A special election next week to fill a single seat in the Legislature is drawing extra attention from the state’s political leaders because the outcome could affect Democrats’ control of the Maine House.
The fight for the House District 94 seat in Lewiston is also a preview of — or perhaps an early skirmish in — this fall’s larger battle between the parties for state houses in Maine and across the country.
“Yes, we are winning across the country and, yes, this might be a historically Democratic district but we’ve got … to remind people that we can’t sleep on special elections like this,” Ken Martin, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, told supporters of Democratic candidate Scott Harriman last week. “We’ve got to go and turn out the vote. That’s why I am here today.”
The District 94 special election between Harriman and Republican Janet Beaudoin could have immediate impacts on happenings in Augusta. That’s because Democrats currently hold just a two-seat advantage over Republicans in the 151-member House. While three left-leaning independents or unenrolled members often give Democrats another buffer, there have been multiple instances in recent years where contentious, partisan issues passed or failed by one or two votes in the House.
Martin’s presence in Maine last weekend is a sign of the growing recognition in both national parties of the importance of elections for state legislatures, school boards and other “downballot” races. And the DNC chair acknowledged in his remarks to Harriman’s supporters that Democrats haven’t been as aggressive as Republicans.
“We can no longer abide — as people who care about this country — ignoring races like this,” Martin said in a video of his remarks in Lewiston shared by a DNC staffer.
Democrats held a 88-56 majority over Republicans in the Maine House just seven years ago. But Republicans have steadily chipped away at that margin in recent elections to the point where the parties are almost evenly matched today. And as GOP leaders frequently point out, control of the House came down to a few dozen votes in several close elections during the 2024 elections.
So it’s not surprising that many of Maine’s biggest GOP names — including U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and former Gov. Paul LePage — as well as the party’s legislative leaders have endorsed or helped stump for Beaudoin.
“If I were to win this seat on Tuesday, it gives the Republicans a good hand up so that’s a big piece” of the focus on the race, Beaudoin said. “Right now, my campaign is the only campaign happening in the state of Maine. This election coming up is the next election – there is no one else on the ballot. So I have had full support from the whole Maine GOP.”
The seat became vacant when Democratic Rep. Kristen Cloutier stepped down in October to join the staff of Senate President Mattie Daughtry. Both Beaudoin and Harriman have run for public office before.
Harriman, 39, is currently serving his third term on the Lewiston City Council and also serves on the Lewiston School Committee. Beaudoin, 43, has also served on the Lewiston School Committee since 2021 and ran against Cloutier for the House seat in 2022.
The race also offers a preview of the issues voters are likely to hear about headed into the fall elections.
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.