Maine judicial elections, 2014

Maine judicial elections, 2014
Overview
Total candidates:	16
Primary candidates:	12
General election candidates:	15
Incumbency
Incumbents:	7
Incumbent success rate:	100%
Competition - general election
Percent of candidates in contested races:	67%
Percent uncontested:	33%
Percent retention:	0%
Partisan victories
Republican	6
Democratic	2

2015 → ← 2013
Judicial Elections
Judicial elections, 2014
Judicial election dates
Candidates by state
Supreme court elections

The 2014 Maine judicial elections consisted of partisan elections for the probate courts. To learn how other judicial officers in the state are selected, see Judicial selection in Maine.

Sixteen candidates ran for election in 2014, with seven of them being incumbents and five running unopposed. There were four contested probate court races in the general election.

See: Maine elections summary, 2014

Elections dates

• March 17: Filing deadline
• June 10: Primary
• November 4: General election

In addition to candidate lists, this page includes information about how the state's judicial elections work, as well as articles about noteworthy news in races across the state.

General election: Contested races

(I) denotes incumbent

Androscoggin County Probate Court, Seat 1

• Elliott L. Epstein, 40.2%A
• Michael L. Dubois (I), 53.2%A

Hancock County Probate Court, Seat 1

• Valerie Cook Chiasson, 41.5%A
• William Bradley Blaisdell, 51.5%A

Penobscot County Probate Court, Seat 1

• Amy L. Faircloth, 44.6%A
• M. Ray Bradford, Jr. (I), 48.0%A

Somerset County Probate Court, Place 1

• John W. Martin (Maine), 22.6%A
• John W. Youney, 11.8%A
• Mark L. Fortier, 21.0%A
• Robert M. Washburn, 30.1%A

General election: Uncontested

The following candidates were elected or re-elected after running unopposed in the general election.

Trial courts

Court	Candidate
Click the arrows in the column headings to sort columns alphabetically.
Knox County Probate Court	Carol R. Emery
Kennebec County Probate Court	James E. Mitchell
Cumberland County Probate Court	Joseph R. Mazziotti
Washington County Probate Court	Lyman L. Holmes
Franklin County Probate Court	Richard M. Morton

Primary

For candidate lists and results from the judicial primary on June 10, 2014, please see: Maine judicial primary elections, 2014.

Process

The only judges in Maine that participate in judicial elections are those serving on the state's probate courts. In order to serve as a probate judge, a candidate must be an attorney who lives in the state.

Candidates participate in partisan primary elections, with parties selecting one candidate who will compete in the general election. A candidate from each party will then move on to compete in the general election. Candidates who are unopposed in the primary must still appear on the general election ballot since write-in candidates are allowed for the general election.

Noteworthy events

The following articles were current as of the dates listed.

In Maine primary probate court incumbents rule June 12, 2014

Click for story→

See also: JP Election Brief: Looking back on primaries in four states as candidates advance toward November The majority of Maine's judges are chosen by the governor, but the state's probate court judges are selected in partisan elections. Maine's primary election features one Republican and one Democratic candidate, who then move on to compete in the general election. The June 10 primary was only necessary for those seats where more than one candidate from a party was running. Many current judges serving on the probate court who have terms expiring this year ran to serve another term on the court. Michael L. Dubois assumed the bench on the Androscoggin County, Maine in 2012. Dubois was elected to serve on the court for the remainder of the term, which expired in 2014. Dubois faced Elliott L. Epstein in the November election, and won. Cumberland County's probate judge, Joseph R. Mazziotti, and Richard M. Morton, the probate judge in Franklin County, both ran for re-election. They faced no opposition in the November election. The primary eliminated one candidate from the race for the probate court judgeship in Hancock County. Judge James E. Patterson's term expired in 2014, and he did not file to keep his seat. Democratic candidate Valerie Cook Chiasson was assured a spot on the November ballot as her party's only candidate. However, two Republican opponents competed for the spot on their party's ticket. William Bradley Blaisdell won the right to compete against Chiasson. He won 73.47 percent of the vote, while his opponent, Ferdinand A. Slater won 26.53 percent of the votes. Blaisdell then defeated Chaisson in the November election. Kennebec County Probate Court Judge James E. Mitchell, Knox County probate Judge Carol R. Emery and Lyman L. Holmes, judge of the Washington County probate court, all faced no opposition in their bids for re-election. Two candidates running for the probate court judge seat in Penobscot County faced no opposition in the primary. Amy L. Faircloth challenged incumbent M. Ray Bradford, Jr. in November, but lost.

See also

• Maine judicial elections
• Judicial selection in Maine

External links

• Maine Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions

Footnotes

Maine courts

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Federal courts:

First Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Maine • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Maine

State courts:

Maine Supreme Judicial Court • Maine Superior Court • Maine Business and Consumer Court • Maine District Courts • Maine Family Division • Maine Juvenile Court • Maine Probate Courts • Maine Small Claims Court • Maine Treatment Court

State resources:

Courts in Maine • Maine judicial elections • Judicial selection in Maine