Rachel Talbot Ross
2024 - Present
2026
0
Rachel Talbot Ross (Democratic Party) is a member of the Maine State Senate, representing District 28. She assumed office on December 3, 2024. Her current term ends on December 1, 2026.
The Maine House of Representatives unanimously elected Ross to serve as the Maine Speaker of the House in November 2022, making her the first Black speaker of the Maine state House. She left the state House in 2024.[1]
Talbot Ross worked as the City of Portland’s director of equal opportunity and multicultural affairs for 20 years and as president of the Portland branch of the NAACP.[2] Talbot Ross founded three nonprofit organizations focused on racial justice in Maine, including the Maine Black Community Development, Maine Freedmon Trails, and the Martin Luther King Jr., Fellows.[3] Talbot Ross chaired the Maine Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil RIghts and the African American Collection of Maine at the University of Southern Maine.[4]
Talbot Ross first ran for public office in 2016, winning election to the Maine state House in District 40. After twice winning re-election in District 40, Talbot Ross won election District 118 following redistricting. In November 2020, Talbot Ross became the assistant majority leader in the Maine state House.
During her time in the legislature, Talbot Ross has sponsored legislation to create Maine's Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous and Tribal Populations, which she chaired. She also sponsored bills to include racial impact analysis in the legislative process and expand tribal legal authority over domestic violence against Native Americans in Maine.[4]
Talbot Ross was one of five Black House speakers honored at a White House ceremony in February 2023. During her trip to the White House, Talbot Ross said, "While it is an honor to be included at events at the White House, it was equally critical that I used my platform and this trip to highlight Maine’s need for federal support in the areas of housing, food insecurity, support for the care economy and crucial investments in infrastructure."[1]
Talbot Ross' father, Gerald Talbot, was the first Black person elected to the Maine Legislature in 1972. After Maine Democrats nominated Rachel Talbot Ross to serve as speaker of the house, she said, "What I would like to do is take all of the voices, all of the lived experiences – so very different from the top of the state to the bottom – and to really listen to those, to use all of that experiences to the best of our ability. I am not the only one making history. We all are making history today. I am proud of my state. I am proud of my colleagues and I can't wait to get out there and get to work."[2]
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Talbot Ross was assigned to the following committees:
2021-2022
Talbot Ross was assigned to the following committees:
- Elections Committee, Chair
2019-2020
Talbot Ross was assigned to the following committees:
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Maine committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Engrossed Bills |
| • Criminal Justice and Public Safety |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Noteworthy legislation
Below is a list of noteworthy legislation sponsored by this individual, including legislation that received substantial media attention, was part of a national trend or debate, or may be considered a noteworthy part of the individual's career.
- LD 777: Talbot Ross sponsored LD 777, which established the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial and Ethnic Populations. Gov. Janet Mills (D) signed the bill on June 21, 2019.
Elections
2024
See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for Maine State Senate District 28
Rachel Talbot Ross won election in the general election for Maine State Senate District 28 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Rachel Talbot Ross (D) | 100.0 | 18,254 |
| Total votes: 18,254 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Democratic primary election
Democratic Primary for Maine State Senate District 28
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Rachel Talbot Ross in round 1 .
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Total votes: 1,848 |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican Primary for Maine State Senate District 28
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Susan M. Abercrombie in round 1 .
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Total votes: 232 |
|||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Talbot Ross in this election.
2022
See also: Maine House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Maine House of Representatives District 118
Incumbent Rachel Talbot Ross won election in the general election for Maine House of Representatives District 118 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rachel Talbot Ross (D) | 100.0 | 2,865 |
| Total votes: 2,865 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic Primary for Maine House of Representatives District 118
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Rachel Talbot Ross in round 1 .
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Total votes: 485 |
|||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
2020
See also: Maine House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Maine House of Representatives District 40
Incumbent Rachel Talbot Ross won election in the general election for Maine House of Representatives District 40 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rachel Talbot Ross (D) | 100.0 | 3,885 |
| Total votes: 3,885 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic Primary for Maine House of Representatives District 40
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Rachel Talbot Ross in round 1 .
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Total votes: 1,432 |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
2018
General election
General election for Maine House of Representatives District 40
Incumbent Rachel Talbot Ross won election in the general election for Maine House of Representatives District 40 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rachel Talbot Ross (D) | 85.7 | 3,134 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 14.3 | 523 | ||
| Total votes: 3,657 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Maine House of Representatives District 40
Incumbent Rachel Talbot Ross defeated Herbert Adams in the Democratic primary for Maine House of Representatives District 40 on June 12, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rachel Talbot Ross | 75.7 | 811 |
 | Herbert Adams | 24.3 | 260 | |
| Total votes: 1,071 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Elections for the Maine House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 14, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 15, 2016.[5] Incumbent Benjamin Chipman (D) did not seek re-election.
Rachel Ross defeated Carol Taylor in the Maine House of Representatives District 40 general election.[6]
| Maine House of Representatives, District 40 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Rachel Ross |
100.00% | 3,156 | |
| Republican | Carol Taylor | 0.00% | ||
| Total Votes | 3,156 | |||
| Source: Maine Secretary of State | ||||
Rachel Ross defeated Herbert Adams and Anna Kellar in the Maine House of Representatives District 40 Democratic primary.[7][8]
| Maine House of Representatives, District 40 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Rachel Ross |
37.83% | 199 | |
| Democratic | Herbert Adams | 32.51% | 171 | |
| Democratic | Anna Kellar | 29.66% | 156 | |
| Total Votes | 526 | |||
Carol Taylor ran unopposed in the Maine House of Representatives District 40 Republican primary.[7][8]
| Maine House of Representatives, District 40 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Carol Taylor (unopposed) | |
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Rachel Talbot Ross did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
Rachel Talbot Ross did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Rachel Talbot Ross did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Maine scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the Maine State Legislature was in session from January 3 to April 17.
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2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Maine State Legislature was in session from December 7 to March 30.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the Maine State Legislature was in session from January 5 to May 9.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Maine State Legislature was in session from December 2 to March 30.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Maine State Legislature was in session from January 8 to March 17.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Maine State Legislature was in session from December 5 through June 19.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Maine State Legislature was in session from January 3 to May 2. The legislature held a special session from June 19 to September 13.
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Maine State Senate District 28 |
Officeholder Maine State Senate District 28 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Portland Harold Press, "Talbot Ross among Black leaders honored at White House ceremony," February 28, 2023
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Portland Press Harold, "Ascension to legislative leadership is bittersweet for Talbot Ross," January 4, 2021
- ↑ SenGov, "Representative Rachel Talbot Ross," accessed May 2, 2024
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Maine HouseDemocrats, "Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross," accessed May 2, 2024
- ↑ Politics1.com, "Maine," archived December 31, 2015
- ↑ Maine Secretary of State, "2016 Election Results," accessed December 20, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Maine Secretary of State, "List of Candidates who have filed for the June 14, 2016 Primary Election," accessed March 20, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Maine Secretary of State, "Tabulations for Primary Elections held on June 14, 2016," accessed August 11, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Benjamin Chipman (D) |
Maine State Senate District 28 2024-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by Chad Grignon (R) |
Maine House of Representatives District 118 2022-2024 |
Succeeded by Yusuf Yusuf (D) |
| Preceded by - |
Maine House of Representatives District 40 2016-2022 |
Succeeded by Stanley Zeigler (D) |
