Two Democrats are running in a primary election for a four-year term as Cumberland County Registrar of Probate.

Jessica Joseph, a legal secretary in the county probate court, and Nadeen Daniels, a special projects coordinator for the county, are running against each other in the June 14 primary. The winner will run against Republican James Hughes in the November general election.

Democrat John O’Brien, 86, has been registrar of probate for eight years and is retiring when his term ends in December. In an interview, O’Brien endorsed Joseph and said he was throwing his full support behind her candidacy.

Joseph is “young, very knowledgeable and knows how to do it all,” O’Brien said. “I am supporting her as strongly as I can,” he added.

Probate court handles cases involving wills, estates and inheritance, adoptions and guardianships and name changes. The probate judge rules on cases, while the register manages the probate office. Cumberland County Probate Court is one of the busiest in Maine, accounting for 25 percent of the state’s probate business, according to the county.

Register of probate is a full-time paid position with a $47,240 annual salary and benefits. If Daniels or Joseph are elected, they would need to step down from their county jobs.

Joseph, 30, of Freeport has worked in the probate office since 2012 as legal assistant to Judge of Probate Joseph Mazziotti. She focuses on adoption and name change cases. Her position in the court allowed her to put her legal background toward something that benefited the community, she said.

“People don’t necessarily know what we do until they need us,” she said. “To be able to help people and serve them is really fulfilling.” Joseph previously worked for private law firms and is married to Freeport Town Manager Peter Joseph.

The Cumberland County probate office runs very well, and she saw the open register’s seat as an opportunity to move up, Joseph said. Her experience in probate matters makes her a stronger candidate than her competitor, she added.

“I have experience with people, I know the job, know probate, know the law,” Joseph said. “I think I have that as an advantage for sure.”

Daniels, 58, of Portland, has been working in municipal government in the Portland area for almost three decades, including stints as town clerk in South Portland, assistant city manager in Portland and town clerk in Cumberland. Although she has no direct professional experience with the probate court, her government experience will translate to the job, she said.

“I think it is a natural extension of what I have done for my entire career for the last 28 years,” Daniels said.

Daniels said she has a strong passion for preserving and managing physical records, and would like to put that to work at the county level. She has worked with judge Mazziotti in the past, and the job as registrar is to make sure practices and procedures, just like the role of a municipal clerk, she said.

“I think I bring the necessary level of experience to hit the ground running,” Daniels said.

CORRECTION: This story was updated at 10:34 a.m. on June 7 to correct the title of the position to Registrar of Probate.