Politics
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The Oxford County’s sheriff race is likely headed for a recount after only a handful of votes appeared to separate the top two contenders.
Democrat Timothy Holland was just 17 votes ahead of the embattled Republican Sheriff Christopher Wainwright as of midday Thursday, according to incomplete results tallied by the Bangor Daily News. The candidates said that by their own counts, Wainwright is ahead by about 12 votes.
“Every vote counts, and every person matters,” Holland wrote Thursday morning, adding that he would seek a recount.
Neither candidate has heard anything official.
“I have a great deal of respect for Tim Holland, and regardless of the outcome, I am confident that the people of Oxford County will be well served,” Wainwright said Thursday.
Wainwright’s conduct has been the subject of multiple BDN investigations during his tenure. In 2022, he pressured a deputy to dismiss a traffic ticket for an acquaintance. When the deputy reported that pressure, Wainwright berated him on a recorded phone call.
Since 2023, BDN found that Wainwright sent uncertified officers into schools, traded guns and gun parts with little paperwork. A county investigation concluded that likely violated state law. In February 2024, the all-Republican county commission asked Gov. Janet Mills to remove him.
She declined, saying that his conduct was unprofessional but didn’t rise to a standard that would require his removal. She added that voters should ultimately decide his fate.
Wainwright joined the sheriff’s office at 19, and spent decades there. He gained prominence as a whistleblower who helped remove then-Sheriff Wayne Gallant, who was accused of sexually harassing several people.
A robust majority voted against Wainwright, who had just over a third of votes counted by Thursday. Both of his challengers foresaw the possibility of handing Wainwright a plurality victory.
Justin Brown, an independent who received about 30% of the vote, had cooperated with a county investigation into Wainwright’s trade of guns and gun parts that found he had likely broken the law. He filed a complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission in August, alongside two colleagues.
Holland ran a more positive campaign, he and Wainwright said.
“It’s awesome that people come out and voted the way they did,” Holland said. “After the recount, it’ll be whichever way it goes. We’re satisfied with that.”
Daniel O’Connor is a Report for America corps member who covers rural government as part of the partnership between the Bangor Daily News and The Maine Monitor, with additional support from BDN and Monitor readers.