The House District 41 race in Portland will be a contest between a two-term Democrat and a “libertarian-leaning” Republican.

Rep. Erik Jorgensen, D-Portland, is a consultant who pledges to fight to ensure Maine’s largest city is “treated fairly” during the state budget process. But Jorgensen said he is also concerned about “a complete absence of information” from the LePage administration to lawmakers on key issues and said he hopes to work to address the soured relationship if re-elected.

“We need to be able to communicate, and we need to have information exchange if everyone is going to be able to do their job,” Jorgensen said.

His opponent for the second time is James Azzola, an energy consultant who believes his more socially liberal yet fiscally conservative views will appeal to voters in a district composed largely of more suburban, off-peninsula neighborhoods.

“I fit in with how I think most people in the district want this Legislature to vote (on social issues), but I am also fiscally conservative,” Azzola said.

The two men are vying to represent a district that includes portions of the Deering Center, Rosemont and Oakdale neighborhoods. During their previous match-up in 2014, Jorgensen defeated Azzola by a vote of 3,122 to 905.

Jorgensen, 52, is currently a consultant to cultural institutions but formerly worked as executive director of the Maine Humanities Council, a nonprofit that is the Maine affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. He lives in Portland’s Deering neighborhood.

He first won election to the Maine House in 2012 and since that time has served on the Legislature’s budget-writing committee. That post on the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee has given Jorgensen a front-row seat to some of the discussions – and battles – between lawmakers and the LePage administration over taxation, spending and potential cuts to services programs heavily used by Portland residents. He argues that post is especially important given Portland’s status as the state’s major social service center.

“My biggest issue is making sure the city of Portland gets a reasonably fair shake,” Jorgensen said. “I have served on the Appropriations Committee for four years now … and I think that every year I do it, I become more effective” at representing the city’s interests.

Among Jorgensen’s other listed priorities as a lawmaker are: supporting public education, expanding clean energy, addressing challenges posed by Maine’s aging population, exploring ways to “tap the talents of our immigrant community” and increasing access to health insurance, including by expanding Medicaid eligibility in Maine.

Azzola, 57, is a self-employed energy consultant who identifies himself as a “libertarian-leaning Republican” advocating for smaller government, lower taxes but also civil liberties. He supports the marijuana legalization initiative appearing as Question 1 on the November ballot, arguing Maine needs to “stop the war on drugs” and stop imprisoning people for drug possession.

Azzola also said he wants to end “corporate welfare” – such as tax subsidies and preferential tax policies – to businesses or industries with a heavy lobbying presence in Augusta. He also supports the creation of a Maine State Bank that would act as a state-backed depository and even issue state-issued money.

Jorgensen is a publicly funded candidate under Maine’s Clean Election Act, which limits private contributions and provides state matching funds to legislative candidates. He had received $5,500 in Clean Election funding and had roughly $5,100 remaining as of Sept. 20, according to campaign finance reports. Azzola is running a privately financed campaign but had reported just $174.08 in contributions as of Sept. 20, with just shy of $95 remaining.