Politics
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Longtime state Rep. Kathy Javner of northern Penobscot County died this weekend at age 52 following a battle with breast cancer that she aired in an emotional speech last year.
Javner, a Republican from Chester, was serving her fourth term in the Maine House of Representatives after first being elected in 2018. She and her family lived in west Africa for more than a decade before returning to Maine shortly before beginning her public service.
She aired her terminal diagnosis in a June speech on the House floor against a Democratic-led bill that was later signed by Gov. Janet Mills and allowed patients to get a doctor’s consent to shorten the waiting period under Maine’s physician-assisted death law.
“Every morning I wake up, I get to look into the eyes of those I love, and I am reminded that life is still beautiful,” Javner said.
Javner, who spent time as a teacher earlier in her career, was the top House Republican on the Legislature’s health committee. She was among a bipartisan group of lawmakers who led a 2024 bill that would have required insurers to cover biomarker testing, something she cited her experience with in testimony that year.
Members of the House Republican caucus as well as House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, confirmed Javner’s death Monday. She is survived by her husband, Chris; three children; and two grandchildren.
“Kathy Javner exemplified the best of humanity. She was bold, kind, faith filled, and courageous,” House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, said on Facebook. “I will miss her very much and pray for comfort and peace over her family as she has most certainly gone to be with the Lord in Heaven.”
Democrats control the House with a 74-72 advantage over Republicans. Another three independents generally line up with the majority party. There is already another vacant seat in the chamber following the resignation of former Rep. Kristen Cloutier, D-Lewiston.
The Lewiston seat will be filled after a special election in February. A special election in Javner’s district could follow. Mills is bound by state law to call one if municipal officers in any of its communities state the need to fill a vacancy before the 2026 election.