Dems’ slim wins portend recounts Party claims majorities in Legislature

AUGUSTA – While slightly rearranged, the political landscape at the State House remained largely the same Wednesday with Democrats unofficially claiming slim majorities in the House and Senate in the aftermath of Tuesday’s balloting.

Party leaders and the Maine Secretary of State’s office said razor-thin victories in several legislative districts created the potential for nearly two dozen recount requests.

In instances where margins are 1 percent or less, the Maine State Police automatically collect the ballots for a potential recount which, while funded at state expense, must be initiated at a candidate’s request. Legislative candidates have until 5 p.m. Tuesday to request recounts in their respective districts.

With 99 percent of the state’s 634 precincts reporting, unofficial returns received by the Bangor Daily News indicated about 78 percent of all registered voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s election.

Late Wednesday afternoon, Secretary of State Dan Gwadosky issued a press release announcing Maine’s all-time record for voter turnout of 73 percent of the state’s voting age population in 1992 may be surpassed. Citing partial and unofficial election results, Gwadosky said Tuesday’s turnout in Maine will exceed 70 percent of the voting age population.

“The initial numbers we’ve reviewed are very encouraging,” he said. “Whether we surpass the current record of 73 percent or not, Maine people should be congratulated for taking great interest in this election and for supporting our democracy.”

House Clerk Millicent MacFarland indicated unofficial tallies seemed to suggest that the 122nd Legislature will consist of 76 Democrats, 71 Republicans, 1 Green Independent Party member and 1 unenrolled member. Two additional seats were too close to call, she said.

The tally represents a four-seat loss for Democrats, a four-seat gain for Republicans, and two less unenrolled members than the 121st Legislature.

Democrats maintained their 18-17 advantage in the 35-member Senate over Republicans, who privately were focusing on Bangor’s District 32 race as the single contest that cost the party a chance at capturing the majority. State Rep. Joe Perry, D-Bangor, was the perceived underdog in his challenge against two-term incumbent Sen. Tom Sawyer, R-Bangor.

In a district that consists of Bangor and Hermon, Republican activists had predicted Sawyer would split Bangor with Perry, but win by a large margin in Hermon, a longtime GOP stronghold.

Instead, rumors persisted that Sawyer was unhappy in the state Senate and that the Bangor businessman was not campaigning as aggressively as he should have been.

Meanwhile, Perry waged a “lone ranger” strategy to defeat Sawyer and did not seek or accept assistance from the Maine Democratic Party. Sawyer said he declined an offer from retiring state Sen. Betty Lou Mitchell, R-Etna, to arrange meetings for him with Hermon residents while Perry was going door-to-door in an effort to attract what amounted to 1,208 Hermon votes.

Sawyer countered Wednesday that his 1,520 Hermon tally was only 27 votes fewer than that received by Mitchell two years ago when she ran unopposed.

He felt he had represented his district well and had attempted to conduct an effective campaign. He also said there appeared to be irregularities in balloting procedures in Bangor, and he was considering a recount in District 32 where unofficial returns indicate Perry defeated him 9,574 to 9,268.

“For me the key was not to let Joe appear to be – appear to be – outworking Tom,” he said. “I’m comfortable that I met that criteria.”

Upon learning he was losing the Senate race Tuesday night, Sawyer confirmed that he borrowed from Martin Luther King’s signature phrase as he proclaimed to his fellow Republicans: “Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, I’m free at last.”

“Tom ran and he lost, what else can you say,” remarked Sen. Paul Davis, a four-term Republican, who won re-election Tuesday. “Perry apparently ran a better race. Tom hasn’t been real happy in the Senate for quite a while,” added Davis, who is weighing retiring from his current GOP floor leader’s position.

Sen. Sharon A. Treat, D-Farmingdale, the Democratic majority leader who was barred from seeking re-election due to term limits, was pleased her party had managed to cling to the majority and speculated Democratic numbers could be increased.

A challenge could be lodged, she said, in District 34 where Republican Dean Clukey of Houlton appeared to have defeated Edward Buckley, a Presque Isle Democrat, by 310 votes.

“I would have liked to have the Democratic majority be less close than it was, but the 18 Democrats are very solid, and we don’t have any cliffhangers like we had two years ago,” Treat said. “I always felt that throughout this campaign, we had so many ways to get to 18.”

Although the Secretary of State’s Office indicated no legislative recount requests had been made Wednesday, preliminary tallies in the House indicate significant recount potential in many races.

They include District 27, where Earl Richardson, R-Greenville, appeared to have defeated Sharon Libby Jones, D-Greenville, 2,623 to 2,529; District 41, where Kenneth Lindell, R-Frankfort, appeared to have defeated Kent Price, D-Orland, 2,489 to 2,458; District 42, where incumbent Rep. Jeffrey Kaelin, R-Winterport, appeared to have defeated Winterport Democrat Joseph Brooks by six votes; and District 43, where Jayne Giles, R-Belfast, appeared to have defeated Walter Ash Jr., D-Belfast, 2,572 to 2,559.

“We hope to eventually be at somewhere between 77 and 80 (members),” said Democratic Floor Leader John Richardson of Brunswick. “Things could change, but they turned out largely the way I thought they would.”