Portland voters selected former school board member Yusuf Yusuf in Tuesday’s Democratic primary to fill an open seat representing part of the city in the Maine House of Representatives.

Yusuf Yusuf Contributed photo

Yusuf won the House District 118 primary with 56% of the vote, or 270 votes, while former state Rep. Herb Adams received 31%, or 153 votes, according to unofficial results from the city of Portland.

Another 13% of ballots, or 62, were blank. At least some of the ballots counted as blanks were likely cast for Sen. Ben Chipman, who was a third candidate in the race but dropped out at the last minute on Monday.

Because no Republicans or unenrolled candidates have filed to run in the November election, Yusuf will win the general election barring a challenge from a write-in candidate.

The seat is currently held by House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, who is prevented from running for the House again because of term limits. Talbot Ross is instead seeking to fill Chipman’s Senate seat.

Yusuf, 44, served on the school board from 2020-23 and runs a personal care agency.

A Somali immigrant who came to the United States in 2007 and moved to Portland in 2016, Yusuf said in an interview last month that he is uniquely positioned to connect with immigrants and asylum seekers and to understand their needs.

“I have the energy and enthusiasm to bring to the table a different approach,” he said. “In my experience on the school board, I learned a lot about approaching any issue in different ways. My engagement was very helpful and was different from a lot of people that already did that work. I want to bring to the table a new approach and new energy.”

Adams, 70, is a former state lawmaker who served in the House from 1988 to 1996 and again from 2002 to 2010. He also has served on the Portland school board and works as an adjunct professor at Southern Maine Community College.

Yusuf, who ran a traditionally financed campaign, outraised Chipman and Adams, both of whom registered as clean elections candidates. Yusuf raised more than $8,300 while Chipman raised $4,125 and Adams $3,525, according to campaign finance reports.

The race was one of two State House primaries originally slated to use ranked choice voting, but that changed after Chipman dropped out of the race. Any ballots cast for Chipman were treated and reported as blanks.