BRUNSWICK — Early results show Brunswick House Rep. Mattie Daughtry defeated political veteran Stan Gerzofsky in a landslide victory in Tuesday’s primary race, securing the Democratic nomination for the Maine Senate District 24 seat.
Rep. Mattie Daughtry Photo Courtesy of Mattie Daughtry
Daughtry had just shy of 80% of the vote, with 6,859 votes to Gerzofsky’s 1,768.
Daughtry and Bradford Pattershall of Freeport, the uncontested Republican nominee, will face off for the District 24 seat in November.
The District 24 seat was most recently filled by Democrat Brownie Carson, who announced his legislative retirement in December after serving two terms. District 24 includes Brunswick, Freeport, Harpswell, North Yarmouth and Pownal.
Daughtry has represented Brunswick’s District 49 for the past eight years in the Maine House of Representative and is the co-owner of Brunswick’s Moderation Brewing.
Gerzofsky served four terms in the Maine House of Representatives and then another four terms in the Senate representing District 24 before he was termed out in 2016 and replaced by Carson.
Daughtry said Wednesday that the primary was one of the hardest races she has won, because the coronavirus pandemic drastically changed the way she campaigned.
“COVID changed the ballgame,” she said, necessitating a switch from knocking on doors to more social media and letter writing initiatives to help keep the voters and her team safe.
“We worked really hard on this campaign to connect every part of the district, and I think that showed in the results,” she said Wednesday. “I am very excited and very very humbled.”
Daughtry and her team plan to get some rest, but will soon be back out there preparing for the race in November, which she said will be competitive.
“The issues facing not just our district but also the surrounding areas, are really pressing,” she said, and while education, climate and workforce development remain major political focuses, now the question will have to be “How does COVID change everything?”
Schools are trying to reopen safely, small businesses need more support than ever and there’s still a very real public health risk, she said.
As a legislator, she has seen how “disjointed and broken” the medical testing system is, as well as the shortcomings in the unemployment system, which she said is currently not serving its purpose.
“We have to think about how we’re going to be able to leverage what the state needs to be leading the way on these issues,” while also balancing a tough budget, Daughtry said. “I might not have a crystal ball but I’m going to listen and try to find solutions that not only help us come out of this, but come out of this stronger than we went into it.”
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