BANGOR – State Sen. Mike Michaud clung to a slim lead early Wednesday morning over his Senate colleague Susan Longley in a back-and-forth battle in the race for the Democratic nomination to the open 2nd Congressional District seat.

With 86 percent of precincts reporting just after midnight – including Bangor and Lewiston – Michaud held a 1,230-vote lead over the Liberty lawmaker.

While the mill towns – including Michaud’s hometown, East Millinocket – voted strong for the papermaker, Longley fared well in her native Lewiston and on the coast.

While Longley carried Lewiston, Michaud also found supporters in the once industrial area, losing by only 479 votes in Androscoggin County.

Michaud aides said the candidate’s performance in Lewiston could spell the difference in the race.

“We’re not ready to drop balloons yet, but …” Michaud’s campaign manager, Peter Chandler, said shortly after midnight. “But to hold Longley … in her hometown is a phenomenal victory for Mike’s campaign.”

Longley said about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday from her Bangor headquarters that her campaign was in a “wait and see mode.” She said that with precincts in Lewiston and coast communities still unreported, it was too early to comment on the outcome of the race.

“The good news is that we ran a clean issues based race and we feel great about that,” said the former teacher. “In terms of the quality of the race, we earned an A plus. In terms of quantity, we’ll have to wait and see.”

Former state Sen. Sean Faircloth of Bangor was third with 20.9 percent, while state Sen. John Nutting of Leeds faded to 12.3 percent, despite a strong showing in vote-heavy Lewiston..

The late numbers showed the two political newcomers in the race trailing the pack, with David Costello of Lewiston and Lori Handrahan of Sorrento pulling in 4.7 percent and 4.3 percent of the vote, respectively.

Back in Bangor Tuesday morning, Faircloth cast his ballot at Bangor High School. Faircloth, an initiator of the Maine Discovery Museum in the city, greeted voters in the lobby of Peakes Auditorium, where his two boys, 10 and 8, briefly bounced a blue racquetball against the wall.

Shortly before midnight Tuesday, Faircloth conceded the race at a Bangor restaurant. He thanked campaign workers and praised his opponents, saying that either frontrunner would represent the party well.

Faircloth stopped short of retiring from politics as he thanked his campaign workers a few minutes before midnight. Faircloth did not rule out another run for political office, but said that he wants “to be involved in and serve my community” whether as an elected official or as a private citizen.

“Ten days ago, at the state convention, I spoke about the ideals of the Democratic Party,” he said. “Sometimes those ideals can be like an albatross around your neck. Speeches can be pretty meaningless unless they are connected to what’s in your heart and your actions. … All over the state, I found people who believed in the ideals of the party. Our campaign was unique in that way.”

Costello pledged to support his party’s nominee and estimated that he spent less money per vote than his Democratic rivals. The former U.S. foreign aid officer said he spent less than $30,000 on his campaign.

The Old Town native’s campaign emphasized his support for the establishment of a comprehensive national single-payer health insurance system. At the state convention last month, Costello succeeded in getting the Maine Democratic Party to clarify its support of universal health care in the party platform.

“This was a real door-to-door campaign,” he said. “I think the people I got to meet and talk about the issues with voted for me.”

Michaud’s success could also stem from heavy traffic at polling places in his hometown of East Millinocket – as well as neighboring Millinocket and Medway – all of which saw close to 50 percent voter turnout, according to officials there.

Like their GOP counterparts, Democrats are looking to capture the seat held for eight years by U.S. Rep. John Baldacci, who is leaving the post to run for governor.

Maine Democratic Party Chairwoman Gwethalyn Phillips said much was riding on the race.

“We certainly understand the district can go either way,” Phillips said Tuesday morning. “We very much need to hang onto that seat for the people of Maine and, frankly, the whole country.”

Political analyst Amy Fried said late Tuesday night that should Michaud hold his lead, his pro-life stance could prove problematic for the nominee in a district that has not elected a pro-life candidate since the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision.

“I think there’s a lot of pro-choice independent voters that would look at that,” said Fried, a University of Maine professor.

In Maine’s 1st Congressional District, third-term Democratic incumbent Tom Allen had no primary opposition. Also unopposed in his primary was Republican challenger Steven Joyce, a former state representative from Biddeford.