Republican incumbent Jarrod Crockett has successfully defended his seat against Democratic challenger Chad McGrew and will retain his State House District 91 seat.

Both Crockett and McGrew are from Bethel, where Crockett won handily, with 928 votes to McGrew’s 398.

With 12 of 15 towns reporting, Crockett led McGrew by a count of 2,422 to 1,033 votes.

“I am honored and humbled by the confidence that people have shown in me, and I’m hoping that I can lead the state to a better and brighter future,” Crockett said.

He said that he heard great concern among the voting public in his district.

“I heard that people were worried about jobs, and scaling back out-of-control-government spending,” he said. “They want affordable health care that can be achieved by opening up the market. That’s what I heard several times.”

Crockett said he was going to get back to work Wednesday.

“I’m going to make some phone calls and thank a bunch of people,” he said. “Then get back to writing legislation and constituent issues. We have some roads that need to be fixed. The work doesn’t stop.”

Crockett spoke warmly of McGrew.

“Chad is a great guy,” he said. “I think he would disavow any of the negative campaigning that the state party did against me. I’m hoping Chad stays active. His ideas are good and his energy is good, and anytime a citizen wants to get involved is a good time.”

Crockett, who sits on the Judiciary Committee, is serving his first term in the Maine House of Representatives, and represents Bethel, Eustis, Gilead, Hanover, Kingfield, Newry, Rangeley, Stoneham, Upton, Woodstock the Plantations of Dallas, Lincoln and Magalloway, the unorganized territories of East Central Franklin, North Franklin, North Oxford, South Oxford and Milton Township.

Crockett graduated from Bethel’s Gould Academy, and went on to get a political science degree from Radford University in Virginia. In 2005, Crockett began an 18-month tour in Afghanistan as a company commander, after which he received a Bronze Star. Crockett is now a licensed attorney in Maine. He lives in East Bethel with his wife, Paige. The two also work together at their Bethel law offices.

Crockett’s opponent, Charles “Chad” McGrew, is a self-described moderate Democrat. He moved to Bethel from Bird Creek, Alaska, in 1986, and worked in construction before starting his own building company. He and his wife managed the Riverview Resort in Bethel for 14 years, during which time McGrew, who is also a karate black belt, wrote four supernatural thrillers, most of which are set in Maine. He has three daughters and two grandsons. He is a member of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, and the Bethel Area Chamber Transportation Committee.