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Maine State Senate

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Maine State Senate
SLP-Infobox Image-Color.png
General Information
Party control:   Democrat
Session start:   December 4, 2024
Session end:   March 21, 2025
Term length:   2 years
Term limits:   4 terms (8 years)
Redistricting:  Legislature-dominant
Salary:   $16,245.12 for the first regular session. $11,668.32 for the second regular session.
+ per diem
Members
Total:  35
Democrats:  20
Republicans:  15
Other:  0
Vacancies:  0
Leadership
President:   TBD (D)
Maj. Leader:   TBD (D)
Min. Leader:   Harold Stewart (R)
Elections
Last election:  November 5, 2024
Next election:  November 3, 2026

The Maine State Senate is the upper chamber of the Maine State Legislature. Alongside the Maine House of Representatives, it forms the legislative branch of the Maine state government and works alongside the governor of Maine to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the Maine State Senate include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

The Maine State Senate meets in the State House in Augusta, Maine.

  • All 35 seats in the Maine State Senate were up for election in 2020. Click to read more »
  • In the 2020 elections, the chamber's Democratic majority increased from 21-14 to 22-13.
  • Maine has a Democratic state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers. As of September 25, 2025, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 14 Democratic trifectas, and 13 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control. In the 2020 election, Republicans had a net gain of two trifectas and two states under divided government became trifectas. Prior to that election, Maine had a Democratic trifecta. There were 21 Republican trifectas, 15 Democratic trifectas, and 14 divided governments.
  • This page contains the following information on the Maine State Senate.

    Party control

    Current partisan control

    The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the Maine State Senate as of September 2025:

    Party As of September 2025
         Democratic Party 20
         Republican Party 15
         Other 0
         Vacancies 0
    Total 35

    Members

    Leadership

    The president of the Senate is elected by the full body. The president is the presiding officer, whose duties include appointing all committees and a president pro tempore, enforcing order, and voting in all cases. The president pro tempore serves as presiding officer when the president is absent.[1][2]

    Current leadership and members

    • Senate president: TBD (D)
    • Majority leader: TBD (D)
    • Minority leader: Harold Stewart (R)

    Salaries

    See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
    State legislative salaries, 2024[3]
    SalaryPer diem
    $16,245.12 for the first regular session. $11,668.32 for the second regular session.$70/day for lodging (or round-trip mileage up to $0.55/mile in lieu of housing, plus tolls). $50/day for meals.

    Swearing in dates

    See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

    Maine legislators assume office after the first Wednesday in December after their election.

    Membership qualifications

    See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

    Section 6 of Part 2 of Article 4 of the Maine Constitution states, "The Senators shall be 25 years of age at the commencement of the term, for which they are elected, and in all other respects their qualifications shall be the same as those of the Representatives."

    Section 4 of Part 1 of Article 4 of the Maine Constitution states, "Qualifications; residency requirement. No person shall be a member of the House of Representatives, unless the person shall, at the commencement of the period for which the person is elected, have been 5 years a citizen of the United States, have arrived at the age of 21 years, have been a resident in this State one year; and for the 3 months next preceding the time of this person's election shall have been, and, during the period for which elected, shall continue to be a resident in the district which that person represents."

    Historical party control

    Democrats won control of the Maine State Senate in 2018. In 2024, they won a 20-15 majority.

    The table below shows the partisan history of the Maine Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2024. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Maine State Senate election results: 1992-2024

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20 '22 '24
    Democrats 20 16 19 20 17* 18 18 18 20 14 21 15 17 21 22 22 20
    Republicans 15 18 15 14 17 17 17 17 15 20 13 20 18 14 13 13 15
    Other 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0

    *Chamber controlled by power-sharing agreement

    Trifecta history

    A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Democrats in Maine held a state government trifecta from 2003 to 2010. Republicans held a trifecta from 2011 to 2012. The table below shows state government trifectas in Maine from 1992 to 2019.

    Maine Party Control: 1992-2025
    Fifteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  Two years of Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
    Governor R R R I I I I I I I I D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D
    Senate D D D R R D D D D S S D D D D D D D D R R D D R R R R D D D D D D D
    House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D

    Elections

    Elections by year

    Maine state senators serve two-year terms, with all seats up for election every two years. Maine holds elections for its legislature in even years.

    2026

    See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2026

    Elections for the Maine State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026.

    2024

    See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2024

    Elections for the Maine State Senate took place in 2024. The general election was on November 5, 2024. The primary was June 11, 2024. The filing deadline was March 15, 2024.

    In the 2024 elections, Democrats lost two seats but maintained their majority in the Maine State Senate. The Democratic majority went from 22-13 to 20-15.

    Maine State Senate
    Party As of November 5, 2024 After November 6, 2024
         Democratic Party 22 20
         Republican Party 13 15
    Total 35 35

    2022

    See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2022

    Elections for the Maine State Senate took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for June 14, 2022. The filing deadline was March 15, 2022.

    In the 2022 elections, Democrats maintained their 22-13 majority in the Maine State Senate.

    Maine State Senate
    Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
         Democratic Party 22 22
         Republican Party 13 13
    Total 35 35

    2020

    See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2020

    Elections for the office of Maine State Senate took place in 2020. All 35 seats were up for election. Twenty-one were held by Democrats and 14 were held by Republicans. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for July 14, 2020. The filing deadline was March 16, 2020.

    In the 2020 elections, Democrats gained one seat in the Maine State Senate and increased their majority to 22–13.

    Maine State Senate
    Party As of November 3, 2020 After November 4, 2020
         Democratic Party 21 22
         Republican Party 14 13
    Total 35 35

    2018

    See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2018

    Elections for the Maine State Senate took place in 2018. The closed primary election took place on June 12, 2018, and the general election was held on November 6, 2018. The major party candidate filing deadline was March 15, 2018, and the third-party and independent candidate filing deadline was June 1, 2018.[4]

    In the 2018 elections, Democrats flipped four seats and gained control of the Maine State Senate.

    Maine State Senate
    Party As of November 6, 2018 After November 7, 2018
         Democratic Party 17 21
         Republican Party 18 14
    Total 35 35

    2016

    See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2016

    Elections for the Maine State Senate 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] All 35 seats in the Maine State Senate were up for election in 2016.

    Heading into the election, Republicans held a 20-15 majority. Republicans lost two seats in the election, giving them a 18-17 majority.

    Maine State Senate
    Party As of November 7, 2016 After November 8, 2016
         Democratic Party 15 17
         Republican Party 20 18
    Total 35 35

    Term limits

    See also: State legislatures with term limits

    The Maine legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Maine Term Limits Act in 1993. That initiative said that Maine senators are subject to term limits of no more than four two-year terms, or a total of eight years.

    The first year that the term limits enacted in 1993 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 1996.[12]

    Vacancies

    See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

    If there is a vacancy in the Maine State Legislature, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat.[13][14] The governor must call for an election and inform political committees of the nomination deadline.[15][13][14] The person elected to the seat serves for the remainder of the unexpired term.[16]

    DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Maine Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21-A, § 382 Maine Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21-A, §366 and Maine Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21-A, § 381

    District map

    See also: Maine state legislative districts

    The state of Maine has 186 legislative districts. Each district elects one representative. The state Senate has 35 districts and the state House has 151 districts. Three Native American tribes, the Penobscot Nation, the Passamaquoddy Tribe, and the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, are allocated one non-voting member each in the House.[17]

    Use the interactive map below to find your district.

    Redistricting

    See also: Redistricting in Maine

    In Maine, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. An advisory commission is also involved in the process. A two-thirds majority is required to approve new district maps, which are subject to veto by the governor.[18]

    The composition of the 15-member advisory redistricting commission is as follows:[18]

    1. The majority and minority leaders of the Maine State Senate each select two commissioners.
    2. The majority and minority leaders of the Maine House of Representatives each appoint three commissioners.
    3. The chairs of the state's two major political parties (i.e., the Republican and Democratic parties) each appoint one member.
    4. The aforementioned 12 commissioners appoint two more members from the public, "with each party's representatives coordinating to choose one commissioner."
    5. The two public commissioners appoint one additional member.

    This commission may make recommendations to the state legislature regarding redistricting, but the legislature is not bound to abide by the commission's recommendations. If the state legislature is unable to pass a redistricting plan, the responsibility falls to the Maine Supreme Court.[18]

    State statutes require that congressional districts be compact and contiguous, In addition, state laws require that congressional districts "cross political subdivision lines as few times as possible."[18]

    The Maine Constitution mandates that state legislative districts be "compact and contiguous, and that they cross political subdivision lines as few times as possible."[18]

    2020

    See also: Redistricting in Maine after the 2020 census

    Upon completion of the 2020 census, Maine will draft and enact new district maps. On July 19, 2021, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court established a revised timeline for redistricting in the state. In a unanimous decision, the Court established the following deadlines:

    • The Maine Apportionment Commission must submit legislative and congressional plans “45 days after the State of Maine’s receipt from the Census Bureau” of legacy-format data.
    • The legislature must enact either the Apportionment Commission’s plan or its own plan 10 days after the earlier of the Commission’s submission of redistricting plans or the expiration of the 45 day deadline for the Commission to submit plans.

    If the legislature fails to enact an apportionment plan by the deadline, the Court has 35 days to enact its own plan for legislative and congressional redistricting.

    The Court’s ruling was necessary because the Maine Constitution requires the Apportionment Commission to submit redistricting plans by June 1, which was not possible since the Census Bureau did not deliver census data to the states until August 12, 2021.[19]

    In late May 2021, Senate President Troy Jackson (D), House Speaker Ryan Fecteau (D), Senate Minority Leader Jeffrey Timberlake (R), and House Minority Leader Kathleen Dillingham (R) petitioned the Maine Supreme Judicial Court to extend the deadline for the advisory commission to submit its recommendations to the state legislature until 45 days after receiving data from the U.S. Census Bureau.[20]

    2010

    On May 23, 2013, the advisory redistricting commission submitted its recommendation for new state Senate districts. A recommendation for new state House districts followed on May 24, 2013. The legislature approved a version of the commission's recommended plan on June 5, 2013. The new maps were signed into law by the governor on June 14, 2013.[18]

    Sessions

    Legislation

    The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the Maine State Senate has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the Senate to the House and legislation that has already been approved by the House and signed by the governor after its passage in the Senate. Information on legislation provided below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. The tracker is fully interactive. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read its text in full and see its voting history. You can click the headings to sort the content in the column. You can also rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Finally, in the bottom-left corner of the tracker is a magnifying glass, which, when clicked, will allow you to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated by BillTrack50.

    Dates of legislative sessions in Maine by year

    2025

    See also: 2025 Maine legislative session and Dates of 2025 state legislative sessions

    In 2025, the legislature was scheduled to convene on December 4, 2024, and adjourn on March 21, 2025.



    About legislative sessions in Maine

    The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.[37] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

    Article IV, Part Third of the Maine Constitution establishes when the Maine State Legislature, of which the Senate is a part, is to be in session. Section 1 of the Part states that, following a legislative election, the Legislature is to convene its first regular session on the first Wednesday of December. The second regular session of the legislature is to convene in the next even-numbered year. This second session is to convene on the first Wednesday after the first Tuesday in January. Section 1 also instructs the Legislature to enact statutory limits on the length of its regular sessions.

    Section 1 also establishes the procedures for convening special sessions of the Legislature. A special session can be convened by the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House, with the consent of a majority of legislators from each political party.

    Legislative roles and procedures

    Every state legislature throughout the country features its own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includes veto overrides, the role of the legislature in the state budget, term limits, procedures for filling membership vacancies, and redistricting.

    Veto overrides

    Veto Override Graphic-No party.png

    See also: Veto overrides in state legislatures

    State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in Maine are listed below.

    How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members present in both chambers.

    Two-thirds of members present in both chambers must vote to override a veto. If all members are in attendance, this is 101 of the 151 members in the Maine House of Representatives and 24 of the 35 members in the Maine State Senate. Maine is one of 36 states that requires a two-thirds vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto.

    Authority: Article IV, Part Third, Section 2 of the Maine Constitution.

    "Every bill or resolution, having the force of law, to which the concurrence of both Houses may be necessary, except on a question of adjournment, which shall have passed both Houses, shall be presented to the Governor, and if the Governor approves, the Governor shall sign it; if not, the Governor shall return it with objections to the House in which it shall have originated, which shall enter the objections at large on its journals, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such reconsideration, 2/3 of that House shall agree to pass it, it shall be sent together with the objections, to the other House, by which it shall be reconsidered, and, if approved by 2/3 of that House, it shall have the same effect as if it had been signed by the Governor; but in all such cases, the votes of both Houses shall be taken by yeas and nays, and the names of the persons, voting for and against the bill or resolution, shall be entered on the journals of both Houses respectively."

    Role in state budget

    See also: Maine state budget and finances
    Maine on Public Policy Logo-one line-on Ballotpedia.png
    Check out Ballotpedia articles about policy in your state on:
    BudgetsCivil libertiesEducationElectionsEnergyEnvironmentHealthcarePensions

    The state operates on a biennial budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[38]

    1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies in July of the year preceding the start of the new biennium.
    2. State agencies submit their budget requests by September 1.
    3. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature in January. This deadline is extended to February for a newly elected governor.
    4. The legislature adopts a budget by 30 days prior to its adjournment. A simple majority is required to pass a budget. The biennium begins on July 1.

    Maine is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.[38][39]

    The governor is legally required to submit a balanced budget proposal. Likewise, the state legislature is legally required to pass a balanced budget.[38]

    Committees

    See also: List of committees in Maine state government

    Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

    • Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
    • Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
    • Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

    Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The Maine State Senate has five standing committees:

    Constitutional amendments

    In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

    The methods by which the Maine Constitution can be amended:

    See also: Part III of Article IV and Article X of Maine Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in Maine
    687px-Flag of Maine.svg.png

    The Maine Constitution may be amended in two ways—through the legislative process, or a state constitutional convention. Maine residents cannot put a constitutional amendment on the ballot through the power of initiative. Maine does feature the power of initiative for initiated state statutes.

    Legislature

    See also: Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

    A two-thirds majority (66.67%) vote is required during one legislative session for the Maine State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 101 votes in the Maine House of Representatives and 24 votes in the Maine State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

    Convention

    See also: Convention-referred constitutional amendment

    According to Section 15 of Part III of Article IV, the legislature can, by a two-thirds concurrent vote of both branches, call a constitutional convention. Maine has never called such a convention; however, two "constitutional commissions" were impaneled, one in 1876 and one in 1962, but neither led to significant changes.


    Historical context: Between 1985 and 2020, the following occurred:

    • Ballots featured 146 ballot measures.
    • An average of five or six measures appeared on odd-year statewide ballots in Maine.
    • An average of one citizen-initiated statute appeared on odd-year statewide ballots in Maine.
    • Voters approved 78 percent (114 of 146) and rejected 28 percent (32 of 146) of the ballot measures.
    • Voters approved 40 percent (21 of 35) and rejected 60 percent (21 of 35) of the citizen-initiated statutes.
    Ballot measures in Maine, 1995-2020
    Type Total number Approved Percent approved Defeated Percent defeated Odd-year average Odd-year median Odd-year minimum Odd-year maximum
    All measures 146 114 78.1% 31 21.9% 5.9 6.0 2 9
    Initiated statutes 35 14 40.0% 21 60.0% 1.2 1.0 0 4
    Veto referendums 8 6 75.0% 2 25.0% 0.2 0.0 0 1
    Amendments 16 12 75.0% 4 25.0% 0.9 1.0 0 3
    Bond issues 83 80 96.4% 3 3.6% 3.4 4.0 0 6


    See also

    Elections Maine State Government State Legislatures State Politics
    Ballotpedia Elections Badge-VOTE-no shadow-Square.jpg
    Maine State Flag-Close Up.jpg
    State Houses-Tile image.png
    State Courts-Tile image.png

    Footnotes

    1. Maine Legislature, "Senate Rules," December 5, 2012
    2. Maine Legislature, "Senate Leadership," accessed August 19, 2014
    3. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
    4. Maine.gov, "Upcoming Elections," accessed December 22, 2017
    5. Politics1.com, "Maine," archived December 31, 2015
    6. Follow the Money, "Maine 2010 - Candidates," accessed August 19, 2014
    7. Follow the Money, "Maine 2008 - Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    8. Follow the Money, "Maine 2006 - Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    9. Follow the Money, "Maine 2004 - Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    10. Follow the Money, "Maine 2002 - Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    11. Follow the Money, "Maine 2000 - Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    12. ncsl.org, "Chart of Term Limits States," accessed December 16, 2013
    13. 13.0 13.1 Maine Legislature, "Maine Revised Statutes," accessed February 11, 2021 (Statute 21A-381)
    14. 14.0 14.1 Maine Legislature, "Maine Revised Statutes," accessed February 11, 2021 (Statute 21A-382)
    15. Maine Legislature, "Constitution of the State of Maine," accessed February 11, 2021 (Article IV, Section 5)
    16. Maine Legislature, "Maine Revised Statutes," accessed February 11, 2021 (Statute 21A-361)
    17. Maine State Legislature, "Brief History of Indian Legislative Representatives," accessed December 30, 2015
    18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 All About Redistricting, "Maine," accessed April 30, 2015
    19. Maine Supreme Judicial Court, In re 2021 Apportionment of Maine House of Representatives, Maine Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, and County Commissioners, July 19, 2021
    20. Yahoo! News, "Leading Maine lawmakers ask state's high court to extend redistricting deadline," May 27, 2021
    21. Bangor Daily News, "A busy two days are coming in Augusta. Maine’s coronavirus response will be the topic." March 16, 2020
    22. pressherald.com, "New state budget sends more money to public schools in Maine," July 5, 2017
    23. pressherald.com, "State workers bracing for worst as threat of a shutdown looms," June 22, 2017
    24. pressherald.com, "Legislature votes to extend session to try to resolve budget impasse," June 21, 2017
    25. Press Herald, "As session ends, Legislature overrides LePage veto, raising legal age for tobacco to 21," August 2, 2017
    26. Maine Public Broadcasting, "Maine Democrats and Republicans Lay out Priorities for Upcoming Legislative Session," December 23, 2014
    27. Maine State Legislature, "126th Legislature: 2012 - 2014," accessed February 11, 2021
    28. Maine Legislature, "126th Legislature: 2012 - 2014," accessed February 11, 2021
    29. Legislative Information Office, "LD 1279," accessed February 11, 2021
    30. CentralMaine.com, "Maine House vote kills bill to elect top state officials," June 4, 2013
    31. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Bangor
    32. Maine State Legislature, "Proposed Constitutional Legislation 1820 -," accessed February 11, 2021
    33. Bangor Daily News, "Maine lawmakers return Wednesday for 2012 session," January 3, 2012
    34. Maine.gov, 125th Legislature Session Schedule, accessed February 11, 2021
    35. Bangor Daily News, State lawmakers headed home but only for 12 days, June 16, 2011
    36. Stateline, "Conservative budget becomes law in all-GOP Maine," June 21, 2011 (Archived)
    37. Find Law, "Tenth Amendment - U.S. Constitution," accessed May 20, 2017
    38. 38.0 38.1 38.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023
    39. National Conference of State Legislatures, "Separation of Powers: Executive Veto Powers," accessed January 26, 2024