A special election is likely on the horizon for Maine House District 94 in Lewiston after longtime Democratic Rep. Kristen Cloutier resigned Oct. 31 to become chief of staff to Senate President Mattie Daughtry.
The Lewiston City Council is scheduled to vote on Tuesday on a formal request to the governor to call the special election. If approved, the request will go to the governor’s office and be followed by a proclamation from Secretary of State Shenna Bellows declaring the vacancy and setting the election date.
Cloutier’s departure narrows the Democratic majority in the Maine House to just one seat, with Democrats holding 74 seats to Republicans’ 73 and three representatives unenrolled.
Three local figures, City Councilor Scott Harriman, School Committee member Janet Beaudoin and former School Committee member Kiernan Majerus-Collins, have already announced their intentions to run if the special election is called.
Harriman, who was recently elected to a third term on the council, received Cloutier’s endorsement and said constituents “deserve someone who will work hard and keeps them front and center every day.”
Majerus-Collins, who announced his candidacy earlier in October, said he is running to “fight … authoritarian attacks on immigrants, tackle climate change, and lower the cost of housing.” At attorney, Majerus-Collins is representing embattled Councilor-elect Iman Osman, who residency eligibility has been called into question.
Beaudoin, reelected to the School Committee and a candidate in the 2022 race for the District 94 seat, said she’s hearing from residents “who feel unheard and unrepresented.” She added that “our community is dealing with serious challenges, from the drug epidemic to youth violence to the strain on families and local services, and people want a representative who is actually focused on addressing those issues, not on symbolic distractions.”
Since both Harriman and Majerus-Collins are registered Democrats, the local party caucus will likely determine which of them appears on the special-election ballot.
Mayor Carl Sheline (D) said he “fully supports” the council’s request for a special election, emphasizing that Lewiston is the state’s second-largest city and needs representation for the remainder of the term.
