AUGUSTA, Maine — Republicans in the Maine House of Representatives returned former Minority Leader Ken Fredette to his old job Friday, turning to a key figure from the era of former Gov. Paul LePage to rebuild after a Democratic wave.
Fredette, a 62-year-old lawyer from Newport, beat Reps. Rachel Henderson of Rumford and Jack Ducharme of Madison in a closed-door caucus vote. He replaces Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, who won an open Maine Senate seat Tuesday.
The leadership races were the first test of how Republicans will respond to an election that gave Democrats a two-thirds majority in the Senate and a majority of 87 seats in the lower chamber. It gives Gov.-elect Hannah Pingree a firm hold on the State House as she faces down major governing challenges, including a two-year budget gap of more than $1 billion.
Fredette led House Republicans for the last six years of LePage’s tenure. His caucus often withheld the two-thirds majority needed to override the governor’s record-setting number of vetoes. When he filed to return to the Legislature in 2024, he said he did not plan to seek his old leadership post.
But on election night, he pointed toward a different approach than his caucus took in the era of LePage, who is on track to be one of Republicans’ lone bright spots on Tuesday’s election after Democrat Matt Dunlap conceded to him in the 2nd Congressional District. Rep. Alicia Collins, R-Sidney, will be his assistant leader.
“I think the reality is that you have to govern, and I don’t think you can just be the party of no,” Fredette said. “I don’t think being the party of no is going to help us rebuild.”
In the Senate, Minority Leader Trey Stewart, R-Presque Isle, held off a Friday challenge from his own No. 2, Assistant Minority Leader Matt Harrington, R-Sanford. Sen. David Haggan, R-Hampden, beat Faulkingham for the assistant leader post.
Hours before the vote, Harrington’s wife and LePage’s daughter, Republican National Committeewoman Lauren LePage, wrote on X that the party “left incumbents without resources or support” this year. It was an implicit criticism of Stewart, whose caucus spent little to defend Sens. Scott Cyrway of Albion and Bruce Bickford of Auburn, both of whom lost Tuesday.
“The lessons we learned on Tuesday are clear: Republicans have to focus on the issues important to Maine people, listen to what they are telling us, adjust our strategy to make it clear we have a plan to improve their lives and work together to ensure that plan is carried out,” Stewart said in a statement.
Democrats kept Senate President Mattie Daughtry of Brunswick, Majority Leader Teresa Pierce of Falmouth and Assistant Majority Leader Jill Duson of Portland after leadership elections on Friday. Their caucus said it will hold 24 of 35 seats, its first supermajority since 1985.
On Thursday, House Democrats kept Speaker Ryan Fecteau of Biddeford and Majority Leader Matt Moonen of Portland and picked Rep. Ambureen Rana of Bangor as assistant leader.
The picks become official when the Legislature is sworn in on Dec. 2.