By David Farmer,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – The Androscoggin County Republican Party must find replacements for two state Senate candidates who have withdrawn from the race.

Jay Taylor of Lewiston has pulled out of the race in District 16 against incumbent Democrat Peggy Rotundo of Lewiston, and Matthew McNally of Green has left the race in District 17 against incumbent Democrat John Nutting of Leeds.

Androscoggin County Republicans will caucus at 7 p.m. July 19 at the Sabattus town office to pick replacements.

It’s not unusual for some candidates to withdraw from State House races, said Scott Kauffman, the chairman for county Republicans.

“It’s good that we have a few weeks to find replacement candidates,” he said. “This type of thing happens all the time, though it is a bit unusual that we have two to fill.”

Taylor said that he withdrew from the race because of concerns over his job.

“It was a judgment call on my part,” he said. “If I wanted to maintain my employment, I needed to leave the race.”

Taylor, reached at work Monday, said he was not in a position to discuss the issue further. According to the secretary of state, he withdrew on July 5.

McNally did not reply to a message left at his home Monday. He left the race on June 30.

Both McNally and Taylor were running traditionally financed campaigns. In campaign finance disclosures filed in June, neither candidate reported receiving any contributions or spending any money.

The process for replacing the two candidates begins by calling a county caucus, Kauffman said. Members of the party come together and can nominate candidates, who then must accept the nomination.

Sometimes, Kauffman said, it can be difficult to fill the spots.

If no one is selected, the original candidate’s name stays on the ballot despite the fact that there’s no active campaign.

“In that case, you just hand the race to the other side,” Kauffman said.

While prospective candidates have missed several months that could have been used to campaign, hard work can make up the difference, Kauffman said.

“I’ve seen some wonderful candidates who have run tremendous campaigns in a short amount of time,” Kauffman said. “Let’s face it, the campaign doesn’t heat up, really, until September.”

Around the state, a total of six Senate and 15 House candidates have dropped out so far, according to the secretary of state.

The deadline to get new names to the secretary of state is July 24. After being selected, the nominees have until 30 days after the fourth Monday of July to attempt to qualify as Maine Clean Election candidates and receive public financing for their campaigns.

To qualify, state Senate candidates must collect at least 150 $5 contributions to the Maine Clean Election Fund. Qualifying state Senate candidates receive $20,082 to finance their campaigns, plus the potential for additional matching money if their opponents spend more or if a third party participates in the race.