As the Election Day dust settled Wednesday, it appeared net gains by Democrats in the Legislature came mostly from races outside Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties, with the exception of a Democratic pickup in the state Senate.

Of the four House races that changed parties, two switched from Democrats to Republicans and two went from Republican to Democrat.

In two races for open seats, House Districts 70 and 75, the changes neutralized each other, with one seat switching from the Democratic Party and the other going to the GOP.

Republican Bruce Bickford of Auburn won in House District 70, made up of part of Auburn and part of Lewiston, a seat that was held by Democrat Mark Samson, who did not run for re-election. Bickford defeated Democrat Penthea Burns of Lewiston, 54 percent to 46 percent, according to unofficial results.

Democrat Stacy Dostie of Sabattus won in House District 75, made up of Greene and Sabattus, a seat that was held by Republican Scott Lansley, who did not run for re-election. Dostie topped Republican William Clarke of Greene, 56 percent to 44 percent.

In a pair of other House races, it appeared that incumbent Reps. Tim Carter, D-Bethel, and Michael Vaughan, R-Durham, were defeated in their bids for re-election.

Republican Jarrod Crockett of Bethel bested Carter, who was running for his second term in House District 91, made up of several towns in Franklin and Oxford counties including Bethel and Rangeley. Crockett won 53 percent of the vote to 47 percent for Carter, according to unofficial results.

In House District 105, Democrat David Van Wie of New Gloucester led Republican Vaughan by 88 votes, or 1.6 percent of the total vote. Vaughan was running for his fourth term in the House.

In the race for state Senate District 15, Democrat Deborah Simpson of Auburn defeated Republican incumbent Lois Snowe-Mello of Poland by 102 votes, or 0.5 percent, according to unofficial results. Snowe-Mello was running for her third term in the state Senate.

State election officials said the Legislature recently changed the rules on automatic recounts, which had been in place for races within a margin of 1 percent. The state no longer automatically recounts races. Recounts can be requested by trailing candidates up to five business days after Election Day. If the race is within 2 percentage points, no fee is assessed.