Maine Senate

Maine State Senate
Maine State Legislature

Type
Type	Upper house
Term limits	4 Terms (8 years)
History
New session started	December 3, 2014
Leadership
President of the Senate	Michael Thibodeau(R) Since December 3, 2014
Majority Leader	Garrett Mason(R) Since December 3, 2014
Minority Leader	Justin Alfond(D) Since December 3, 2014
Structure
Seats	35

Political groups	Governing party Republican (20) Opposition party Democratic (15)
Length of term	2 years
Authority	Article IV, Part Second, Maine Constitution
Salary	Session 1: $13,526/year Session 2: $9,661/year + per diem
Elections
Last election	November 4, 2014 (35 seats)
Next election	November 8, 2016 (35 seats)
Redistricting	Legislative Control
Meeting place
State Senate Chamber Maine State House Augusta, Maine
Website
Maine State Senate

The Maine Senate is the upper house of the Maine Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. The Senate currently consists of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, though the Maine Constitution allows for "an odd number of Senators, not less than 31 nor more than 35".^[1] Unlike the lower House, the Senate does not set aside nonvoting seats for Native tribes. Because it is a part-time position, members of the Maine Senate usually have outside employment as well.

The Senate meets at the Maine State House in Augusta. Members are limited to four consecutive terms with each term being two years but may run again after a two year wait.

Leadership

Unlike many U.S. states, the Senate's leader is not the lieutenant governor, as Maine does not have a lieutenant governor. Instead, the Senate chooses its own president, who is also the first in the line of gubernatorial succession.

Composition of the Senate

127th Legislature, 2014-2016

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)			Total

	Republican	Democratic	Independent		Vacant
125th (2010-12)	20	14	1	35	0

126th Legislature (2012-14)	15	19	1	35	0

Begin 127th	21	14	0	35	0
January 8, 2015^[2]	20	15		35	0
January 26, 2016^[3]		14		34	1
March 30, 2016^[4]		15		35	0
Latest voting share	7001571000000000000♠57.1%	7001429000000000000♠42.9%

One seat was initially in dispute due to a discrepancy in the number of ballots counted. Senate District 25 was won on election night by Democrat Catherine Breen by 32 votes. However, a recount put Republican Cathy Manchester in the lead by 11. The new Republican-led Senate formed a committee to determine what happened and who won the seat. Manchester, the Republican, was provisionally seated pending the outcome of the investigation.^[5] The committee found during its investigation that 21 ballots for Manchester were counted twice,^[6] which meant that Breen was the actual winner. Manchester resigned her seat and conceded Breen won the race.^[7]

Officers

Position	Name	Party
President of the Senate	Michael Thibodeau	Rep
Majority Leader	Garrett Mason	Rep
Assistant Majority Leader	Andre Cushing	Rep
Minority Leader	Justin Alfond	Dem
Assistant Minority Leader	Dawn Hill	Dem
Secretary of the Senate	Heather J.R. Priest	Non-Partisan
Assistant Secretary of the Senate	Shawn L. Roderick	Non-Partisan

Members of the Maine Senate

Districts are currently numbered starting with 1 from north to south. This is reversed after each decennial redistricting, which will next occur in 2021 and will go into effect beginning with the 2022 primary and general elections. The current district lines, which were drawn in 2013 and were first used in the 2014 primary and general elections, will only be in effect for 8 years rather than the usual 10 as Maine adjusts its legislative redistricting cycle to conform with most other states.

District	Senator	Party	Residence	Primary County	First elected	Term limited
1	Peter Edgecomb	Rep	Caribou	Aroostook	2014	2022
2	Michael Willette	Rep	Presque Isle	Aroostook	2014	2022
3	Rodney Whittemore	Rep	Skowhegan	Somerset	2010	2018
4	Paul Davis	Rep	Sangerville	Piscataquis	2014	2022
5	Jim Dill	Dem	Old Town	Penobscot	2014	2022
6	David Burns	Rep	Perry	Washington	2012	2020
7	Brian Langley	Rep	Ellsworth	Hancock	2010	2018
8	Kim Rosen	Rep	Bucksport	Hancock	2014	2022
9	Geoffrey Gratwick	Dem	Bangor	Penobscot	2012	2020
10	Andre Cushing	Rep	Hampden	Penobscot	2012	2020
11	Michael Thibodeau	Rep	Winterport	Waldo	2010	2018
12	David Miramant	Dem	Camden	Knox	2014	2022
13	Christopher K. Johnson	Dem	Somerville	Lincoln	2012*	2018
14	Earle McCormick	Rep	West Gardiner	Kennebec	2014 (2006-2012)	2022
15	Roger Katz	Rep	Augusta	Kennebec	2010	2018
16	Scott Cyrway	Rep	Benton	Kennebec	2014	2022
17	Thomas Saviello	Rep	Wilton	Franklin	2010	2018
18	John Patrick	Dem	Rumford	Oxford	2010	2018
19	James Hamper	Rep	Oxford	Oxford	2012	2020
20	Eric Brakey	Rep	Auburn	Androscoggin	2014	2022
21	Nate Libby	Dem	Lewiston	Androscoggin	2014	2022
22	Garrett Mason	Rep	Lisbon Falls	Androscoggin	2010	2018
23	Linda Baker	Rep	Topsham	Sagadahoc	2014	2022
24	Stanley Gerzofsky	Dem	Brunswick	Cumberland	2008	2016
25	Catherine Breen	Dem	Falmouth	Cumberland	2014^[8]	2022
26	Bill Diamond	Dem	Windham	Cumberland	2014 (1982-1986;2004-2012)	2022
27	Justin Alfond	Dem	Portland	Cumberland	2008	2016
28	Anne Haskell	Dem	Portland	Cumberland	2012	2020
29	Rebecca Millett	Dem	Cape Elizabeth	Cumberland	2012	2020
30	Amy Volk	Rep	Scarborough	Cumberland	2014	2022
31	Linda Valentino	Dem	Saco	York	2012	2020
32	Susan Deschambault	Dem	Biddeford	York	March 2016	2024
33	David Woodsome	Rep	Waterboro	York	2012	2022
34	Ronald Collins	Rep	Wells	York	2010	2018
35	Dawn Hill	Dem	Cape Neddick	York	2010	2018

References

↑ Maine Constitution Article IV. -- Part Second.Senate.
↑ Provisionally seated Sen. Cathy Manchester resigned so Catherine Breen, who was determined to have won the election in a recount, could take the seat.
↑ Democrat David Dutremble (District 32) resigned his seat.
↑ Democrat Susan Deschambault was elected to fill the seat vacated by Dutremble.
↑ "Maine Senate votes to seat GOP candidate Manchester in still-contested race". Bangor Daily News. December 3, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
↑ "Investigation into Senate District 25 election reveals that 21 votes were tallied twice during recount, likely reversing outcome again". Bangor Daily News. December 9, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
↑ "Democrat wins Senate election after investigation reveals ‘phantom ballots’ for GOP opponent did not exist". Bangor Daily News. December 9, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
↑ Due to a protracted recount, Sen. Breen didn't assume office until January 8, 2015.

External links

The Maine Senate official government website
State Senate of Maine at Project Vote Smart
Maine Senate at Ballotpedia

Members of the Maine State Senate

127th Maine Senate (2015-2016)

President of the Senate: Michael Thibodeau (R)
Majority Leader: Garrett Mason (R)
Minority Leader: Justin Alfond (D)

James Hamper (R)
Eric Brakey (D)
Nate Libby (D)
Garrett Mason (R)
Linda Baker (R)
Stanley Gerzofsky (D)
Cathy Breen (D)
Bill Diamond (D)
Justin Alfond (D)

Anne Haskell (D)
Rebecca Millett (D)
Amy Volk (R)
Linda Valentino (D)
Susan Deschambault (D)
David Woodsome (R)
Ronald Collins (R)
Dawn Hill (D)

Legislatures of the United States

United States Congress	United States House of Representatives United States Senate

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Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 127846524 LCCN: n81002934

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