AUGUSTA — New, old and returning faces are among official state party candidates seeking legislative office this year.
The deadline for registering for the primary ballot passed last Monday, and there are few contested primary races, although there are plenty of match-ups in Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties to watch heading into this fall’s election.
In the Senate races, voters in two local districts will see primary votes.
In Senate District 14, which is made up of several towns in Oxford County, including Bethel and Rumford, as well as Jay in Franklin County, Democrats John Patrick of Rumford and Daniel L. Smiley of Jay are facing off. Current state Sen. Bruce Bryant is barred from running for re-election due to term limits.
Maine legislators may only serve four consecutive two-year terms in the House or the Senate, but they may run immediately for the other body after eight year of service in one.
Patrick is a former state representative whose last term ended in 2007. The winner of the Democratic nomination will face veteran lawmaker Sawin Millett, R-Waterford. Millett is termed-out of the Maine House after serving four consecutive terms.
In Senate District 17, Republicans Garrett Mason of Lisbon and Russ Pack of Turner are slated for a primary battle. The winner will take on incumbent Democrat John Nutting of Leeds, who has already served three terms in the Androscoggin County district made up of the smaller communities surrounding, but not including, Lewiston and Auburn.
There are three contested primaries in local House races.
In House District 96, which includes Hebron, Minot and Turner, Republicans Joshua Morris and Jeffrey Timberlake, both of Turner, will vie in June to take on incumbent Democrat Larry Sirois, also of Turner, in November.
There are five candidates seeking to replace state Rep. Nancy Smith, D-Monmouth, who is finishing her fourth House term, in House District 80. Three Republicans, Timothy McDonald of Monmouth and Melvin Newendyke and Jonathan Yellowbear, both of Litchfield, are headed for a three-way primary. Democrats Raymond Simond and Scott Wing, both of Monmouth, will face off on the other side.
Nineteen of the 22 local House races have incumbents running; four of six local Senate races have incumbents running.
In addition to the open seat in Senate District 14, sitting state Sen. Walter Gooley, a Farmington Republican, is retiring after his second term in Senate District 18. Gooley’s district is made up of many towns in Franklin County, including Farmington, Rangeley and Wilton.
Current state Rep. Tom Saviello of Wilton is the presumptive Republican nominee to run against Democrat Ann Woloson of Belgrade for the Senate seat. Saviello recently joined the Republican party, having been unenrolled before. Woloson ran unsuccessfully for the Legislature in 2008.
Old foes state Sen. Deb Simpson, D-Auburn, and Republican Lois Snowe-Mello of Poland are also slated for a rematch in the fall in Senate District 15. In 2008, Snowe-Mello, who then held the seat, was knocked off by Simpson in a close race.
Maine’s primary election will be held June and the general election in November.
rmetzler@sunjournal.com
Senate –
District 13 – Laura Ordway, D-Bridgton
District 13 – David Hastings, R-Fryeburg*
District 14 – Sawin Millett, R-Waterford
District 14 – John Patrick, D-Rumford
District 14 – Daniel Smiley, D-Jay
District 15 – Deb Simpson, D-Auburn*
District 15 – Lois Snowe-Mello, R-Poland
District 16 – Margaret Craven, D-Lewiston*
District 16 – Joel Kase, R-Lewiston
District 17 Garrett Mason, R-Lisbon
District 17 Russ Pack, R-Turner
District 17 John Nutting, D-Leeds*
District 18 Tom Saviello, R-Wilton
District 18 Ann Woloson, D-Belgrade
House –
District 68 Michael Beaulieu, R-Auburn*
District 68 Candace Gleason, D-Auburn
District 69 Brian Bolduc, D-Auburn*
District 69 Lawrence Pelletier, R-Auburn
District 70 Bruce Bickford, R-Auburn*
District 70 Michael Scott, D-Auburn
District 71 Mark Chizmar, R-Lewiston
District 71 Mike Lajoie, D-Lewiston*
District 72 Mike Carey, D-Lewiston*
District 72 Marcus Welch, R-Lewiston
District 73 Brendan O’Brien, R-Lewiston
District 73 Dick Wagner, D-Lewiston*
District 74 Matthew Fournier, R-Lewiston
District 74 Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston*
District 75 Stacy Dostie, D-Sabattus*
District 75 Stephen Wood, R-Sabattus
District 80 Timothy McDonald, R-Monmouth
District 80 Melvin Newendyke, R-Litchfield
District 80 Jonathan Yellowbear, R-Litchfield
District 80 Raymond Simond, D-Monmouth
District 80 Scott Wing, D-Monmouth
District 81 Peggy Dwyer, D-Livermore
District 81 Gary Knight, R-Livermore Falls*
District 87 Anthony Couture, R-Jay
District 87 Paul Gilbert, D-Jay*
District 89 Lance Harvell, R-Farmington*
District 89 Yvette Robinson, D-Farmington
District 90 Russell Black, R-Wilton
District 90 Irving Faunce, D-Wilton
District 91 Jarrod Crockett, R-Bethel*
District 91 Charles McGrew, D-Bethel
District 92 Matt Peterson, D-Rumford*
District 92 Justin Thacker, R-Andover
District 93 Cynthia Bissel, R-Canton
District 93 Sheryl Briggs, D-Mexico*
District 94 Terry Hayes, D-Buckfield*
District 94 Ryan Lorrain, R-Paris
District 95 Russell Newcomb, D-Norway
District 95 Tom Winsor, R-Norway
District 96 Joshua Morris, R-Turner
District 96 Jeffrey Timberlake, R-Turner
District 96 Larry Sirois, D-Turner*
District 100 James Hamper, R-Oxford*
District 100 Colin O’Neill, D-Oxford
District 104 Janice Comber, D-Lisbon
District 104 Dale Crafts, R-Lisbon*
District 105 Eleanor Espling, R-New Gloucester
District 105 David Van Wie, D-New Gloucester*
* – Incumbents
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