March 28, 2024
VOTE 2004

Candidates concede in 2 disputed races Third House race to be resolved next week

AUGUSTA – Two of three disputed House races were resolved Friday after candidates representing opposing political parties conceded they did not have enough votes to win. One of the conceding candidates had already been provisionally seated in the Legislature based on unofficial Election Day tallies that had her ahead by 13 votes.

Dan Billings, a lawyer representing Republican candidates, said Jayne Crosby Giles, R-Belfast, had conceded her House District 43 seat to Walter Ash Jr., D-Belfast. Billings said lawyers for both sides agreed that after considering challenged, disputed and absentee ballots, the final tally in the race favored Ash, 2,574 to 2,569.

In House District 42, Joseph Brooks, D-Winterport, conceded the election to incumbent Rep. Jeffrey Kaelin, R-Winterport. Lawyers in that race agreed Kaelin had prevailed, 2,289 to 2,285.

A Friday meeting of the House Elections Committee will be rescheduled for next week to resolve the outcome of House District 139 in which Michael J. McAlevey, D-Waterboro, has been declared the unofficial winner over Lawrence E. Jacobsen, R-Waterboro.

All three of the unofficial winners in the elections were seated provisionally in the House until the committee acts on the disputes. As a result of Friday’s concessions, the political division in the House now unofficially stands at 77 Democrats, 72 Republicans, one Green Independent Party member and one unenrolled member. The outcomes will be determined formally when the House reconvenes on Jan. 4.

Billings said Republicans expect to pick up one more seat with the District 139 race, which he maintained is a clear victory for the GOP candidate. An issue regarding what had originally been thought to be a case of uncounted ballots has been resolved according to Billings and should give Jacobsen the win, 2,423 to 2,417.

“We think on the merits that Larry Jacobsen is the winner in 139,” he said. “We have no doubt that when the committee takes up the matter that will be their finding as well.”

The House Elections Committee postponed its Friday meeting after McAlevey notified the panel he would not be able to attend the session. The committee consists of Reps. Janet Mills, D-Farmington, chairman; Stan Gerzofsky, D-Brunswick; Patricia A. Blanchette, D-Bangor; William J. Smith, D-Van Buren; Joshua A. Tardy, R-Newport; Roger L. Sherman, R-Hodgdon; David N. Ott, R-York; and Kevin J. Glynn, R-South Portland.


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