LEWISTON, Maine — Republican House District 94 candidate Janet Beaudoin drew a wave of supporters to a Thursday campaign event in Lewiston, as the Feb. 24 special election for the vacant Maine House seat moves into its final stretch. The seat opened after Rep. Kristen Cloutier resigned effective Oct. 31, prompting a gubernatorial proclamation setting the special election date.
Beaudoin, a current Lewiston School Committee member, met with voters at Chick-a-Dee of Lewiston, where supporters gathered to talk local issues and the direction of the city and state. Chick-A-Dee is located at 1472 Lisbon St.
Beaudoin’s event was joined by some high-profile supporters, including former Maine governor and current candidate for Congress, Paul LePage (R), Republican gubernatorial candidate David Jones, Maine House Republican leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, former Lewiston City Council presidents, Rick LaChapelle and Lee Clement and Lewiston School Committee member Megan Hird among many other supporters.
On her campaign website, Beaudoin frames her agenda as “For Safety & Affordability,” listing a set of priorities that focus heavily on public safety, drug policy, taxes, housing, and accountability. Those priorities include empowering local law enforcement “to get ALL criminals, regardless of immigration status, off of our streets”; cracking down on the drug epidemic by shifting to “accountability-based recovery” and a strict “1-for-1 needle exchange” approach; enforcing residency requirements for officeholders; auditing “Lewiston Strong” funds; pursuing housing affordability through deregulation; and opposing tax hikes by “rooting out fraud” and blocking MaineCare expansion to non-citizens.
Beaudoin will face Democrat Scott Harriman, a Lewiston city councilor who also serves on the school committee. Harriman has been under criticism following a City Council censure tied to the use of the encrypted messaging app Signal in communications about city matters, an episode that raised transparency and public-records concerns.
Beaudoin’s campaign and allies have also pointed to Harriman’s position during the Iman Osman residency controversy. Harriman was among the school committee members who voted not to pursue an investigation, and Beaudoin has argued that the lack of action helped the situation worsen.
According to Beaudoin’s campaign site, early in-person voting runs from Jan. 25 through Feb. 19 at Lewiston City Hall (clerk’s office, second floor) during regular business hours, and Election Day voting on Feb. 24 is slated for Longley School, 145 Birch St., from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
