In the race for the District 26 Senate seat covering much of the Lakes Region, the Republican Party has put forward an ever-changing roster of candidates to challenge Windham Democrat Bill Diamond, a former secretary of state and longtime member of the Legislature who is widely considered a favorite for the seat.

First came state Sen. Gary Plummer, R-Cumberland, the current seat-holder and former four-time member of the Maine House of Representatives. Plummer dropped out of the race in early February for family reasons. Then there was David Call, an ammunition salesman from Standish with scant political experience who withdrew early last week.

Now, Toby Pennels, a Casco-based financial adviser and Iraq War veteran who lost to Windham’s Jane Pringle in the District 111 House race in 2012, has stepped into the breach.

Pennels is a native of Chicago who moved to Maine in 1971, and graduated from Windham High School in 1977. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts Isenberg School of Management with a degree in finance in 1981. A retired Army colonel, Pennels commanded a brigade in Baghdad during the Iraq War troop “surge” of 2007. He has owned Penn Investment Services since 2000. He moved from Windham to Casco last year.

Pennels, a conservative free enterpriser, said he hopes to attract companies to the state through “business-friendly” policies and effective problem solving. Pennels, who said his “dream” is to go to Augusta, said that Diamond has spent enough time in the capital.

“It’s time for new blood,” Pennels said. “I would be as bold to say that if you think things are great with respect to the economy and jobs and things like welfare reform, you should vote for Bill Diamond. If you don’t think the economy is clicking on all eight cylinders, if you think we could use more jobs, if you think the economy could improve, if you think welfare could use a work-over, then I think you should vote for me.”

Diamond, who served in the state Senate from 1982-1986 and 2004-2012, said he was not particularly focused on his latest opponent.

“I kind of see it as I’m running to do some things I want to do in Maine government,” Diamond said. “It doesn’t really make a difference who’s running.”

If elected, Diamond said he hoped to change the “tone” in Augusta.

“I haven’t been up there for a couple years,” Diamond said. “As far as I’m concerned, being out for a while, that’s kind of given me a good perspective on how the everyday person views the legislative process. I think people are a little disgusted and concerned about the bickering that’s going on. What I’d like to do is go up and get back to the time when Republicans and Democrats worked together. We did it in the past when I was up there before, and I think we can do it again.”

Call could not be reached for a comment on his withdrawal from the race. Plummer said that Call had balked at the time commitment necessary to compete in a Senate race.

“I hesitate to compare the two, but I’ll say I think Toby stands a very good chance of running to win and winning,” Plummer said. “There seems to be an attitude out there that people want fresh faces, and you know, Toby presents a fresh face in terms of the Legislature. I’d give him a good shot at winning, and I think he’d like to win. He really does intend to run and win.”

In 2012, Pennels lost to Pringle, a physician at Maine Medical Center who is now stepping down after one term, 2,545 votes to 2,262. Robert Caverly, the caucus director for the Senate Republicans, said he was not discouraged by Pennels’ 2012 defeat.

“He felt that he should have and could have done better,” Caverly said. “In a strong Democratic wave year, that’s not bad. And it shows community support that he needs this time when he faces a strong opponent.”

Of the 26,452 registered voters in District 26, 7,778 are Republicans, 7,352 are Democrats, 1,131 are Greens, and 10,191 are not enrolled in a party, according to Caverly. He said that Pennels, who served on the Regional School Unit 14 Board of Directors for 12 years and is a past president of the Sebago Lake Rotary Club and the president of the Windham Veterans Association, should have a shot at victory in the Republican-friendly district.

“Toby has an impressive resume with his service to our country and service in his community on the school board,” Caverly said. “When you serve on a school board, you are quite often mopping up messes left by Augusta. We’re supposed to be funding school education at 55 percent and yet we’ve never gotten there. His opponent is someone who’s served on the appropriations committee and made those decisions.”

Diamond was the chairman of the Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs committee during the 2009-10 legislative session. Marc Malon, the Senate caucus director for the Maine Democratic Party, said that Pennels’ entrance into the race had not changed his outlook on the race.

“We feel very strongly about Bill’s candidacy in this race,” Malon said. “It’s a prime pickup opportunity for us.”

“He’s well respected throughout the district,” Malon added, referring to Diamond. “We certainly feel that he presents a strong opportunity for us to put this seat in Democratic hands. The new opponent doesn’t really change our calculations in any regard.”

Toby PennelsBill Diamond