State Rep. Stanley Short Jr. of Pittsfield said Monday he’s leaving the Democratic party to become an unenrolled legislator.

Short, who is three months into his second term, said in a press release that he made the switch to become independent because “I have come to realize that positive results are more important than partisan battles.” Short represents House District 106, which is Clinton, Detroit and Pittsfield.

“I have also come to realize that a good idea should take precedence over rigid allegiance to any particular political ideology,” Short said in the release. “Therefore, I have filed the necessary paperwork with the Pittsfield Town Office.”

Short’s switch leaves the partisan makeup of the Maine house with 78 Democrats, 68 Republicans, and five independents.

Short said he met Monday with House Speaker Mark Eves, D-North Berwick, and the Majority Leader Jeff McCabe, D-Skowhegan, concerning the change.

In an interview, Short said he had not considered quitting the Democratic Party prior to his reelection in November, and he couldn’t cite a specific incident or issues that prompted his decision. Short said Eves and McCabe “asked me questions and were sorry to hear what my decision was. They asked if anything they could address or do to have me reconsider my position, and I said no, that I had just given it a lot of thought and had a lot of discussions with my wife.”

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McCabe said in a statement he was “deeply disappointed that my friend and colleague Rep. Stanley Short Jr. has decided to become an unenrolled member of the Legislature.”

“He has been a strong voice in the House Democratic Caucus for Maine’s working men and women, statewide economic opportunity, supporting seniors and veterans and promoting and preserving Maine’s outdoor heritage,” McCabe said in the statement.

Short said his constituents tend to be “middle of the road” politically, so his non-affiliation with a party will better reflect that.

Short, who previously was as a labor representative while working at the Skowhegan paper mill now known as Sappi, said he originally joined the Democratic Party because “it had a lot to do with the people, blue collar workers and the middle class.”

“That doesn’t seem to be the priority there anymore,” he said. “I hope now to work with both sides of the aisle.”

In a statement, House Republican Leader Rep. Ken Fredette of Newport said his side welcomes Short to attend the House Republican caucus to discuss issues.

“Our door is always open to him,” Fredette said in the statement.


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