BRUNSWICK — Six days before the deadline for Maine Democratic, Republican and Green Independent party candidates to file nomination papers for this year’s state House and Senate elections, party candidates have not stepped forward to compete for some key Mid-coast seats.
Senate
All the Senate districts in the Mid-coast region will see candidates from both major parties.
Two-term Sen. Stan Gerzofsky, D-Brunswick, will run against Republican Ralph Dean of Freeport for the District 10 seat representing Brunswick, Freeport, Harpswell and Pownal.
Republican Sen. Garrett Paul Mason, who seeks a second term representing District 17 — including Lisbon and nine other communities — faces challenger Colleen Quint, a Democrat from Minot.
Democrat Seth Goodall of Richmond, who has represented Senate District 19 since 2008, is opposed by Republican Jeffrey Pierce of Dresden in his bid for another term.
District 19 includes Arrowsic, Bath, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Dresden, Georgetown, Phippsburg, Richmond, Topsham, West Bath, Woolwich, Dresden and the unorganized township of Perkins.
Newly elected District 20 Sen. Christopher Johnson, a Somerville Democrat, will vie for a full term in that seat against Rep. Les Fossel of Alna, a Republican who currently represents House District 53.
Johnson won the District 20 Senate seat in a special election on Feb. 14 after the resignation of former Sen. David Trahan. District 20 includes Alna, Westport Island, Wiscasset, other communities in Lincoln, Knox and Kennebec counties.
In Senate District 15, including Durham, Auburn, Poland and New Gloucester, incumbent Sen. Lois Snowe- Mello, R-Poland, has filed to run to retain her seat, and Democrat John Cleveland of Auburn “is all set to run,” but has not yet filed papers, Lizzy Reinholt, communications director for the Maine Democratic Party, said today.
House
At least two area communities will see June primaries as residents face off for the opportunity to run as the Democratic candidate for a seat in the House of Representatives.
Current District 62 Rep. Michael Clarke, D-Bath, said earlier this month that he will not seek another term representing part of Bath.
Along with current Bath City Councilor Kyle Rogers, who has filed to run for the seat as a Republican, Bath residents Jennifer DeChant and Paul Johnson will run in a primary to oppose Rogers in November.
In District 106, where current Rep. David Webster, DFreeport, is prevented by term limits from running again, three Freeport Democrats have filed to run in a June primary — although no Republicans had filed as candidates as of Thursday afternoon.
Sara Gideon, Patrick Norton and Melanie Sachs will appear on the June 12 Democratic primary ballot, hoping to run in the general election to represent Freeport and part of Pownal.
Despite an abundance of potential candidates in two communities, as of Thursday afternoon, four of the 10 remaining House races in the Mid-coast region listed only a single Democratic candidate.
Rep. Charlie Priest, who has represented District 63 — part of Brunswick — for six terms, the past three of which were consecutive, was the sole candidate to have filed for that race as of Thursday afternoon.
Likewise, only three-term District 67 Rep. Seth Berry, DBowdoinham, who represents that town, Bowdoin, Richmond and the unorganized township of Perkins Township, has filed to run for that seat.
And only three-term District 61 Rep. Bruce MacDonald, D-Boothbay, who represents Arrowsic, Georgetown and several Lincoln County communities, had filed for that seat.
Topsham Selectman Andrew Mason, a Democrat , will run for the District 60 seat being vacated by Rep. Kerri Prescott, who represents part of Topsham.
Calls Thursday and today to the Maine Republican Party seeking information about potential candidates for these seats were not returned by press time.
Some area House races are already scheduled to see contests, however.
Rep. Kimberly Olsen, RPhippsburg, is challenged by Democrat Jeremy Saxton of Harpswell for the District 64 seat representing those two communities, as well as part of West Bath.
Dale Crafts, R-Lisbon, will run again to retain the District 104 seat, representing part of Lisbon.
While no Democrat has officially filed to run against Crafts, Reinholt said today that Lisbon resident Deborah Danuski is collecting signatures “as a paper candidate” to reserve a spot on the ballot while the party works to find a candidate.
Rep. Peter Kent, D-Woolwich, will run for re-election, Reinholt said, although he has not yet filed papers. He will be opposed by Woolwich Republican Jason Warnke, who has filed to run to represent District 65, including part of Brunswick, part of Bath, part of Topsham, part of West Bath and Woolwich.
Wiscasset Republican Raymond Soule and Timothy Marks, a Pittston Democrat, will compete for the District 53 seat currently held by Rep. Les Fossel, R-Alna. That seat represents Alna, Dresden, Wiscasset and Pittston.
Incumbent Rep. Eleanor Espling, R-New Gloucester, who represents District 105 — including part of Lisbon, Durham and New Gloucester — will run again, opposed by Nichole Dawn Stevens, a Democrat from New Gloucester.
Finally, a House seat that in the last election drew candidates from both major parties as well as the Green Independent Party will again see at least two candidates.
Rep. Alex Cornell du Houx, D-Brunswick, who represents District 66 — part of Brunswick — has filed to run again for that seat, as has Green Independent candidate David Frans. No Republican candidate had filed as of Thursday afternoon.
Candidates must file nomination papers with the Maine Secretary of State’s Office by Thursday.
bbrogan@timesrecord.com
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