Assistant Senate Majority leader Mattie Daughtry will return to Augusta for another two-year term after a commanding win in Tuesday’s contest for the new Senate District 23, according to unofficial results.
Daughtry, who represented Brunswick in the House of Representatives for eight years before winning a seat in the Senate in 2020, bested Republican Brogan Teel in each of the six communities that make up District 24: Brunswick, Freeport, Harpswell, Pownal, Chebugue Island and part of Yarmouth. She collected 70% of the total vote.
“It’s an absolute and complete honor,” she said. “I feel like those words don’t even begin to express my deep gratitude for (voters’) faith and trust.”
Teel, like many Republicans, argued during her campaign that Maine is “headed in the wrong direction.” She promised to reverse course from the Mills’ administration by cutting taxes and spending.
Yet Daughtry said sweeping Democratic victories on Tuesday demonstrated that her party has been successful at connecting with voters through authentic, boots on the ground campaigning.
“Even though we are the Democratic Party, we’re the Maine party first and foremost,” she said Wednesday. “I think last night was a loud and clear statement of all the work that’s been put into this.”
Democratic majorities in both legislative chambers will give the party power to pursue ambitious goals over the next two years. But Daughtry, who is the Senate co-chair of a bipartisan committee tasked with developing a paid family leave program, plans to continue working with legislators and constituents on both sides of the aisle.
“Politics and, frankly, life can’t exist in a vacuum,” she said. “Having those tough conversations makes us learn from each other. It’s about working together and continuing to make things better for not only our community, but also for our state.”
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