Ballotpedia's 2012 General Election Preview Articles: Maine State Legislature
October 29, 2012
By Ballotpedia's State legislative team
| Maine's State Legislative Elections in 2012 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate seats | Contested senate seats | House seats | Contested house seats |
| 35 | 32 (91.4%) | 151 | 139 (92.0%) |
AUGUSTA: Maine: There are 186 total legislative seats with 2012 elections in Maine, where polling places in municipalities with a population less than 500 are open between 6 AM and 10 AM while municipalities with a population of 500 or more are open between 6 AM and 8AM. All polls close at 8 PM.[1]
The State Senate has a total of 35 seats and is currently under Republican control, 19 to 15, with 1 Independent. 13 incumbents, 7 Democrats and 6 Republicans, are retiring from the Senate this year. The 153-seat House of Representatives is 77-71 in favor of the Democrats, with 1 Independent, 2 Non-Voting members, and 2 vacant seats. Of the 52 retiring incumbents, 25 are Republican and 27 are Democrats. Because both chambers have a majority by small margins, both could change hands in this election.
Of the 184 incumbents up for election in 2012, 121 (65.8%) of them are running for re-election. A total of 171 of 186 (91.9%) districts will see more than one major party candidate in the general election.
Here are a few races to watch:
Senate
- District 3: Term-limited State Rep. John Tuttle (D) is challenged by Bradford Littlefield (R) for this open seat.[2]
- District 27: State Rep. Herbert Clark (D) will face incumbent Senator Douglas Thomas (R). Clark has claimed that Thomas is "in hot water in his district" due to an unpopular proposed highway project that passes through the district.[3]
House
- Assistant Democratic Leader Teresea Hayes will face Republican challenger Timothy Turner. Hayes narrowly kept her seat in 2010, escaping with a 2,122 - 2,012 over Ryan Lorrain.
- Speaker Robert Nutting (R) is opposed by Democrat Harry Hayes (Maine).
| Maine State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 15 | 21 | |
| Republican Party | 19 | 13 | |
| Independent | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 35 | 35 | |
| Maine House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 71 | 86 | |
| Republican Party | 77 | 61 | |
| Independent | 1 | 4 | |
| Non-voting | 2 | 2 | |
| Vacancy | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 153 | 153 | |
Articles
- 2012 elections review: No incumbents defeated in Maine June 13
- 2012 elections preview: Maine voters to select winners in congressional, legislative primaries June 11
See also
- Ballotpedia's 2012 General Election Preview Articles: Maine Congressional Seats
- Ballotpedia:2012 general election preview articles
- State legislative elections, 2012
- November 6, 2012 election results
- Maine elections, 2012
Footnotes
| |||||
