ROCKLAND, Maine — Democrat Anne “Pinny” Beebe-Center has won the special District 93 House seat, a hotly contested race that saw nearly $50,000 spent on the brief campaign.
Beebe-Center received 915 votes compared with 770 for Republican James Kalloch. Kalloch fell a little more than 100 votes short of winning the seat in November when Rep. Elizabeth Dickerson, D-Rockland, sought re-election.
Dickerson vacated the seat in January, moving to Colorado.
Green Independent Ron Huber received 34 votes. Libertarian Shawn Levasseur had 11 votes.
The victory gives Democrats 79 seats in the House. Republicans have 68 seats and four independents hold office.
“I am honored to be representing the people of Rockland and Owls Head in the Maine House,” Beebe-Center said in a news release after her victory Tuesday night. “I am humbled by the outpouring of support from the community and incredibly thankful for the volunteers who put in countless hours on my campaign. I’m ready to get to work to better the lives of families in Rockland and Owls Head.”
Maine Democratic Party Chairman Phil Bartlett said in a news release that Beebe-Center’s victory was “a rejection of Gov. Paul LePage’s budget proposal and the dire impact it will have on Maine families and their checkbooks.”
“This election is a sign that Mainers want progressive voices that will fight for fair taxes in Augusta. Pinny is a true leader who will represent all Maine families, not just the wealthy few,” Bartlett said.
Rockland gave Beebe-Center the victory with a 726-518 tally over Kalloch. Owls Head backed the Republican 252-189 but that was not enough to offset the Rockland vote.
The turnout in Rockland was about a quarter of the 4,874 registered voters, high for an off-year election.