LEWISTON – Lewiston Democratic voters soundly voted for incumbent Peggy Rotundo over challenger Paul Madore on Tuesday in the race for Senate District 17, which includes all of Lewiston.

Rotundo beat Madore in every precinct by a comfortable 2-to-1 margin. Preliminary figures show the total votes were 2,252 for Rotundo and 957 for Madore.

“I’m deeply honored by the support of the people of Lewiston and those who voted today,” Rotundo said Tuesday night. “I ran on my record, and I believe the people were proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish for the city.”

Rotundo now faces a Republican challenger, former state Rep. Stavros Mendros, in November. Rotundo said she will continue to focus on the issues and run on her record.

Voters weren’t swayed by last-minute negative ads, Rotundo said. “They rejected negative campaigning and demonstrated they weren’t going to tolerate it.”

Madore blamed his loss on a Sun Journal article Tuesday about negative ads late in the campaign. Madore said the story persuaded voters either to stay away or not vote for him.

The Sun Journal article “was effective and did deter the will of the voters,” Madore said. “I commend your hard work and attempt to deceive the voters by misinforming them.” When asked whether he was crediting the story for Rotundo’s win, Madore said “absolutely. You did not report accurately what happened with the mailer. … It’s unfortunate the public can be swayed as easily as they were by the written word.”

Madore said he’s proud of those who worked with him and for their excellent campaigning. “For that I’m very grateful.”