LePage captures gubanatorial election

By Mark Putnam
Managing Editor
    Paul LePage of Waterville will be the first Republican governor of Maine since John “Jock” McKernan, who occupied the Blaine House from January 1987 through January 1995. He also will be the state’s first Franco-American governor, winning the post with 216,759 votes or 38.33 percent of 565,539 votes cast.
    Governor-elect LePage narrowly defeated Independent challenger Eliot R. Cutler of Cape Elizabeth who attracted 36.49 percent of the vote. Democrat Elizabeth “Libby” Mitchell of Vassalboro finished the Nov. 2 gubernatorial race a distant third with 108,137 votes (19.12 percent) while Shawn Moody (28,632 votes) and Kevin Scott (5,673 votes) followed in fourth and fifth place respectively.
    Of Maine’s 1,023,556 registered voters, just over 55 percent voted at the polls or through absentee ballot.
    In Aroostook County where just under 50 percent of 53,484 registered voters weighed in, LePage carried the day with 42.43 percent of the vote, followed by Cutler with 27.94 and Mitchell with 19.84 percent. While Aroostook reflected the rest of the state in gubernatorial preference, voters in the St. John Valley overwhelmingly supported Senate President Mitchell — 40 percent in Madawaska and 31 percent in Fort Kent.
    In Presque Isle and Caribou, LePage pulled down nearly 42 percent of the vote (1,344 of 3,203 votes and 1,211 of 2,889 votes respectively) while Mars Hill favored the Marden’s executive with 57.87 percent of the vote.
    In southern Aroostook County, LePage carried the day with 62.76 percent of Hodgdon’s 521 voters and 45.85 percent of Houlton’s 2,022 voters. In Sherman, 279 of 521 voters favored LePage.
    Danforth voters mirrored the Washington County vote, giving 42.92 percent to the Republican candidate for the Blaine House.
    Aroostook County voters were evenly split on the Citizen’s Initiative for an Oxford County casino, voting 50.52 percent against the measure while Maine voters favored Question 1 by a 50.67 percent margin. At presstime, opponents of the casino development were asking state election officials for a recount.
    The other two referendum questions — increased access to dental care and a bond to support land conservation and working waterfronts — were favored by a very slim margin in Aroostook County and somewhat more popular on the statewide level.
    In the race for Maine’s Second District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, incumbent Michael Michaud garnered 55.12 percent of statewide vote and defeated Republican challenger Jason Levesque of Auburn. Chellie Pingree, the First District incumbent, also retained her House seat.
    Support in Aroostook County for Michaud, a Democrat from East Millinocket, for a third four-year term, was stronger with 58.02 percent of voters agreeing to send him back to Washington, D.C. However, Levesque was favored over Michaud in Washburn (318-260 votes), Mars Hill (356-244), Hodgdon (283-220) and Danforth (110-96 votes).
    The incumbents in the race for Aroostook County Sheriff and Register of Deeds (south district) were also successful. Sheriff James Madore earned a third term over Republican challenger David Salkind of Easton, pulling in 61.36 percent of the county vote. Salkind was the top vote-getter in Washburn, Mars Hill, Hodgdon, Monticello and Sherman while he narrowly lost to Madore in Presque Isle, 1,573-1,550.
    Incumbent Patricia Brown, a Republican, was returned to her Register of Deeds position with 67.86 percent of the vote in Aroostook while challenger Shelley Sylvester received 32.14 percent. Brown has held the position since 2002.
    In Washington County, Incumbent Donald Smith was returned to the sheriff’s office with 69.28 percent of 12,887 voters over challenger Dale Earle. In Danforth, voters favored Earle, a Republican, with 51.96 percent of the vote.
    The three-way race for District 7 district attorney came down to the wire with Democrat Carletta Bassano edging out Matthew Foster by a 4,661 to 4, 657 margin. Steven Juskewitch attracted 2,871 votes. Hancock County made the difference for Bassano, who led Foster by 688 votes in the more populated of the two counties. Bassano received 9,426 while Foster had 8,738 and Juskewitch had 6,469 in Hancock County.