio and Republican Amy Bell.
• Friday at 9 a.m., Senate District 8, representing Orono and eastern Penobscot County, between incumbent Democrat Sen. Mike Tipping and Republican Leo Kenny.
• Monday at 9 a.m., Senate District 15, representing the Augusta area, between Republican state Rep. Dick Bradstreet of Vassalboro and Democratic state Rep. Raegan LaRochelle.