Control of State House considered too close to call

AUGUSTA – Partisan vote watchers settled in for a long night Tuesday with State House control widely believed to be too close to call.

In the statewide voting for Maine’s 35-seat Senate and 151-seat House of Representatives, this year’s story line was familiar. Democrats were defending their dicey dominance in both chambers and Republicans were seeking a role reversal.

“It’s looking very positive for the Democrats in the House,” said Rep. Hannah Pingree, D-North Haven. “It looks like nationally and in Maine it’s a good year for the Democrats.”

Assistant Senate Minority Leader Carol Weston, R-Montville, also professed optimism but said analyzing the tallies from around the state would likely last into Wednesday morning.

“I would be surprised if we weren’t,” she said. “There are a lot of really close races and it’s going to take some time for us to sort it out.”

Similar contests were playing out across the country.

The National Conference of State Legislatures noted that 83 percent of state legislative seats around the nation will be filled this year with all but four states – Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia – holding legislative elections.

A midyear count had 20 legislatures entirely in GOP hands, 19 including Maine in Democratic control and 10 split (Nebraska is nonpartisan).

In more than 20 states, the midyear count showed, one or both chambers could see power change hands with a shift of just five or fewer seats.

Heading into Election Day, margins in the Maine Senate and House of Representatives were tight.

Democrats held a 74-73 House edge over Republicans. The chamber also had one Green party member and three independents.

In the state Senate, the numerical divide was narrow, too – Democrats had a 19-16 majority over Republicans.

Democratic dominance in the Maine House over three decades dates to 1974 – a reminder that politics is sometimes more than local.

That year, President Nixon’s Watergate woes fueled many Democratic gains. Breaking a GOP stranglehold that had been eased only briefly by the 1964 Johnson-Goldwater presidential blowout, Democrats claimed control of the Maine House by 91-59 – with one independent.