Marden’s executive, Waterville mayor will enjoy GOP controlled legislature
By Barbara Scott
Staff Writer
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 Woodland favored the Marden’s executive with 47.38 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.
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 other election news, incumbent Troy Jackson (D-Allagash) fended off Daniel Deveau (R-Cyr Plantation) by a vote of 7,516-5,613 to reclaim his Senate District 35 seat. In Woodland, Deveau outpolled Jackson by a 227-210 margin while in Connor Twp it was much closer, 75-72 for Jackson.
Roger Sherman (R-Hodgdon) was re-elected to the State Senate representing District 34. Sherman received 8,029 votes (61.25 percent), while Democratic challenger Patrick Gordon of Houlton garnered 5,079 votes (38.75 percent). Sherman carried many communities including Presque Isle (1,754-1,366), Houlton (1,202-819) and Hodgdon (403-115).
There were four Maine House races that involved Caribou area voters.
Representative John Martin (D-Eagle Lake) was returned to his District 1 seat as he was unopposed in his bid for re-election.
Incumbent Charles Kenneth Theriault, a Madawaska Democrat, easily defeated GOP challenger Rudolph T. St. Peter of Cross Lake Twp. by a 2,634-695 margin for the District 2 House race which covers the towns of Frenchville, Madawaska, New Canada, Perham, Portage Lake, St. Agatha, Stockholm and Westmanland and unorganized territory of Square Lake including Cross Lake Twp. In Stockholm, St. Peter drew 35 votes to Theriault’s 77.
In House District 3, incumbent Bernard Ayotte (R-Caswell) pulled in 72.29 percent of the vote to keep his seat. Challenger Wade McLaughlin (D-Limestone) earned 755 votes to Ayotte’s 1,970 total. In Limestone, the voting split was 492-134 in Ayotte’s favor while in Caswell it was 105-15 for the incumbent. Ayotte also won in Connor by a 86-61 decision.
In the State Representative race for House District 4 incumbent Peter Edgecomb (R-Caribou) received 2,198 votes or 76.51 percent over his opponent Jessica Feeley (D-Caribou) who ended with 675 votes or 23.49 percent.
In Caribou municipal races four candidates vied for the two three-year terms on the city council. Incumbents Kenneth Murchison and David Martin were voted to remain on the panel. Murchison received 1,727 votes while Martin received 1,288. Other candidates for the council and their vote count were Doug Morrrell with 1,249 votes and James Cerrato with 806.
Caribou voters also selected six individuals from a field of 13 to make up the Caribou Charter Commission. Those elected include: Scott Walker, 1,878; James Savage, 1,842; Ronald Willey, 1,589; Sandra Huck, 1,531; Roy Alden, 1,425; and Bryan Thompson, 1,166. Other candidates and votes received were: Joan Theriault 1,163; Wilfred Martin, 1,160; Maynard St. Peter, 931; Philip McDonough II, 890; Paul Theriault, 766; David Hansell, 641; and Jason Shannon, 364.
One seat on the RSU 39 Board of Education was up for grabs with no one taking out papers to run for the position on the panel. Lynn McNeal, a write-in candidate will fill the slot, receiving 53 votes.
Athill Hebert was voted to return to his position on the Jefferson Cary Board.
Editor’s note: Voting results were obtained from the Bangor Daily News’ website: maineelections.bangordailynews.com/.
