Lobsterman upsets House incumbent Election surprise in Washington County

MACHIAS – A lobsterman from Cutler dislodged a well-known Machias businessman from his state House of Representatives seat in District 32 voting Tuesday, the most surprising outcome among several Washington County races.

Republican Harold “Ian” Emery, who paints houses when he’s not on the water, pulled 59 percent of the vote against Edward Pellon, the Democratic incumbent.

The tallies for the redrawn district that covers an area from Machias to Cutler, Lubec and Eastport showed 2,311 votes for Emery to 1,630 votes for Pellon.

Pellon, who is an 18-year selectman in Machias, has just completed his first term in the Legislature.

In two of the county’s other elections for House seats, the two Democratic incumbents were big winners over their Republican challengers. Eddie DuGay of Cherryfield turned back Republican Christopher Cambron of Jonesport, collecting 65 percent of the vote to Cambron’s 35 percent in District 33 between Steuben and Jonesport. DuGay has already served six years in Augusta.

Seeking the District 30 seat that was vacant because Albion Goodwin of Pembroke is termed out, Republican Howard McFadden of Dennysville took that position with ease over Democratic challenger John Wakin of Meddybemps.

McFadden won 62 percent of the vote, or 1,796 votes, to Wakin’s 1,093 votes. McFadden’s district crosses into Hancock County and includes those towns of Franklin, Eastbrook and Aurora.

In the District 31 race between two Calais women, Anne Perry gained 68 percent of the vote over Winola Burke. Burke had given up her seat as a county commissioner to run for Perry’s House seat, which covers Calais to Perry.

Farther north, representing residents from Princeton to Mattawamkeag, Democrat George Bunker Jr. of Kossuth Township also held on to his seat for District 11. He won in a three-way race in the redrawn district, pulling 50 percent of the vote over Republican Everett McLeod Sr. (36 percent) and independent Dana Kadey (23 percent) of Township 21.

The day’s closest race belonged to District 2 for county commissioner candidates. The win went to Republican Christopher Gardner of Edmunds, who took 51 percent of the vote to 49 percent for Democrat Albion Goodwin.

Gardner, 30, is a first-time candidate who works as a police officer in the Eastport Police Department. He totaled 2,718 votes against Goodwin’s 2,650.

As of Wednesday, neither man was sure if Goodwin will accept or challenge the difference of 68 votes.

“The race will be determined when we get the final numbers,” Goodwin said. “I can request a recount, once we get all the numbers.

“All we can do is wait and thank the voters who came out. We had more than 17,000 voters around the county, with enormous turnouts for all of the small towns.”

Republican Kevin Shorey of Calais takes the other available seat on the county commission, representing the northern portion of the county in District 1. He ran unopposed.

He and Gardner join John Crowley of Addison on the three-member commission.

Kevin Raye of Perry, unsuccessful two years ago in his 2nd Congressional District race with Michael Michaud, refocused this time on the state Senate District 29 seat made vacant by Shorey. He also ran uncontested.

Republican Raye collected more than 11,000 votes within the county, plus 961 more from the Hancock County towns of Franklin, Eastbrook, Waltham, Osborn and Great Pond.

Kim Bagley, a Machias Democrat, launched a symbolic write-in vote against Raye in the last week before Election Day. Saying she didn’t feel it was right that a Republican would gain a Senate seat without a contest, Bagley rounded up 226 votes.

All of Washington County’s new and returning legislators will be sworn in on Dec. 1 in Augusta.