AUGUSTA – Democrats swept all four constitutional offices Wednesday when 151 House members and 35 state senators held a joint convention to elect candidates to the posts during the first day of the new legislative session.

The positions of attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer and state auditor are determined by a majority vote of both houses of the Legislature comprising 94 Democrats, 90 Republicans, 1 Green Independent Party member and one member not enrolled in a political party.

Although Republican Leader Paul Davis of Sangerville urged his GOP seat mates Tuesday to pray that a few Democrats would be absent Wednesday, Republicans left before some of the votes were taken.

House and Senate leaders declined to state the outcome of the balloting, but unofficial reports maintained that the secretary of state’s job and the treasurer’s position were won by a scant three votes with less than a full complement of Republicans on hand to cast ballots.

A Democrat unofficially prevailed in the state auditor’s race in a 91-90 vote where five Republicans were absent.

“I’m extremely disappointed and agitated,” said Sen. Debra D. Plowman, R-Hampden. “I know things come up. But our first responsibility as legislators is to elect constitutional officers. You’d think someone would have impressed that on them.”

The only sitting constitutional officer to seek re-election was Maine Attorney General Steven Rowe, a Portland Democrat who defeated former assistant House Republican leader William Schneider of Durham.

Former state Rep. Matt Dunlap, D-Old Town, is now the new secretary of state after defeating former U.S. Rep. David Emery, a Republican from Tenants Harbor. The state treasurer’s job was won by former state Rep. David Lemoine, D-Old Orchard Beach, who defeated former state Sen. Norman Ferguson, R-Hanover.

The closest contest of the day pitted former state Sen. Neria Douglass, D-Auburn, against deputy state auditor Richard Foote, an independent from Cumberland. A minor buzz was circulating around the State House just before the vote after a letter Douglass sent to newly elected Democratic legislators began making the rounds.

In the letter, Douglass solicited support for her bid to become state auditor and said she would “work to ensure Democratic majorities in the future.” All of the constitutional officers are supposed to be nonpartisan. Senate GOP Leader Davis said that while constitutional officers are entitled to their preferences, they are not supposed to be actively working for or against a particular political party on the job.

Douglass said she understood that the post was nonpartisan and that her letter was not meant to imply that she would assume a partisan bias in her role as state auditor. Instead, she said her statement indicated she would privately support Democratic candidates during the campaign season.

“Her whole attitude is inappropriate and the impression is one of bias,” Davis said of the letter.