A Sanford lawmaker hoping to keep his seat in the State House after he was accused of assaulting his wife has tied with his Democratic opponent.

Maine State Rep. Lucas Lanigan  York County Jail via AP

Rep. Lucas Lanigan, R-Sanford, was charged with aggravated assault last month and continued his campaign against Democrat Patricia Kidder to represent parts of Shapleigh, Newfield, Sanford and Springvale in House District 141.

Kidder appeared to have won the seat until the city of Sanford reported a “human error” with its election results and issued an updated tally. The miscount had put Kidder significantly ahead.

While Kidder still beat Lanigan in Sanford’s new count – 1,217 to 987 votes – the two are now tied in the district-wide vote with 2,476 each because of the existing vote counts in Shapleigh and Newfield combined with ballots from uniformed service and overseas voters.

Official results from municipalities were due to the Department of the Secretary of State Thursday, spokesperson Emily Cook said. If those results confirm the race is tied, then a candidate can request a recount, she said.

If that recount shows a true tie, Maine law indicates that the governor must order a special election.

Cook said there have been few recent elections ending in a tie vote.

A 2021 Portland City Council race is believed to be the country’s first ranked-choice election to result in a tie. City rules require the winner to be decided “by lot” – an old method for a random selection, like drawing slips of paper. After the drawing chose Brandon Mazer as the winner, candidate Roberto Rodriguez requested a recount, which later declared him the true victor.

And in 2008, initial election results showed a tie between two Yarmouth candidates for a Democratic House seat. The recount results were disputed in the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, which decided the winner after analyzing three disputed ballots.

LANIGAN’S ARREST

Lanigan, 45, was first elected in 2022. Several Democratic leaders called for his resignation and withdrawal from the election after the alleged assault.

He is accused of assaulting his wife last month after she found him in a Springvale Safe Storage unit with another woman, according to court documents.

The arrest warrant states he grabbed his wife’s neck and choked her for about 20 seconds before she was able to leave and call her friends for help.

Sanford police were searching for him through the weekend until he turned himself into the York County Jail on Oct. 28. He was charged with domestic violence aggravated assault, a Class B crime that could bring up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

His wife, Catalina Lanigan, pleaded for a judge to drop the charge at his first appearance in York County Superior Court last week. She said he never tried to choke her. But prosecutors said victims regularly recant, and they’re still pursuing the charge against him.

HOW TO GET HELP

IF YOU or someone you know has experienced domestic violence, you can call the Statewide Domestic Abuse Helpline at 1-866-834-4357.

FOR ASSISTANCE during a mental health crisis, call or text 888-568-1112. To call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call 988 or chat online at 988lifeline.org.

TO LEARN more about domestic violence prevention and response in Maine, visit the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence website.

FOR OTHER support or referrals, call the NAMI Maine Help Line at 800-464-5767 or email helpline@namimaine.org.