John Martin, Longtime Maine Democrat Leader, Hospitalized in Bangor

John L. Martin, the longtime Democratic politician and master State House strategist, was found unconscious Sunday morning in his driveway and is currently hospitalized in Bangor, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation.

No information was available on his current status.

Martin, 83, is currently running for re-election to the State House of Representatives for the District 1 seat vacated by State Rep. Austin Theriault (R-Fort Kent), who abdicated the seat to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden for Maine’s Second Congressional District seat.

One of Maine’s most influential and longest-serving politicians, Martin is known by his nom de guerre the “Earl of Eagle Lake,” owning in part to the lavish estate he owns on Eagle Lake in Aroostook County.

Even when he is not holding official political office, Martin is a towering figure in Maine politics, and he was a fixture at the State House during the 131st Legislature as Democrats maneuvered to pass substantial legislation, including a radical expansion of legalized late-term abortion in Maine.

First elected in 1964, Martin has held various political offices for more than 60 years, switching between the House of Representatives and the Maine Senate in order to circumvent Maine’s established term limits.

Born on June 5, 1941, in Eagle Lake, Maine, Martin began his political career in 1964 when he was first elected to the Maine House. He quickly became a key figure and powerbroker within the Maine Democratic Party, eventually serving as Speaker of the House from 1975 to 1994.

Martin’s tenure was marked by his skillful command of the legislative process and his efforts to advocate for Northern Maine’s rural communities, including the mill workers, potato farmers, and the logging industry.

Over his 20 years as Speaker, he played an massive role in shaping state policies on issues ranging from education to environmental conservation. Almost no aspect of politics and law in Maine is without Martin’s fingerprints.

Martin’s long career was not without controversy.

In 1992, a ballot-tampering scandal involving one of his aides cast a shadow over his tenure. Two of Martin’s aides, Kenneth Allen and Michael Flood, pleaded guilty to their roles in breaking into a ballot storage area of the State House during a recount to alter ballots in favor of Democratic candidates in close races.

Martin was never directly implicated in the ballot-tampering scheme; however, the incident was at least partly responsible for the enactment of legislative term limits in Maine—term limits that, ironically, would seldom apply to Martin as he managed to bounce back and forth between the House and Senate.

Despite the setback, Martin returned to public service in the Maine Senate in 2000 and continued his dedication to the legislature. In 2014, Martin made yet another comeback, winning his seat in the Maine House.

Martin’s knack for getting around term limits even led Republican Gov. Paul LePage to criticize Maine’s term limits generally in 2014 when he advocated for getting rid of the limits altogether. Although LePage and Martin often butted heads, LePage admitted a begrudging respect for the Democratic leader, once telling a newspaper reporter that “if I want to get something done, I call John Martin.”

He continued to serve until 2022, after which he launched another bid for office in 2024.

Beyond his legislative achievements, Martin has worked as an educator, serving as an assistant professor in political science at the University of Maine Fort Kent.

On Nov. 5, he will stand for re-election against Republican candidate Lucien Daigle.

This story will be updated when new information becomes available.